help on incubation please

[hairdye]

Hi
i am new to this forum and i need your help please. I have hatched quail and duck eggs before with a really old incubator that i had to turn the eggs by hand. Even thought the incubator was poorly built i had good results.
Right the problem i have now is a am trying to hatch ringneck pheasants in a new automatic incubator, things seemed to be doing ok at first, after 12 days two of the eggs were bad so i threw them out and the other seemed ok.
I stopped turning at 21 days and im now on day 23 but there is nothing happening and if i put them to my ear i cannot hear anything. the shells are too dark to candle. Am i being over eager or is something wrong? How long would i leave them for before deciding its all failed.
Any help please, i have chance of another 30 eggs but not sure i want to try them if i may have done something wrong with this batch.
Regards
Wayne

 

[pheasantfrenzie]

Hi Wayne,
What do you have your humidity at? What has the temp been while incubating? How often are you opening it to check the eggs if checking to much you are letting to much air cool and the eggs are not stable? Are the eggs shipped or local? Pheasant eggs are hard to hatch at times I have been there and done that.
They can hatch anywhere from 22-25 days so don't jump to fast to get rid of them.

 

[hairdye]

Hi thanks for the reply.
The temp had been at 37.5 and im pretty sure that it was 37.5 as i used 2 different thermometers. Now then the humidity is a different matter, i tried to keep it a around 45% but when i added water sometimes it went to 50%. Im not sure if the humidity was a correct reading but i didnt have another humidity reader to try it out (just ordered one for next time). The eggs were bred of my own pheasants, a good diet and treading well with the females. 2 of the eggs were bad at 8 days and i threw them out. The shells are that dark i cannot candle them properly and im unsure whats going off in the shell.
Its now into day 23 and i cant hear anything in the egg but they feel heavy, is this a bad sign???.
When or if would i hear the chicks in the egg? and how long do you think i should leave them before calling it a fail.
I will have to buy my next lot of eggs in anyway as mine have started to peck their eggs before i can collect them, im not having a good time to be honest.
Everything looked good and i was really thinking they would hatch but it just doesnt feel right. quails were easier to hatch lol. Think i will wait before i incubate a rheas egg .
Look forward to your reply.
cheers
Wayne

 

[pheasantfrenzie]

If I am reading it right you said your temp was 37.5? If that's correct you wont have any hatch. The temp should be at 95.5.
If you were having trouble keeping your humidity up you always add sponges. they will spread out the water to the air and pheasants normally hatch at 65% sometimes lower depending on where you live. You can always try putting wooden eggs in the pheasants or give them a clean lettuce. Normally that will keep them busy long enough for you to pick up the eggs but once they start it is very hard to stop. You can also try trimming the beaks to right before they bleed this will take the point off and it will be harder for them to crack the eggs. Or last thing you can try is blinders. You can also go to Walmart and buy a temp with one that shows the humidity. Ok and last but not least for the last 4 days you should never open the incubator because that is the most critical time for the eggs.

 

[GAQuail]

If I am reading it right you said your temp was 37.5? If that's correct you wont have any hatch. The temp should be at 95.5.
If you were having trouble keeping your humidity up you always add sponges. they will spread out the water to the air and pheasants normally hatch at 65% sometimes lower depending on where you live. You can always try putting wooden eggs in the pheasants or give them a clean lettuce. Normally that will keep them busy long enough for you to pick up the eggs but once they start it is very hard to stop. You can also try trimming the beaks to right before they bleed this will take the point off and it will be harder for them to crack the eggs. Or last thing you can try is blinders. You can also go to Walmart and buy a temp with one that shows the humidity. Ok and last but not least for the last 4 days you should never open the incubator because that is the most critical time for the eggs.

I believe the 37.5 that hairdye is referring to is on the Celsius scale. 37.5 Celsius equals 99.5 Fahrenheit which is the correct incubation temperature for pheasants. You said 95.5 was the correct temp. I hope that was a typo and you meant 99.5 Fahrenheit .

 

[hairdye]

yes it is 37.5 c. Just to let you all know im in the uk so not sure if we have any Walmart stores here. mmmmm about opening the incubator in the last 4 days, yes i have as i was trying to see if anything was happening, but not for long. Its nearly day 24 and still nothing happening.
cheers

 

[hairdye]

quick update, so excited one of the eggs is starting to pip. I thought i was seeing things but it had got a little chip in the shell. At the moment its only one but to be honest even 1 is better than none.
Will keep you all updated.
cheers

 

[subhanalah]

Hope your little babies make it!

 

[hairdye]

i think there may be another thats broken a bit of the shell as well. im soooooo nervous, how long should it be once they have broken the outer shell to hatching out?
cheers

 

[subhanalah]

It can take up to a day after they've pipped externally, sometimes maybe longer.
If you click on @Sally Sunshine 's profile for the hatching 101 article. It can keep you occupied while you wait.