High Humidity Please Help

[chickengeorgeto]

My temperature is currently 54F and the humidity relative to a temperature of 54 degrees is 74%. Tell me pray tell how sitting hens hatch chicks in conditions like these?

 

[MrsChicky55]

It may knock a few holes before it actually starts zipping fully. Ducks do that alot, but my chickens usually continue once they get started. Once they really get started though, they should keep going, with only short pauses (a minute or two between punches). As long as it doesn't start going down the long axis of the egg, I'd let it do its thing. It should eventually straighten it out, and follow pretty much along your pencil line area.

So what about an egg with a vertical crack in the middle of the egg (between fat and narrow end, instead of the air cell)???

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I would like to put the kibosh to the notion that chicks peck their way out of the egg.
Chicks should have their heads under their right wing at hatching time and by using their wing as a guide the chick rotates its body inside of the eggshell while the egg tooth on the chicks' upper bill scores the eggshell from the inside. This coupled with the chick kicking or pushing down like a mule is supposed to separate the two halfs of the eggshell thus freeing the peep.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

In my limited experience some eggs will crack like that right before they start zipping. It's probably very close.

 

[getaclue]

I've had them crack like that, and a bit later the chick just breaks out like gangbusters.

 

[WVduckchick]

So that security nd egg with the vertical crack in the middle of the egg???

I see the pips, but can't really see the cracks very well. Has it made any more progress?

I would like to put the kibosh to the notion that chicks peck their way out of the egg.
Chicks should have their heads under their right wing at hatching time and by using their wing as a guide the chick rotates its body inside of the eggshell while the egg tooth on the chicks' upper bill scores the eggshell from the inside. This coupled with the chick kicking or pushing down like a mule is supposed to separate the two halfs of the eggshell thus freeing the peep.

Yep, basically.
The neatest ones I ever watched hatch were Polish. Candling them was beautiful because I could see through the shells so well! Then when they zipped, they made a big wide zip line, and i could actually watch the chick turning inside the egg as it zipped along.

I've had them crack like that, and a bit later the chick just breaks out like gangbusters.

I've had them do that too!

 

[MrsChicky55]

Super sad about the way this shell pipped! Pretty sure it's malpositioned. But so far only 5 eggs have pipped and I'm guessing none of them will hatch until tomorrow. Keeping my fingers crossed for this little one! Anyone know if this is a fatal malposition? These eggs were always fat side up, they were shipped properly and all went relatively well with only 2 quitters although 12 were infertile (no bullseye). A few had a mildly unstable air cell but this was not one of them. Just hoping for the best!

 

[MrsChicky55]

I see the pips, but can't really see the cracks very well. Has it made any more progress?



Yep, basically.
The neatest ones I ever watched hatch were Polish. Candling them was beautiful because I could see through the shells so well! Then when they zipped, they made a big wide zip line, and i could actually watch the chick turning inside the egg as it zipped along.



I've had them do that too!

No more progress but it's only been a couple of hours. Fingers crossed, I'm actually much more concerned about this other egg now. It pipped closer to the narrow end and I'm guessing the head is in the narrow part of the egg. Not sure there's anything I could do even if it wouldn't harm the other chicks trying to pip/hatch.

On the upside I do have some polish that I was planning on breeding come spring so I hope my polish hatching will be as cool as yours!

 

[MrsChicky55]

On the upside I can hear it pecking away and it’s making progress.

 

[WVduckchick]

Those really low pips are one of the reasons that I don't like to use egg cartons. Mainly because I'm too nosy and want to see everything going on! Lol

Have you seen pictures of drawdown? Once they really get into hatching position, the slight slope of the air cell that you see while doing early candling, gets much more elongated and misshapen. So depending on overall air cell size, and the size of the chick, very low pips can still be within the air cell, even though they are far outside of your drawn lines.

The one that hatched looks great, nice mostly clean shell. So I'm hoping you have more hatched now!