HELP!! Day 9 temp fell to 70F

[davemonkey]

They might be bigger than you think. Don't worry, if they are not fully there by Day 21, then they won't hatch on Day 21...they'll wait until they are ready.

 

[ebertschic]

It's day 19.

Now I don't open the bator until they hatch, right ?

This is just nerve-racking.

How many days past 21 do I wait before taking out the ones that didn't hatch?

 

[Granny Hatchet]

do you know how to candle them? i would wait 2 more days to be on the safe side or i should say you are supposed to wait that long.haha you could take a quick peek when you take hatchlings out. if none of them has hatched wait at least the 2 days before looking. good luck

 

[ebertschic]

Ok, just so I understand...Leave the bator closed until Friday / Saturday, since Wednesday is day 21?

If I can't open the bator, how do I know about Pips and Zips, etc...LOL?

The window of the bator is small.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

well, that is what ur supposed to do! i personally havent made that goal yet. and ive hatched a few. so i guess if you just cant help yourself take fast pecks because it really does drop the humidity and makes it harder for them to hatch. i really need to learn how to spell before i learn how to type. fast looks

 

[Granny Hatchet]

its ok to leave the babys in there i would guess 8 hrs but u need to have their brooder ready for them and of course you have to open it to take them out. and you will know their doing good when they start rocking and rolling some times 2 days in advance.

 

[ebertschic]

Ding, ding, ding....it's day 21 and absolutely no pips, no zips, no peeps, nada. I think I'm going be sick !

This is my first time hatching and I did EVERYTHING wrong.

* I set 12 eggs in a borrowed bator that was not run for 24 hours prior to putting them in there - I read about that later
* 3 hours after putting them in I noticed the temp was maxed on the thermometer at 120F
* I turned them by hand, not reading until recently that I had to scrub and santize my hands before touching them
* I candled every single day...couldn't help myself
* Day 9 my bator went off for 10 hours when my light swich was turned off and temp dropped to 70F
* I had a small dixie cup of water in there through the whole 21 days - I have no humidity monitor at all
* I realized on day 20 that the water I put in on day 18 was practically gone, so last night I had to pour a couple cups of water through a vent hole at the top of the bator to give them more humidity without opening during lockdown
* Do I have a brooder ready? NOPE. Knowing me I'll get it all ready and then nothing will hatch

These are going to be some seriously looney birds if they do end up hatching. I'm at work all day and can't wait to stalk the bator when I get home.

Someone please send me some lucky hatching dust here in NJ !

 

[ebertschic]

Oh, one more thing to add to the naughty list...

* I added a couple eggs on day 2 and 3 not realizing that during lockdown I can't turn them.

I'm sure there's more.

 

[davemonkey]

I wouldn't sweat it. If the 120F didn't kill them right off the bat, then everything else you did is fine. From what I understand, as long as you don't rinse off/scrub the eggs prior to incubation, they still have a protective coating on them. So, while it's good to have clean hands, I don't think they need to be all that scrubbed. I've never seen a hen wash her feet or her butt before sitting on her eggs...or at any point during her incubation period.

If you candled every day and saw development, then you are fine. Just leave them be until they hatch. If you simply cannot control the urge to check, then pull one out GENTLY and CAREFULLY and candle it with as little egg-movement as possible. See if you can see an internal pip, or give it a gentle tap with your finger and see if you hear a peep or see any movement. Then assume the rest are just like that one and let them sit another day or 2.

The ones you added on Day 2 or 3 should be okay I think. But if you had wanted to turn them , you still could have. "Lock-Down" doesn't mean you absolutely can't open the incubator. It means don't turn eggs that are past Day 18 because the chicks are now trying to position themselves for the hatch, and excessive movement will disorient them.

 

[ebertschic]

I opened the bator quickly and looked at a few on day 21. They don't look good at all. I saw a big round blood splotch in one and they still look like lima beans in the others that aren't moving.

There is one that looks like it's about full grown and moving and the green ones I can't see in at all. It's day 23 now with no pips, nothing.

How depressing...live and learn. I'll leave them alone until about Sunday and thrown in the towel.