Hatching chicken egg- still alive??!! Help!!

[Mariah264]

I need help!! Is this egg still alive? Or lost cause? I assumed hatch day should have been no later than today, but I'm not sure now.

 

[CoopsNPoops]

Its not very good pictures to say for sure, but it looks about right. What day is it? What was your incubation schedule and temperature and humidity levels?

 

[Mariah264]

Its not very good pictures to say for sure, but it looks about right. What day is it? What was your incubation schedule and temperature and humidity levels?

I was having a tough time candling and getting a pic. Im thinking day 23...but again I could be off. This was an emergency home made incubator attempt, but temp stayed around 90, and humidity was at 62%.

 

[AprilsZoo]

That temp is low, which will delay hatching. Do you see any movement or hear peeping?

 

[Mariah264]

That temp is low, which will delay hatching. Do you see any movement or hear peeping?

I took a video and I swear I see movement, but I might just be hopeful. I don't hear any peeping.

 

[CoopsNPoops]

Yes, temp was quite low. Ive found that the later the hatch, the more problems there are with the hatch. For example, weak chicks unable to turn and zip, harder shells and tougher membrane making it very hard for chicks to break, dryer inside egg environment, developmental delay, thicker mucus, etc. Some late bloomers even got to big to fast to move. It also seems to take longer in between internal pips, external pips, and absorbing the yolk and blood vessels. Wow.. caught myself rambling. Point is, it's likely chick is still alive but developing slow because temp was really low.

 

[Mariah264]

Yes, temp was quite low. Ive found that the later the hatch, the more problems there are with the hatch. For example, weak chicks unable to turn and zip, harder shells and tougher membrane making it very hard for chicks to break, dryer inside egg environment, developmental delay, thicker mucus, etc. Some late bloomers even got to big to fast to move. It also seems to take longer in between internal pips, external pips, and absorbing the yolk and blood vessels. Wow.. caught myself rambling. Point is, it's likely chick is still alive but developing slow because temp was really low.

Should I up the temp now, or am I to late for that? Wait and see?

 

[CoopsNPoops]

Temp is supposed to be 99.5 at the least. I like to have mine around 100.5, but some people swear by 102. Im not sure if raising the temp would make much of a difference at this stage. If you want to try, do it very gradually. Maybe a half a degree at a time over few hour periods

 

[Mariah264]

Thank you all! I'll come back here in a few days and update you!

 

[AprilsZoo]

FYI: You can post video by uploading it to YouTube, vimeo or similar platform then pasting a link into a post... it will embed & show up automatically.
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If you consider that normal body temp for a hen is 105°F (& even up to as high as 106°F when she’s broody) the temp of eggs under a sitting hen stay well above 90° you’ve been incubating at.

I also just noticed you said you’ve kept your humidity pretty high too. Normally, humidity is kept under 50% until lockdown (final 2 days before expected hatch) so that the air cell can grow. If the air cell doesn’t develop correctly, the chick might not be able to breathe while they are working to break thru the shell. Or they can drown because there’s too much liquid.

At this point, I wouldn’t do a whole lot to change things— unfortunately, it’s just not likely to improve the outcome.
Especially if you have kids invested in the process, it will ultimately be harder on them if you push this egg, only to have the chick die either during hatching, or in the hours afterward.

I’m sorry to have to say, but it could be better just to learn from your mistakes on this try, and give it a go again in the future. You can learn so much here, & have a successful hatch next time... even with a diy incubator, if you do enough reading & research.