Help! Need help ASAP....Chicks past due

[Lu King]

My son has around forty eggs that have hatched in 21 days he says. Only one hatched and lived. Another hatched two days later and had it's toes curled under. The second one didn't seem to have the strength to break through the shell and my son's wife helped him. The rest still have not hatched, and they are about five or six days past due.

BTW, they were all candled and showed there were chicks, not blanks.

My question is how long should he wait before getting rid of these eggs? If necessary to get rid of eggs, should he cook them and feed them to the hens?

My son is about to cook the eggs, so I need a response as soon as possible. I can't get ahold of him to tell him to hold off until I ask the experts.

Thanks

 

[SunnyDawn]

I think 6 days is long enough to wait. I'd give them 5 days.

 

[Katy]

I'd toss them. If he had that many make it to the hatcher, but yet not hatch he might want to review how he incubated them and the conditions he had in the hatcher.

 

[Lu King]

Thank both of you for your responses. I never thought that I would be sad when something like this happened, but I am. Maybe he will better luck next time.

 

[ranchhand]

How is he planning to cook partially developed eggs?

I'd put them in the trash rather than feed them to anyone or anything. And do some studying about incubation, sounds like he had a problem.

Best wishes for better luck for the next time!

 

[Highlander]

Good grief, no. Please don't let him cook them and feed them to the hens. What gave him that idea?

 

[evonne]

some people will scramble the quitters and blanks after 10 days, but not chicks that developed to day 18...

if the chicks were moving on day 18, then tell him to double check his thermometers and his temps and humidity and... and... and....

in the long run sometimes it's just nature and no matter what we do right it doesn't matter....

good luck to him on the next batch he tries..