Help please?

[Tansie]

I'm a first time hatcher and my first egg pipped about 9 hours ago. It was breathing fine, had it's beak out and was cheeping. I went back to listen just now and it is making a clicking sound when breathing? Has this happened to anyone else? It is still in the egg, but the opening is quite big from it nibbling around the edges all night. I don't know if this is normal, but none of the others are doing it. Should I take it out and try and help, or should I leave it in there? I did put a wet towel by the opening last night as the membrane was white and turning yellow around the initial pip, but I didn't touch the inner membrane

 

[drumstick diva]

I've never incubated eggs so I'm at a loss for what to tell you. I do know they always say to give them time and keep hands off. If your temp and humidity is what it should be it's recommended that you wait. Hatching can take a long time. I'm not sure what a clicking sound means. Do a search for "Incubation and hatching." just put that in the search box. Hopefully others will be along that can assist you. I've heard it can take 24 hrs. from pip to zipping.

 

[drumstick diva]

Opening the incubator causes the humidity to plummet and chicks can get shrink wrapped.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi

Glad you could join the flock! Great advice there for you from drumstick diva. At 9 hours there is no need to be worried. The chick has a pip so therefore has oxygen and just needs time to finish off hatching. It can take an age or seems to for them to hatch. All sounds normal, so I'm afraid you need to be patient, sit on your hands and leave the incubator closed. Helping too early can cause more harm than good.

Good luck with your hatch

 

[Tansie]

The incubator I'm using is a Brinsea Mini Eco, so it doesn't have anything for measuring the humidity in it because it is a very basic incubator. It has a mercury thermometer and that is all. I followed the instructions for the humidity that came in the instruction book provided and increased from one water well to two just before lockdown. I also added some moist "multi purpose" cloth in the bottom for when they hatch to stop them slipping around and also to keep the shell pieces together after hatching. I know the humidity is roughly where it should be even if I don't have a percentage. I just can't help but be worried Is there a chance the humidity could be TOO high? There is some condensation around the bottom of the window/dome

Any help is appreciated. I spent so long looking up how long everything takes and what to do. I even wrote out the instructions other people have posted, and so when the chick started doing this, I was lost as to what it meant. It was the first to pip so I didn't know if it was just further down the line than everyone else. I have 4 eggs, 3 pipped within the same hour and I'm still waiting for the 4th to make an appearance after what feels like a century

 

[chicapee]

It sounds like every thing is right on schedule.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Sounds ok, try not to worry I've had them sit for 24 hours with a pip before they have zipped and hatched. With both waters full it should be fine. I've had humidity hit 90% plus when lots of chicks hatch at the same time and it has not affected other eggs.

I've just finished another hatch and it has taken 36 hours for them to finish from the first one hatching. I'm afraid they all don't pip or hatch at the same time. Each chick is individual.

Good choice of incubator by the way, Brinsea are very reliable.

 

[nj2wv]

welcome to BYC !!

 

[Rowsdower]

I'm a first time hatcher and my first egg pipped about 9 hours ago. It was breathing fine, had it's beak out and was cheeping. I went back to listen just now and it is making a clicking sound when breathing? Has this happened to anyone else? It is still in the egg, but the opening is quite big from it nibbling around the edges all night. I don't know if this is normal, but none of the others are doing it. Should I take it out and try and help, or should I leave it in there? I did put a wet towel by the opening last night as the membrane was white and turning yellow around the initial pip, but I didn't touch the inner membrane

I'm not sure if you are talking about the same "clicking sound" that I have experienced, but whenever I have very newly hatched chicks their lung sounds are a bit "clicky". I asked my vet , who is also my sister, and she said this was likely just from their lungs being filled with air for the first time...their lungs ARE a bit wet.

ETA: I would not intervene just yet. It's not been long enough to insure that the veins and yolk are ready.

 

[Tansie]

Hi everyone and thanks for all you've suggested. Upon staring at the egg for hours on end to make sure it is ok, I realised the sound was the internal membrane(the one with the blood vessels) sticking to the external white membrane(just under the egg shell) with each breath it took. Both membranes looked quite dry and the internal one was going yellowy, I assume because it was drying out and it meant that it was almost tacky between the two. I took the egg out as quickly and as carefully as I could to try and prevent the humidity changing too much, and used a warm wet cloth to brush over the membranes and moisten them up. This stopped the clicking sound and I think made it easier for the chick because the egg has been wriggling more since, and it is very vocal! I took away the lose shell and placed this cloth over it. It is the right sort of cloth? or would paper towels from the kitchen be better?

also if this has happened to one egg, will it happen to the others? all eggs have pipped and I'm trying to sit on my hands and not get involved but if they need help I want to be able to help them. I feel like this is just knowledge that would come from experience, but I'd appreciate some guidance from other more seasoned hatchers