HELP! New to hatching eggs and concerned!

[HollandFarm]

Im brand new to incubating and hatching eggs. So far we’ve successfully hatched two chicks around a week ago. I have another egg ready and today is its hatch day! I noticed the pipping around 4am this morning. Not sure when it officially happened and popped it’s beak through though. It’s currently 5am and it is still in the same spot and not trying to break out. It chirps and I can see the chick breathing and even moving sometimes too. I’ll attach a picture of how it looks currently. I’m worried because our previous two eggs hatched much much quicker! Once we noticed the initial pip it was out within an hour or two tops and they were much more active in breaking their shells etc. Any help is appreciated!! I’m using the Nurture Right 360 incubator that automatically sets temp to 99.5 degrees F and I’ve got humidity at 70 per the instructions for hatching.

 

[Ocho 8 Farm]

Im brand new to incubating and hatching eggs. So far we’ve successfully hatched two chicks around a week ago. I have another egg ready and today is its hatch day! I noticed the pipping around 4am this morning. Not sure when it officially happened and popped it’s beak through though. It’s currently 5am and it is still in the same spot and not trying to break out. It chirps and I can see the chick breathing and even moving sometimes too. I’ll attach a picture of how it looks currently. I’m worried because our previous two eggs hatched much much quicker! Once we noticed the initial pip it was out within an hour or two tops and they were much more active in breaking their shells etc. Any help is appreciated!! I’m using the Nurture Right 360 incubator that automatically sets temp to 99.5 degrees F and I’ve got humidity at 70 per the instructions for hatching.

It looks good ! The membrane is stretchy looking and not dried out so it’s up to the chick to muster up the energy and strength to finish. It could take an hour or 12. When this has happened to me, I will take my flashlight and shine it on the egg from the outside of the incubator and tap on the lid. The light and sound wakes it up and encourages it to keep going. Good luck ! I’m sure you’ll have your little fluff soon.

 

[ksbkeys]

Im brand new to incubating and hatching eggs. So far we’ve successfully hatched two chicks around a week ago. I have another egg ready and today is its hatch day! I noticed the pipping around 4am this morning. Not sure when it officially happened and popped it’s beak through though. It’s currently 5am and it is still in the same spot and not trying to break out. It chirps and I can see the chick breathing and even moving sometimes too. I’ll attach a picture of how it looks currently. I’m worried because our previous two eggs hatched much much quicker! Once we noticed the initial pip it was out within an hour or two tops and they were much more active in breaking their shells etc. Any help is appreciated!! I’m using the Nurture Right 360 incubator that automatically sets temp to 99.5 degrees F and I’ve got humidity at 70 per the instructions for hatching.

Some chicks hatch more quickly than others...it can take awhile. Not worth the risk to try to help it at this stage...I am sure there are others here who know how and when to help with hatching. I never had to as mine did eventually hatch. I do know a chick needs to absorb the yoke and also can bleed if you pull on the shell...

 

[Ocho 8 Farm]

Im brand new to incubating and hatching eggs. So far we’ve successfully hatched two chicks around a week ago. I have another egg ready and today is its hatch day! I noticed the pipping around 4am this morning. Not sure when it officially happened and popped it’s beak through though. It’s currently 5am and it is still in the same spot and not trying to break out. It chirps and I can see the chick breathing and even moving sometimes too. I’ll attach a picture of how it looks currently. I’m worried because our previous two eggs hatched much much quicker! Once we noticed the initial pip it was out within an hour or two tops and they were much more active in breaking their shells etc. Any help is appreciated!! I’m using the Nurture Right 360 incubator that automatically sets temp to 99.5 degrees F and I’ve got humidity at 70 per the instructions for hatching.

Also, I just noticed you have more un hatched eggs next to that one. Are you hatching eggs on different days in the same incubator ? If so, the last to hatch may have issues due to the fluctuations of humidity that comes from a chick hatching. Generally you load all eggs you want to hatch on the same day so they all hatch around the same day. There are exceptions to that rule but generally all eggs should have the same hatch date.

 

[HollandFarm]

Also, I just noticed you have more un hatched eggs next to that one. Are you hatching eggs on different days in the same incubator ? If so, the last to hatch may have issues due to the fluctuations of humidity that comes from a chick hatching. Generally you load all eggs you want to hatch on the same day so they all hatch around the same day. There are exceptions to that rule but generally all eggs should have the same hatch date.

Yes, the very large egg on the right side of hatchy is actually supposed to hatch today too! But it was a double yolker that has shown development but we’re unsure if it will hatch or not. All the other eggs were put into the incubator on 11/17 as I was hoping since these last two were so close to hatch day it wouldn’t be too drastic and harmful to the new eggs but also didn’t want to risk leaving them outside in the super cold temps for too long and risk not being able to hatch anymore. Only one of our several hens is laying right now but she will not go broody and actually lay on her eggs so we’re definitely still learning the ins and outs of incubation and hatching!

 

[HollandFarm]

Some chicks hatch more quickly than others...it can take awhile. Not worth the risk to try to help it at this stage...I am sure there are others here who know how and when to help with hatching. I never had to as mine did eventually hatch. I do know a chick needs to absorb the yoke and also can bleed if you pull on the shell...

I appreciate your input! I definitely will wait and see and not try to help it along as I’ve also heard it’s very dangerous to do so.

 

[HollandFarm]

It looks good ! The membrane is stretchy looking and not dried out so it’s up to the chick to muster up the energy and strength to finish. It could take an hour or 12. When this has happened to me, I will take my flashlight and shine it on the egg from the outside of the incubator and tap on the lid. The light and sound wakes it up and encourages it to keep going. Good luck ! I’m sure you’ll have your little fluff soon.

Very good idea!! Thank you so much for the reassurance and advice!! Hatchy has a potential sibling(s) to the right, a very large egg that was a double yolker that has shown development but we have no clue if it will even hatch at all! I would just be so sad if hatchy also doesn’t pull through

 

[HollandFarm]

It looks good ! The membrane is stretchy looking and not dried out so it’s up to the chick to muster up the energy and strength to finish. It could take an hour or 12. When this has happened to me, I will take my flashlight and shine it on the egg from the outside of the incubator and tap on the lid. The light and sound wakes it up and encourages it to keep going. Good luck ! I’m sure you’ll have your little fluff soon.

I did the flashlight and tapping and it made him move but he just keeps moving his beak like he’s chewing lol still no attempt to break out yet and it’s 6:56am

 

[Rare]

Which bread is this?

 

[NatJ]

I did the flashlight and tapping and it made him move but he just keeps moving his beak like he’s chewing lol still no attempt to break out yet and it’s 6:56am

Give him more time.

Have you read the article about assisted hatching?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/
That article has a lot of useful information.

For example, it says that chewing motions mean the chick is still absorbing the yolk, and is not ready to come out of the shell yet. So that would mean you should not do anything for this chick right now, just wait and let it finish absorbing the yolk.

All the other eggs were put into the incubator on 11/17 as I was hoping since these last two were so close to hatch day it wouldn’t be too drastic and harmful to the new eggs but also didn’t want to risk leaving them outside in the super cold temps for too long and risk not being able to hatch anymore. Only one of our several hens is laying right now but she will not go broody and actually lay on her eggs so we’re definitely still learning the ins and outs of incubation and hatching!

For future, just collect the eggs and bring them into the house to store safely until you are ready to put them in the incubator.

Eggs can naturally wait, without developing, so a hen can accumulate a clutch before she starts sitting, and then they will all hatch at once. Even if your hen does not go broody, you can save up a clutch of eggs and then put them in the incubator all on the same day.

Common advice says to store eggs between about 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. In practice, refrigerated eggs will sometimes hatch, and eggs stored a bit warmer will sometimes hatch (I've had good results with eggs stored between 70 and 75 Fahreneheit, which was my normal house temperature at the time.) So put them in a cool-ish room or a basement if you have one, otherwise just somewhere in your house that isn't in hot sunlight or next to a heater or anything like that.

You can definitely store eggs for up to a week. Storing them longer means that fewer of them will hatch, with about three weeks being the point where it is almost hopeless to put them in an incubator. Storing eggs for just a few days (to see if the hens are going to lay more) is definitely fine. And once you know the hens are still laying, keep collecting them until you have a nice clutch, then put them in to incubate.