Help! Egg in incubator went bad 4 days before hatch and other eggs still growing

[MomsterT]

I’m hoping someone could help us out. This is our first time incubating eggs, and they are the very first eggs our Amberlink layed… Honestly we didn’t expect anything to happen, but to our surprise at day 8 we noticed some veins. Anyway, we had 4 eggs developing, and one non fertile. We Noticed pretty early that one egg had a small little fracture and embryo inside. We waxed it hoping to save it, but today (4 days to hatch) I noticed a bad smell coming from the chipped egg. I got the egg out and disposed of it (after candeling to confirm it was in fact bad not just a smell). It did not appear to be oozing or anything. My concern is that there are other eggs in the incubator and that smell is lingering. Is there anything I need to do/can do to help protect our other 3 fertile eggs?

 

[TwoChicksChix]

The other three eggs should be okay, it isn't the smell that damages them it's the bacteria, so just make sure that nothing is left behind of the other egg.

Also, since these are pullet eggs, be careful once they hatch, as the chicks tend to be weaker because the hen is so new to laying and the eggs are smaller than usual. Make sure they get extra care from birth because they might not be as strong as other chicks.

Not to be mean, but in the future I don't recommend incubating pullet eggs, and waiting at least a month or more after a pullet starts laying before trying to incubate their eggs.

 

[Wezdin]

Welcome To BYC!, I dont know of anything you can do except sniff the eggs to see if they are also bad. I know how stressful a first hatch can be, take a deep breath, you seem to be doing a great job. I have to agree with not hatching pullet eggs though.

 

[ValerieJ]

I had a damp smelly egg in my incubator yesterday. I used a paper towel wet with vinegar water and that took care of the problem. Good luck on your hatch! this is my first as well.

Welcome to BYC! Come join us in the September Hatch Along!

 

[john_wrightson2003]

Welcome to BYC! Come join us in the September Hatch Along!

YES YES YES!!!

 

[MomsterT]

Thank you all so much for the tips! And the honesty, from now on we know to wait, tysm! My husband was so eager to try the incubator and he went right for it . The only thing it’s done for me is make me stress and swear off eating eggs lol. I’m so worried about these little chicks! You could say I’m a mother hen lol. I know we have to wait approx 24 hours before moving them after hatching (or until they are dry) and we have a brooder plate type heater for them. But if you have any other tips at all feel free to share! We have raised 8 hens and 1 rooster from about 4 days old, but first hatched is all new.

 

[TwoChicksChix]

So the best tips I can give for newly hatched chicks is don't start them on bedding for the first day or two, because they might confuse it with food and try to eat it. Many people put them on a towel they don't mind getting dirty.

You might have to dip their beaks in the water at first for them to understand how it works, and maybe drop a few pieces of food near them like a mother hen would so they realize they can eat it. Then once they get the hang of things you can transfer them to pine shavings bedding. Don't use cedar, causes respiratory issues.

Newborn chicks need 95 degrees for the first week, so make sure you have a thermometer available to check. Then you can go down 5 degrees for each week after that until you get to 70 degrees and they're fully feathered. But use the chicks to tell you if they're too hot or cold.

When the eggs are first hatching, don't be surprised to see one egg pip, and then do nothing for nearly 24 hours. Hatching is an exhausting process, so they'll make the external pip, then rest for quite a while, and then start zipping, which usually takes 30-45 minutes.

Don't worry if they move around the other eggs a little during hatching, it helps to wake up the chicks. But if they're tossing around an egg or pecking at one who is hatching, it might help to remove the bully. Just be careful about the humidity in the incubator, try spritzing water inside when you grab the chick so that the other eggs don't get shrink wrapped.

Newborn chicks can last 1-3 days without food and water because the yolk sack nourishes them, so it's okay to leave the chicks in the incubator, they won't die. If they still have a bit of "umbilical cord" don't worry, make sure no chicks are pecking at it and just let it fall off on its own.

Umm, if you have any other questions feel free to ask, this is all I can think of at the moment. Sorry for the long post.

 

[MomsterT]

That was incredibly helpful! Thank you so much for the tips and advice! Helped take some of the worry out.

So the best tips I can give for newly hatched chicks is don't start them on bedding for the first day or two, because they might confuse it with food and try to eat it. Many people put them on a towel they don't mind getting dirty.

You might have to dip their beaks in the water at first for them to understand how it works, and maybe drop a few pieces of food near them like a mother hen would so they realize they can eat it. Then once they get the hang of things you can transfer them to pine shavings bedding. Don't use cedar, causes respiratory issues.

Newborn chicks need 95 degrees for the first week, so make sure you have a thermometer available to check. Then you can go down 5 degrees for each week after that until you get to 70 degrees and they're fully feathered. But use the chicks to tell you if they're too hot or cold.

When the eggs are first hatching, don't be surprised to see one egg pip, and then do nothing for nearly 24 hours. Hatching is an exhausting process, so they'll make the external pip, then rest for quite a while, and then start zipping, which usually takes 30-45 minutes.

Don't worry if they move around the other eggs a little during hatching, it helps to wake up the chicks. But if they're tossing around an egg or pecking at one who is hatching, it might help to remove the bully. Just be careful about the humidity in the incubator, try spritzing water inside when you grab the chick so that the other eggs don't get shrink wrapped.

Newborn chicks can last 1-3 days without food and water because the yolk sack nourishes them, so it's okay to leave the chicks in the incubator, they won't die. If they still have a bit of "umbilical cord" don't worry, make sure no chicks are pecking at it and just let it fall off on its own.

Umm, if you have any other questions feel free to ask, this is all I can think of at the moment. Sorry for the long post.

This was

 

[slordaz]

when I hatch out in incubator or under a broody I set the brooder up about lock down time so it's ready, depending if you are brooding inside or out will determine how long they need heat for, I use just a 60 watt incandescent light bulb and it's seemed to have helped so I don't end up with chicks with pasty but over the ones you buy that are like 250 watts, for about the first week in brooder I use paper towels in there instead of beading as they don't seem to try and eat those, cause tried rags so they didn't have a slippery surface doing 20 24 washings of them lol, another option would be sand. have your chick starter and your dishes ready before lock down in case ya get an over achiever that hatches earlier than the others and a first aid kit at the ready incase you have a need, stypix or cornstarch if you have a bleeder, save a chick in case you have weak ones, scissors and stuff to hobble or make flip flops in case of splayed legg or curled toes.

Good luck

 

[MomsterT]

Update: our first one hatched this am! And a second just pipped!