What is air sage?
When I lock down on day 18, I never see internal pips. And there is NO way for me to know after lock down if they internally pip or not. I keep watching through the window and usually on day 20 I start seeing external pips, With all hatching taking place on day 21 with rare exception to day 22. Of course any chick could hatch a day early or late regardless of breed.
Chicks that don't pip aren't going to hatch even if you try to help. Were your eggs shipped?
I read your first post again. It says that the chick didn't pip the air sack (maybe what you are calling sage?) but went to far and cracked the shell... That is ALL I ever see is the shell cracked and that's how I know they are indeed trying to hatch. Many times it doesn't look like they even hit the air pocket but it's unreal how much the air pocket still increases after "lock down". I leave them ALONE and get almost 100% hatches (of the eggs that went into lock down) most of the time.
Just yesterday I had 13+ chicks in the hatcher with a couple more eggs still. It was KILLING me to not open and remove them. But I waited until I didn't see any more external pips. Quickly removed 15 chicks to a brooder. Where one kept griping. Chicks don't gripe for no reason. I could tell it wasn't doing great and kept being bumped and stuff having a hard time moving in and out of the heat to regulate body temp. So I decided to put that babe back in the hatcher with the last unpipped egg where the temperature is stable throughout. Sure enough that babe is belly up this morning. To be quite honest, I was already thinking about culling yesterday. Again chicks don't gripe for no reason, so I (we) suspected it wouldn't thrive. But I like to give them a chance. But any egg that hasn't pipped by day 22 gets cancelled for me. Late hatching chicks are week. But they are my own eggs and I have more. If they were pricey I might be a little slower to conclude hatching.
I'm NOT at all saying I do anything better than you, just sharing how it works for me. And note my hatching eggs came from my own stock, so I control the nutrition (very key), genetics, and other things that do effect the hatching out come.
I wonder what are your normal hatch rates on your other birds?
I understand that high humidity is needed for the one you pipped. 78% seems pretty high, do you have condensation on your window? I haven't gotten mine that high inside my forced air bator. But my hatcher gets condensation just starting around the edges when my thing reads 60% and then a little more at 65%. Which for mine the humidity reading varies depending on where you put the device in the bator. So since I have been fairly successful, I pay more attention to the window condensation now then what my meter reads. I like my bator with the fan a lot better so I hope to add one to my hatcher, I think. I have had the hardest time hatching Silkies than other breeds. But with power failures and stuff it adds up. And I'm sure just like there is learning curve for different breeds or egg colors, it probably even more for different species. So hang in there. If you have the opportunity to try again, maybe you will get better results.
I agree with others that your external pip is not a total death sentence and I would be patient. Hoping for some hatching Serama for you!
