Hatch not going as I had hoped...

[delaswim]

I had 14 eggs set to hatch on Monday the 22nd. Well, the hatch isn’t going as I had hoped. One chick has completely hatched and is running around in the incubator. 3 more are trying to break free, and there’s no signs of anything from the rest. The first chick to pip through died in his shell. Not sure why. I did see it blowing spit bubbles though, do you think he drown? I kept the humidity level at 30% through till lockdown when I increased it to 73%.

Should I help the other chicks that have pipped, break through their shells?

 

[Coldweatherbirds]

My first hatch yesterday/today as well. Today is 21 days for us, but our hatch really went wild yesterday. I thought it would be better than this. I guess I kind-of thought it would be closer to all or nothing instead of half.

Of 32 I have 13 that hatched correctly.

1 that pipped low and blew spit bubbles before dying like yours did (I tried to help it when it started foaming and found that it was really deformed and had pipped low, the air sack did have air if the chick could have positioned itself right to get to it. I'm guessing the weird shape of it's spine, neck, and head prevented that.).

1 that I helped because it pipped near the big end then over 24 hours zipped it's way down to the pointy end and stalled out. (Where was she going? LoL) I waited a long time to help that one and it is in with the other 13 now and doing fine. I don't even know which one it is anymore.

I've got one pipped and zipping this morning.

There are 16 with no action at all that I can see.

I'm keeping the humidity up and leaving these eggs alone. I am using a still-air and some people say that these eggs may still be viable and could have been slower to develop if they were in the cooler parts of the incubator.

I'm sorry yours are taking so long. Really, everyone's advice is going to be let them alone. If they have pipped and your humidity is in a good range, I'd let them be for at least 24 hours or more to work on getting out when they are ready. I moved super fast and added extra warm water every time I grabbed a chick out through the window. The one I helped, I grabbed out quick too and held it in a warm damp paper towel and picked just enough off so that it could push it's way out if it was strong enough, then I put it right back in the incubator to finish in it's own time. This whole process has been nerve wracking and not as much fun as I thought. It was great right up until hatching, but now it is just plain hard.

 

[ranchhand]

That's one those hard to answer questions, since I can't see what exactly is happening.

I assume you mean Monday yesterday, the 21st. Glad you have one out and at least 3 more working on it. Sorry about the one lost, sometimes we never figure out the reason.
I would say don't help yet. Some chicks take 25 days to hatch, though it's a bit unusual.

Give them a few more days. If you have to remove the one already hatched, that will have to be a really quick move. It wouldn't hurt to let some humidity out, if you have a vent plug you can pull. I usually lock down at 55-65%.

Best of luck!

 

[youngbiddy]

"Just plain hard" is right! Good grief, I was totally wrung out yesterday. I'm still tired. I've got 11 eggs out of 32 that never did anything, one pipped and died, and the rest are cuddled up in my brooder box. 20 chicks is good, but I really was hoping for a higher percentage. Considering they were mostly shipped eggs, I was being optimistic.

 

[delaswim]

So, should I remove the one chick and get it started on water and food? I've read that they're good for up to 2 days without food and water.

 

[youngbiddy]

I wouldn't worry too much, they aren't that interested in water and food for the first couple of days. Mostly they want to cuddle with mama/each other and sleep.

 

[delaswim]

Here's the brood, all 6. I set 14, 2 died right after they pipped, and the rest is what you see.

 

[snazzyboots]

so sorry you didn't get more but the ones you got sure are cute