how close to hatch? - pic of dead chick

[Akane]

I've got serama eggs in the bator. Yesterday was day 17. I candled and then set them in the hatcher. This one was dead so I broke it open. I would guess it had just died within the past 10-12hrs. How close do you think it was to pipping? All the yolk is still there but it's fully formed.

I'm trying to get an idea how close they are to hatching since everyone says seramas go early but the eggs really didn't look that full. Either there's some darn tiny chicks in a couple of them or they aren't going to hatch earlier than usual.

 

[Farm Frenzy]

In my opinion, it looks like it quit on day 12 or 13.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

http://lancaster.unl.edu/4h/Embryology/EmbryoPhotos.shtml

See if you can tell by this.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

I agree that chick had a ways to go. So sorry. Can I ask, why you were moving them out of the bator to the hatcher four days early? I have never heard of moving them that why I'm asking.

 

[Akane]

There was still blood in vessels around the membrane. It hadn't drained out so it doesn't seem like it could be dead for days. It looked like it could have still been alive when I broke it open and for a moment I got worried I made a mistake but there was no movement so I slit the membrane and dumped it out. I also am 99% sure it was alive thursday or friday (I think friday) cause I couldn't make myself wait till sunday to candle. There was movement and good veins in all the eggs from that particular batch at that time. It made at least day 14 then. This is only the 2nd one I've lost from that seller with all 8 shipped eggs starting to develop and 6 still alive as of yesterday night.

You generally move chicken eggs on day 18. That's when you stop turning and raise humidity so they should either be out of the incubator into a hatcher or your turner should be off and the humidity raised in the bator they are in. Serama eggs are known to hatch on day 19 quite frequently so generally you stop turning on day 16-17 instead.

 

[Feathers Acres]

Quote:
I think because there serema's are much smaller than regular chickens, it takes a couple day's less, I think?

 

[Chickenaddict]

Twice i have hatched serama eggs under broody hens and never did they hatch on day 18 or 19 like i thought they would. It ended up taking just as long as any other chicken egg

 

[Laskaland]

Quote:
That's exactly what I wuz gonna say!!!
Did you have wonky temps?
Christina

 

[Teresaann24]

what did your temps run?

 

[Akane]

102-102.5F for those eggs in the center of a still air and even if that thermometer were off I've hatched several dozen japanese bantams and a dozen standards going off the same thermometer at the same temp with every hatch starting within 12hrs of the time I set them on day 21. I used it because it's the thermometer I know best. There's also a backup thermometer which I know reads low and tends to say 98.8 when all my others are saying 101-102 but it read the same temp (99-99.2) the whole hatch so the other one didn't lose accuracy part way through.