Help please - my little bantams are really late and slow to hatch....

[Rachabc]

Hi

Novice needing help please - I've used this site for info for ages but not finding any as slo and as late as my hatch so far....

I first tried hatching some hybrids over Christmas and had 3 out of 5 survive (12 hour power outage and large cleavage solved that one!) So I am now trying to hatch some Bantams but have not been doing well. I have a Brinsea mini incubator - 37.5 degrees and exact humidity stated and adhered to. Started with 10 eggs. 3 very early deaths and 1 later death (about 10 days). Left with 6 eggs.

The first one pipped 2 days ago, on day 22, so I was already worried - then hatched yesterday on day 23. It had not absorbed all the yolk, some had stuck to the shell, and it bled a small amount as it scrambled around the incubator for a minute but then it seems to heal up and be OK. I have resisted interfering so far....

The second one hatched late last night. A 3rd is trying to get out today - day 24....

2 more have pipped and 1 hasn't pipped yet...

There are currently 2 chicks in the incubator but I am worried on several accounts: the 1st chick will be starving by tomorrow if the others still haven't hatched. Each one seems to be sooooo exhausted and unable to get out of the shell they pip and take 24 hours to unzip from when unzip starts (not 24 hours from pipping but 24 hours of pushing) and whether or not I should help the others who are all still alive.

I don't want to kill the little chicks that are out and don't want to hinder the rest of the hatch.... I am a single mum with 4 year old twins very excited about this so also don't want to disappoint them either (I just have pet chucks and am no expert). These are also double silver laced bantams so quite rare and each egg was not cheap so down from 10 to 6 and now the other 4 are struggling to pip and hatch and I'm worried about infection of the other 2 already out. Any advice greatly welcome.
Thank you xxx
Rach

 

[Egghead_Jr]

If the yolk sac fell/pulled off before is was absorbed then they don't have the nutrients for a full three days. Unsure why the hatch is so late, bantams are usually 19 to 20 days and Brinsea temps should be accurate.

I don't recommend assisted hatches but if I was in your shoes right now would at very least take the chicks hatched out and get them food and water. I might even slowly, carefully use tweezers to aid in zipping the ones that pipped.

If your worried about losing humidity when opening the incubator then run hot water through shower and carry the incubator into the bathroom.

 

[Rachabc]

Thanks. Out of the 6, 2 are ina box eating and enjoying life, 1 didn't pip - was positioned the wrong end so I assume it drowned/suffocated because it couldn't pip. So I've discarded that. The other 3 just didn't seem able to get out and the membranes seemed really hard - like leather - when I helped them zip. I got 2 out, well I let them do the final push and they're in the incubator, but the other one had 1 vein so I guessed it might not have absorbed the yolk yet. I've zipped all the outer shell and a bit of the membrane so when he/she is ready it should be quite easy to push the egg open. So those 3 remain in incubation for a bit. It took me less than 10 minutes to help these 3 so why the problem? I don't understand what went wrong.

I stopped rotating/touching last Thursday, I topped humidity up at right time, temp has been consistent at 37.5. I am wondering if the temp gage or incubator is giving wrong readings or broken somehow? Or could there have been problem with the eggs I collected about an hours drive away - tried to transport carefully.

I do think the chicks were very big for the shell and most pipped the wrong end so did I candle them too much and encourage that? I only peeped once a night when we turned them and set them back properly...

So out of 10 eggs I have 5 chicks alive and 1 is much bigger (as was its egg) and doesn't even look like a bantam or the same (all the others are brown this is yellow) so I think that one got mixed up somehow....

I'd like any help/advice on what I've done wrong or could work on next time. I followed all the literature to the T.

 

[Rachabc]

Oh just to add: What I am really happy about is that my kids dropped and cracked one of the eggs during candling - horrible moment (they are only 4) and the crack was 1/3 width of shell and it bled. I thought it was fatal. But Uma (as in strong fighter from kill bill) is one I have just helped hatch and looks good. I think that one is some what of a miracle.... 5 out of 10 eggs. 5 out of 6 that passed the 10 day mark....

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Curious if the air cell was positioned at the right (fat) end? Seems odd so many did not position correctly prior to hatch. Next time store your eggs fat end up for 24 hours before putting in incubator and see if that helps any. I'd also double check the temp on your unit with a medical thermometer or something you trust. It's an oddity.

Good to hear 5 out of 6 made it. That's actually excellent results considering you aided 3 of them.

 

[Rachabc]

Thanks. The 3 I aided this afternoon are exhausted so could you help me decide whether to leave them in the incubator overnight to dry and strengthen or get them out into the brooder as soon as possible, once dried, to help them eat and drink (or hand feed them in incubator).

I am concerned that being Bantams and little and not hatching until today, day 24, they may have little yolk left in them for sustenance (not sure how that works). If yolk ONLY gets absorbed prior to hatch, which zipping began this morning, then I guess they'll last till the morning and perhaps have more strength for the brooder.

I think my new ish Brinsea may be faulty (have noticed temp drops to 37 now and then, didn't before, or the chicks were simply too big and cramped in the eggs - have no idea how to avoid that? Can't think what else - I did everything military-style.

Normally, how many hours after hatching to they need to dry in incubator before being fluffy and warm enough for brooder? Minimum time needed....?

It's only my 2nd hatch and 1) Bantams are sooo freaking cute! and 2) I have a nervous twitch in one eye with the stress. Have done non stop research on green poop - normal - deformed - no just so cramped in shell for so long took her ages to unfold after hatch (I thought her neck was broken). I breed dogs but my God this is worse ;-) BUT I really want to sell my house and buy a small holding and breed loads of Bantams (I don't know enough of course) but it's just amazing.

I hope they all make it. They look so small and vulnerable and fragile x