Hatching eggs that were cold for several hours on Day 5.

[kbmead]

Hello! Just a little story of mine on our current chicks hatching.

We had 2 broody banty mommas, and then our FAVORITE tamest hen disappeared. After 5 days she came back, and we locked her in the coop until we had a chance to follow her and discover where she had been hiding. About 3-4 hours later, she led us to her nest hidden in a bush, with 15 eggs in it. They were completely cold, and I figured they were probably goners. So I threw most of them out (I'm squeamish, so I didn't open them to see what was inside). But I figured, what the heck, I'll put a few under the other currently setting mommas. (the biological momma who had hidden her nest is actually a little young to be having chicks, 9 months old, so I didn't let her sit on them)

Anyhoo, NOW THEY'RE HATCHING! Perfectly healthy so far, 2 of them have hatched, and I think one or 2 haven't pipped yet.

Moral of the story: eggs that have been set on up to Day 5, been cold for a few hours, then set on again, can survive!


In this picture, the 2 newest-looking black ones are the eggs I'm talking about.

 

[kbmead]

It's amazing! ALL of the eggs that had gotten cold on Day 5 have hatched, and are perfectly fine! Does anyone more knowledgeable know why it worked? Was it because Day 5 is early enough in the development, or because the weather was cold that day? (I don't even remember what the weather was like)

 

[Paganbird]

I can't answer your question, but congrats on the chicks!!
Raises my spirits - I had a power outtage yeasterday & was a little concerned. I guess I have no reason to be worried if all of your eggs hatched!
Super cute chicks! I love little feathered legs!!
Congratulations!

 

[Grampa with chickens]

I would say "Life found a way"

 

[roche477]

My last hatch I had an 11 hour power outage. My bator temp dropped to 70 degrees and stayed there til the power came back on. I had 18 eggs set, 16 were viable and 16 hatched!

Congrats on your successful hatch.

 

[DANNY]

I have had an incubator be off for over 24 hrs and they hatched fine. I think the reason they still hatch is because it takes an egg quite while to cool to center of the egg and the it takes close to freezing temperatures to kill them quickly. From my years of raising chickens i would have to guess an embryo could stay alive for three or four days in the summer time without being heated. There are other factors also like how long it had been incubated. At some point in developement they start generating some heat on their own that may also keep them alive longer. Inexperienced people tend to think that if an egg is cold on the outside it is ruined but that's not the case.It may be cold on the outside and still reasonably warm on the inside.