how do you know if you have a dud??

[acbear93]

Its day 21 here, 4 of our babies hatched yesterday on day 20 with a hen, not an incubator. I had been candling, and know that it WAS alive...even last night, I felt movement in that last egg, but no chirping like the others did, and no pip yet...I am wondering, how long do I wait, will the mother hen toss it out eventually? First-timer here, so not sure what to do....

 

[Paganbird]

Well, if she's still setting, leave it there. Do you have an incubator or a heat lamp to hatch it if she leaves the nest? It could be that the last egg was laid a little later than the rest, so it needs a little more time.

 

[acbear93]

She is still setting, so I am hoping it just needs a smidge more time....they are still in the rabbit cage set up from when I isolated her from the rest of the flock, so I am confident that she wont go far...I have got to decide where to put them, and if I want to seperate or let mama do her job....she has been wonderful since she started setting....I am going out to check and see what is going on out there, the other 4 have found their food and water, and are just so darn cute peeking out from under mama!!!! I just hope that last one will be alright....

 

[acbear93]

Well, I went out to the barn, and I took a flashlight to see what was going on in there with the last egg....the air sack is about 1/3 of the egg, and I did see a shadow like it was breathing in there or something...all the veining that was on the egg the last time I candled has disappeared...So, I put it back under mama, and am hoping its just a little late and nothing is wrong...maybe its resting up for that big arrival!! its just weird, cause all the eggs were set at the same time being shipped eggs, and 4 hatched yesterday, and this last one hasnt pipped yet...still hoping!