HELP! Did I shrink wrap my eggs?

[clacasse88]

I'm on Day 22. I have 34 eggs in the bator. Only one has been moving around/chirping since yesterday. I have one egg that is completely cracked. I thought it might be a bad egg and opened to candle. I couldn't tell as the entire egg is just completely dark. Did I compromise my eggs by opening them? These eggs are extremely large eggs (red sexlinks).

 

[whytedragon]

Here's what I noticed when I had to help a chick out who was stuck. I opened the hatcher when a few more were zipping...so of course I had to help those as well. The ones who had not started zipping did fine on their own, as long as I didn't open the hatcher at the time they were zipping. So if I opened the hatcher when one or more was zipping, I had to help all of those that were more exposed.
That was my observation, but it was my first time hatching.
What seemed to help is that every time I had to open, I pour a bit of warmer water into the pans to help bring the humidity back up quickly, or mist the eggs with a spray bottle. You could also try having a wet towel over the door if you need to grab a chick or egg.
I'm no expert, that is just what I had experienced.
Next time I hope my humidity is better so I don't have to start helping at all.

 

[clacasse88]

Well, that is promising as none of the eggs were pipping or zipping.

 

[AHappychick]

Before you do anything is this really day 22 or did you remember to make the very first day of hatch day 0??? cause they may be fine and right on time if you did that.


if none have pipped but 1 egg just leave everything alone

but if you have been opening the bator or if humidity has been low and there has been no progression of zipping in 24 hours I would say yes. Try to pull an egg out that has pipped but not progressed and slowly pick away at the top fat end and see what is going on. keep a warm moist paper towel with you and wet the chick and membrane as needed and work the chick half way out. stop if you see blood and veins that are not dried up yet. If you see that wrap in the wet paper towel leaving opening at top for air, and put back in bator. If the chicks are shrink wrapped you will be able to tell as the membrane will be dry and totally attatched to the chick inside.

As long as the chick as absorbed the yolk you can open the whole top half I let them pull their heads out so they are now just sitting in the egg and then I put them back in bator, they crawl out of the rest of the egg on their own.

you may have to hatch each chick but I would not help any that has not pipped and not progressed.

This is just my opinion and with something like this there are many options none of them wrong but we each hold differnt thopughts on this subject.

good luck

 

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

my experience (limited as it is) has been that it's okay to quickly open the 'bator if nobody is pipped.

I wouldn't push my luck with it, but sometimes...stuff happens.

 

[clacasse88]

Quote:
So, technically the 1st day I put in incubator is Day 0? Because I have been thinking Day 1 is when they are placed in the bator. Hmm. So today really is Day 21.

I'm not an expert, but I don't believe the cracked egg is a pip. I would think since it is cracked and has been pulled out of the bator (without wet paper towel), this egg could be shrink wrapped. Then I could leave everyone else alone.

I think the possibility that the eggs are so large it could even take an extra day. ???

 

[Penturner]

Anyone ever tried to make an incubator that you can put your hands into? It seems every hatch I read about someone has to open the bator for some reason during lockdown. The issue from what I have found is not just temperature and humidity which can be replaced fairly easily. but the Carbon Dioxide is released form the bator as well. the muscle spasms that cause the chick to hatch stop when the carbon dioxide is released. I was thinking yesterday about attaching a Co2 bottle to a bator and then you can put it back in if you had to open it for any reason. of course this would require knowing how much is enough to add. from what I found out it goes something like this. Chick is in solid egg and Co2 levels rise causing muscle spasms that do three things. one they cause the neck to spasm and this causes beak to pip. stomach spasms drawing remainder of yolk into chicks stomach. muscles in legs spasm strengthening legs. okay so this goes on for say 24 hours until the beak finally breaks through. this hole gives the chick a fresh dose of oxygen and the spasms stop. this helps explain the pip then nothing thing that a lot of people see. at this point he Co2 levels in the entire bator begin to increase until they reach the point that spasms begin again. it is exactly during this period of time that Co2 levels are building up that most people get concerned and decide they need to open the bator for this and that, and help with this and that, and add more water and whatever. sometimes the chick never starts to spasm again so never zips as it should. And opening the bator is removing the very thing it needs to get started again and you would very likely never suspect it. set a can of soda in the bator as a pip and zip primer.

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
So, technically the 1st day I put in incubator is Day 0? Because I have been thinking Day 1 is when they are placed in the bator. Hmm. So today really is Day 21.

I'm not an expert, but I don't believe the cracked egg is a pip. I would think since it is cracked and has been pulled out of the bator (without wet paper towel), this egg could be shrink wrapped. Then I could leave everyone else alone.

I think the possibility that the eggs are so large it could even take an extra day. ???

No do not open the bator or asist at all if you havent already it is day 21 and one pip and all sounds as it should be. ETA egg size will not dictate how fast or slow a chick develops although temps can. large egg or small the average day at the right temp is 21 days. Sit on your hands you should have chicks by tonight and tomorrow when you wake up. Do not open the bator to let any out keep all in bator until at least tomorrow afternoon, then if you wish you can quickly scoop out the dry ones and then close lid for any other to hatch. If you see zipping in other eggs dont even remove the dry ones and wait until night instead. The chicks will be fine and not need food or water for 48 hours or more so you do not need to open the bator unless there is a real problem. I dont think you have one personally I just think you were wrong on your days

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
wow that is VERY interesting I did not know that about the CO2, thank you!

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
wow that is VERY interesting I did not know that about the CO2, thank you!

Now that was an amazing thing to read-makes things even more clear why NOT to open that bator-thank you so much!