Hatch-Along - Setting eggs this weekend (Jan5/6) WHOS WITH ME!

[fisherlady]

So being that it is pretty close to the end of day 22 with nothing happening we decided to take a few eggs out to candle quickly just to see...nothing...absolutely nothing

there is so much space in them and some dark masses but it looks like maybe what they should on day 10. So disappointed

I don't get what we are doing wrong. Why can't we get chicks to hatch???? We have eggs that are due on the 3rd of feb. but are down to four..hopefully we get one from those eggs but who knows their egg sacs look kinda funny

I have zero experience with incubators, but from following this thread it certainly seems you've been doing all the right steps... maybe more an issue with poor luck on the fertility from the source? I wish I had a way to help. I wouldn't give up if they aren't smelling or leaking though!

 

[SarahJaneB]

6 chicks out more coming but one has pipped at the wrong end .. it's still breathing and it's been like this all day. It has a good sized hole should I be getting worried yet, it's one of the bigger eggs in the incubator? The others are pipped too and have been all day too. Man those six are playing kickball like crazy with the other eggs.

 

[CayleeMarie03]

I have 15 chickees!! Yay!! I had 18 but 3 died, but this is the most i have ever had hatch before!! So I am excited!!

 

[gabrielle1976]

6 chicks out more coming but one has pipped at the wrong end .. it's still breathing and it's been like this all day. It has a good sized hole should I be getting worried yet, it's one of the bigger eggs in the incubator? The others are pipped too and have been all day too. Man those six are playing kickball like crazy with the other eggs.

Give him a good 24 hours then you may need to help him but very carefully breaking off tiny pieces of shell at a time all the way around in a zip very carefully moistening the membrane and such.Sallysunshine has a really good article on it. If you see blood stop. Some times they can zip out on there own on the small end but usually they cant move enough to get all the way around being breech and all.

 

[dblea202]

I have zero experience with incubators, but from following this thread it certainly seems you've been doing all the right steps... maybe more an issue with poor luck on the fertility from the source? I wish I had a way to help. I wouldn't give up if they aren't smelling or leaking though!

We thought everything was going good too. The only thing we can think of is that when they were shipped it was just too cold. although there was a heat pack who knows how cold they got in there. and although they were packaged very well the mailman could have just been too rough with them. So now we are going to try and find a place that isn't too far that we could possibly pick eggs up so we don't have to worry about them being shipped.

 

[FeyRaine]

Updates - it just turned Day 23 for me on these 11 eggs.

Egg J piped a few hrs ago, and just now started to zip

Egg B - the large dark choc. egg I started assisting after 23 1/2 hrs after 1st peep about 5 hrs ago.
I removed some more shell a little while ago and now I can see the main problem is the chick is not turned.
I finally found the beak, it is just past the center of the egg, toward the small end, away from the air cell.
I think most in this position drown, but the egg is incredibly dry w/o being sticky, so it managed to get enough air into the main area to peep/breath, even though it still has not absorbed the entire yolk or veins, so it isn't ready to hatch even yet. I have about 25 =30% of the shell removed the beak is in the middle of that w/ a tiny pip it made in the main membrane which it is breathing through & I positioned that on top to avoid drowning if there is any remaining fluid in that main area, I'm gently moistened the exposed membrane w/o letting any droplets of water get near the beak/air hole, I have a hot moist paper towel draped like a tent to keep super high humidity around it and I'm letting it rest so hopefully it can finish absorbing and free itself from the remaining shell & membrane when it is ready to do so. Now that J is zipping I may need to move B into a small private container b/c if that membrane rips it will bleed out as it is right now. I hate doing this much intervention, but I think my temp, humidity & even air pressure swings have caused this situation in what is likely otherwise an ok egg, & I really want this one to make it into my laying flock so I'm going to do what I can to try to save it, but I'll not be using it in any future breeding if it survives b/c I don't want to risk passing on any tendency to wrong end pip.

None of the other eggs on Day 23 are showing any signs of life yet but I'm only 47mins into day 23 so I still are hopeful...

--
Also, I've been loving all the pictures & hatch reports !

To those still waiting & worried, let my little green Egg J who only peeped this am and is now zipping on its day 23 give you hope too!

 

[chicken pickin]

Im at day 23.5 and I think I might go and pip a few and see if I have signs of life

how do I make the first hole in the shell (aircell side of the egg) with out really breaking the egg?

 

[chicken pickin]

I changed my mind Im too nervous to try it. Im gonna give them one more day and see what happens.

 

[Outrun Acres]

We have our first chick!!! First hatched chick ever

!!! My cameras not wanting to download pics i'll get them up in a min if I can.

Yay! That is wonderful to hear! We have had our first chicks ever today as well. Three have hatched and three more have pipped. Can't wait to see your pictures

 

[tammir]

All 9 babies are now in the brooder 'room'. #9 is in a shoebox separated from the others because they were pecking at her to the point she was crying out. She is by far the smallest chick I have ever seen, she actually came from one of the pullet eggs that I didn't really expect much of anything from, and is smaller than I remember the silkies being. Her bottom is slightly discolored with some pale green nasty looking stuff, but she is pooping good from what I can tell. I did try to wash her off with a wet papertowel since she was not fluffing up - just dried with her feathers plastered to her skin. She looks better now, just frizzy instead of fuzzy, peeping up a storm and wants to be with her sibblings, but I don't think they'll leave her alone and don't want them killing her. We've decided to name her Miracle - it's a miracle I didn't screw up on the assist and that she's made it this far- now if she can just make it through until I get home from work tomorrow so I can try to put her back in with the rest of them- she just keeps peeping to be with the others!
The bad news is the plug got knocked out for the incubator with the eggs set to hatch next weekend & I didn't catch it until the temperature had dropped down to 82! Don't know if I should wait it out, or reclaim my counter....don't know if I can handle another weekend of this insanity!