Help - First timer! Day 22 of hatch

[shenderson]

We bought our first incubator about 4 weeks ago (Little Giant - Model 9200 Still Air Incubator w/automatic egg turner)

Follow instructions completely

Set 26 fertile eggs on Thursday, February 24 around 5pm.

Consistent temperature throughout the incubation period

Check/filled the water trays every 3-4 days, if needed

Steady indoor temp, also have incubator setting on top of milk run in old farmhouse

Candled at 8 and 14 days (we are setting eggs from Ameraucanas, Barnvelders, Welsummers, etc...) difficult to see veins, etc... but all had consistent and defined air sacs

Removed eggs from turner on Monday, March 14th and laid on sides on top of screen


Day 22 - Nothing. No pips, peeps, pecks....nothing. Anyone have any advice/help?

 

[fifelakelooper]

I sympathize! I'm doing my first incubation now too...but I still have a week more prior to lockdown. I noticed you said consistent temps but never mentioned how consistent the RH was. From what I've read the humidity is crucial and hard to regulate and maybe you adding water every 4 days did not do the trick? Did you use a separate humidity monitor (I think Hydrometer is what it is called)
I have fears of the same happening to me because I never saw "veins" either. I'm checking day 10 Sunday to see if I find a small black spot like I've read about.
Keep us posted.

 

[shenderson]

No, I didn't get a hydrometer for this first hatch. To be honest, I would rather do it the natural way, under a broody hen, but none of my girls would cooperate and I just got too impatient. I will see what the end result is and make a decision about getting one before my next hatch attempt. The incubator is sitting over a milk run (which is a trough of spring water that runs through the basement of our house) so I thought that would help with the humidity level. Such a learning experience......

 

[latebloomer]

what was your average temperature?

did the viewing windows (if you had any) have any condensation on them?

how about trying a float test if they don't do anything in the next day or two?

 

[shenderson]

We used the thermometer provided with the incubator and kept it at the marked 99.5 degree mark. It did not fluctuate much at all.

We have not had any condensation on the viewing windows. Using a flashlight I am able to still see water in the trays though.

What is involved with the float test?

 

[Pasha1]

First timer as well. My eggs were all from buff orpingtons so hard to see at first. I will say that after 2 weeks I could see alot. The black "dot" moves and rubs against the shell on its own. By 2 1/2 weeks my eggs were almost black and the movement was harder to see due to visibility but you could still see movement. Lastly, there is an article on this site about dry incubation. I did that and it requires less humidity days 1-18. In lockdown now and raised my humidity to around 65% give or take. Should hatch by Sunday. Some of my eggs are moving a little.

I will say I have no idea what I am doing but after seeing the movement in the candled eggs it's a bit more noticeable then some of the descriptions I have read elsewhere. And based on some descriptions I almost trashed some eggs that were developing. I didn't see anything other then an airsac and a milky black mass until just after 2 weeks in those.

This is a pic of an egg of mine candled at 10 days. Notice the spec near the air sac toward the bottom... that's about all. It's moving though. This will hatch about the 30th

 

[rancher hicks]

I suggest you wait another day or two. Also if you will send me your e-mail I will send you a copy of an Article from Practical Poultry magazine that helped me.

My first few hatches were a disaster. It might help.

Rancher

 

[latebloomer]

Quote:
basically you float the eggs in a bowl of 100 degree water and depending on if they're motion, or where the eggs float in the water you can determine if the eggs are still viable

 

[rancher hicks]

Me again.

Many things can affect a hatch. The health of the eggs, genetics and position of the chick.

Humidity and even the thermometer used.

This is why I offer the article. It helped me to tweak my system and I learned a few things I was doing wrong. Not the least of which was placement of the incubator. I now have it in a room that maintains a more consistent temp. 70-80* . It may seem the incubator is consistent but the room affects the temp in areas of the incubator you can record.

The type of thermometer may not work as you wish. Those glass ones that you lay on top of the eggs may not be the best in my opinion and is not what I use.

 

[shenderson]

Thanks everyone! I'll keep you posted on the final results.

I plan to leave them in the incubator until Monday.