Help! Poor hatch rate and opening unhatched?

[babychicks234]

Hi.
This was my first time hatching eggs. I've used a Brinsea Octagon 10 with the autoturn cradle.
According to the thermometer my temp has been at 38.5 c and hasn't fluctuated much at all.
I had humidity at around 50 and then at least 75 at lockdown.
They were due yesterday afternoon. (mon) We had 2 pips at 6.30pm on sunday and little chick number one had hatched early hours of the morning (mon). He couldn't move about because the other eggs in his way so I put him in the brooder. Then My other chick had made a hole about 1cm in diameter and managed to poke his leg and head through and couldn't get back (was wiggling for around an hour) so I helped a bit and let him push out, he was weak and had a bent leg and so I put him in a different box in the brooder,(lunch time yesterday) but he got stronger and is with the other one now. They are doing great!

So now tues morn and no movement from others. I put in 9 eggs (weren't shipped but brought elsewhere) didn't really know what to look for when candling but at lockdown 4 were definitely fertile (completely black) and the others didn't look like a chicken egg (no Cockerell) but weren't like the others, so not sure about them.

Shall I leave it any longer or can I take them out and open them up because I think if I do it now and they have been shrink wrapped or something they might have a chance.

Any reasons why my hatch was so poor?

 

[babychicks234]

Here are the 2 chicks. Not very good pic because of the light! But soo cute and tiny!

 

[appps]

My last chick hatched on day 26. So way too early on day 22 to give up yet. Just like humans it's not an exact science, they can be overdue just like human babies.

I didn't understand the not looking like chicken eggs no rooster bit???

 

[babychicks234]

Ok. Thank you.
What I mean is our adult laying chickens don't have a Cockerell in with them (so eggs not fertile) and I candled one of her eggs and they are completely clear, then when candling a incubated egg at lockdown they looked different (I did it for comparison) they had a black bit in like a loop but not as big as the eggs that did hatch, are they late developers or unfertile/dead?

But 4 eggs looked the same and 2 of which have hatched, and I was woundering how long to leave it before opening them up, either to see if theres a problem and to maybe help (like shrink wrapped) or to see if they had developed and therefore died during lockdown?

Thanks for your help.

 

[babychicks234]

I'll give them another week. If they do hatch a few days later would they be ok to go in with the others or will they need a separate brooder?

Also I have some chick grit and was going to put some in with the 2 chicks on the weekend (so nearly a week old) then they can start to have some treats. Is this about right or should I do it sooner/later?

Sorry for all the stupid questions!

 

[babychicks234]

Can anyone else help?

 

[appps]

Nope, looks like your stuck with me ;-)

By the time they are getting ready to hatch the whole egg is filled with chick. When I candled mine at that point all I could really see was that the whole egg was full of black. Any like that I would give a few more days. More chicks are killed by helping than shrink wrapping so I wouldn't rush in to help.

If you are seeing clear areas with just a little dark bit in them then they won't be full of chick so have died somewhere along the way and can be thrown. Although they can hatch on different days, anything that is going to possibly hatch will still be an egg full of black when you candle.

 

[babychicks234]

Thank you so much!
So they were all probably fertile and died at some point in incubation

Would I be ok to candle in a few days or should I leave them be?

 

[appps]

There is a page on hatching in the learning centre that I found a great help when I was hatching. It goes into how to test for viability when your eggs are a few days late etc. because candling really just shows black at this stage they do a float test to see if the egg moves in the water. Personally I would give it a couple days then try that. Chances are these last couple have died also but it doesn't hurt to wait a couple more days.

I had 5 or 6 like yours at lockdown (but under my broody) but only one hatched even though they had got all the way to that stage. I was actually pulling them out for a final candle when I realised the first egg I'd grabbed had a hole in it and I quickly put it back.