Help. Hatching and it;s my first hatch.

[JessicaCN2013]

I'm on day 22 and i've noticed some pip marks but they've been there for hours. Should i be worried? My humidity is floating between 64 and 68. I've read it take 12-24 hours. Is that right? I'm worried.

Also once hatched should I leave them in the incubator til they dry? Or take them out asap and put them under the lamp. I've read different things.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'm on day 22 and i've noticed some pip marks but they've been there for hours. Should i be worried? My humidity is floating between 64 and 68. I've read it take 12-24 hours. Is that right? I'm worried.

Also once hatched should I leave them in the incubator til they dry? Or take them out asap and put them under the lamp. I've read different things.

Yes it can take up to 24 hours for an egg that has pipped to progress to zip.

As for when to remove chicks, that's a personal decision. Many hatchers don't open the bator until the hatch is complete. Some remove chicks once they are dry and there are those of us that remove them sooner. I use a high humidity at hatch time because I frequently open the bator, so my chicks won't "fluff up" totally in the bator. I remove my chicks as they become active and start moving around in the bator. My fan kit doesn't have a guard and for me that's a big safety issue, plus I don't like the hatchlings playing soccer with the other eggs.

If you have adequate humidity, then you do what is comfortable and works for you.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

 

[JessicaCN2013]

Okay. Thank you so much. Should i be worried that the others aren't showing pip signs? Does it take a while for that

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Okay. Thank you so much. Should i be worried that the others aren't showing pip signs? Does it take a while for that

Even in an on time or early hatch, chicks pip at different intervals. If temps are lower in the bator than they need to be or if you have cool spots, you could see more time between pips. There's always a chance of something being wrong, but there's an equal chance that they are just fine. 100% hatches aren't the norm, so you expect to have one here or there that just doesn't make it, but overall, unless they pip and have time for nature to do it's thing, there isn't anything you can do to change the outcome.

 

[taylorsonfarm]

Even in an on time or early hatch, chicks pip at different intervals. If temps are lower in the bator than they need to be or if you have cool spots, you could see more time between pips. There's always a chance of something being wrong, but there's an equal chance that they are just fine. 100% hatches aren't the norm, so you expect to have one here or there that just doesn't make it, but overall, unless they pip and have time for nature to do it's thing, there isn't anything you can do to change the outcome.

 

[taylorsonfarm]

I still haven't quite figured out how to start a new post, so I am just trying this. We had 19 duck eggs and 18 chicken eggs in a still air incubator. Everything seemed to be going well, on the 21st and 28th day we heard chirping and some pipping started. We ended up with 4 ducklings and 3 chicks. Once we waited the extra few days to see if any more would hatch, we took the remaining eggs outside and broke them open (after candling). All but three eggs had developed almost completely but the babies were dead. What happened? How can we prevent this in the future? Please help. I am broken hearted.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I still haven't quite figured out how to start a new post, so I am just trying this. We had 19 duck eggs and 18 chicken eggs in a still air incubator. Everything seemed to be going well, on the 21st and 28th day we heard chirping and some pipping started. We ended up with 4 ducklings and 3 chicks. Once we waited the extra few days to see if any more would hatch, we took the remaining eggs outside and broke them open (after candling). All but three eggs had developed almost completely but the babies were dead. What happened? How can we prevent this in the future? Please help. I am broken hearted.

In order to help we need to know a few things:
1)What model incubator are you using and is it a still air or forced air?
2)Do you have your own accurate checked thermometers inside the incubator?
3)What was your temp for the incubation and what was the humidity for the first 17 days and then after lockdown?
4)When you did te eggtopsies what did you note about the chicks? Were they quite wet with extra fluid in the shell? Were they dry with the membrane pulled VERY tightly around them?

We can help you troubleshoot and give you tips for a better hatch, just remember we all do things differently and still have successfull hatches. You need to take the info and opinions that you are given and go with what makes sense and feels right to you. 100% hatches are NOT the norm because we can't provide the optimal conditions for each individual egg because each egg is different. So it's typical to have a hatcher or two that doesn't make it, but I think we can help you improve your hatch rates from the numbers you quoted.