I need help with this

[Tara G]

A friend of mine gave me some fresh eggs from his farm to use for breakfast. My 11 year old daughter asked if she could take a few to hatch. I explained they needed to be fertile and they wouldn't be able to hatch but I let her try. She spent a few days with a light bulb then her older brother ordered her an incubator. I really thought this was not going to happen and I was just letting her try. Last night was day 22 and I told her they should have hatched on day 21 so it was over. I took one of the eggs out and tried to crack it to see what was inside. After a large piece of the outer shell broke off I heard chirps. It has 1/2 of the shell missing but still has a thick white membrane. Its still chirping and wiggling around but hasn't ripped through the membrane. I have no idea what to do and I feel terrible that I cracked the shell. I really thought this wasn't possible. I'm afraid to turn the egg onto the exposed side so I haven't moved it. I still am adding water to the incubator. There are 5 other eggs that show no progress of hatching. We are now on day 23. What should I do?

 

[Rickba]

It's not from the day they are hatched that you count 21 days it's from the day they start to develop. That's why they should be candled so you can track the development. A fertilized egg can be stored without developing for a while and will only start to develop when the right conditions are reached. It sounds like they didn't start to develop right away but still stayed viable. If you have a small LCD flash light, when it's dark out, turn out the light and shine the light through the eggs and see what's inside. Google, egg candling, to get pic's and instruction on how to do it correctly. I'd like to see pic's of the one you opened.

 

[Tara G]

It's not from the day they are hatched that you count 21 days it's from the day they start to develop. That's why they should be candled so you can track the development. A fertilized egg can be stored without developing for a while and will only start to develop when the right conditions are reached. It sounds like they didn't start to develop right away but still stayed viable. If you have a small LCD flash light, when it's dark out, turn out the light and shine the light through the eggs and see what's inside. Google, egg candling, to get pic's and instruction on how to do it correctly. I'd like to see pic's of the one you opened.

It's not from the day they are hatched that you count 21 days it's from the day they start to develop. That's why they should be candled so you can track the development. A fertilized egg can be stored without developing for a while and will only start to develop when the right conditions are reached. It sounds like they didn't start to develop right away but still stayed viable. If you have a small LCD flash light, when it's dark out, turn out the light and shine the light through the eggs and see what's inside. Google, egg candling, to get pic's and instruction on how to do it correctly. I'd like to see pic's of the one you opened.

It's not from the day they are hatched that you count 21 days it's from the day they start to develop. That's why they should be candled so you can track the development. A fertilized egg can be stored without developing for a while and will only start to develop when the right conditions are reached. It sounds like they didn't start to develop right away but still stayed viable. If you have a small LCD flash light, when it's dark out, turn out the light and shine the light through the eggs and see what's inside. Google, egg candling, to get pic's and instruction on how to do it correctly. I'd like to see pic's of the one you opened.

 

[Tara G]

Thank you for your quick response. I'm trying to send a pic but it keeps saying image is too large to send. I'm not very good with the computer. When I went to take the pic I saw it's beak had poked through the membrane and its chirping quite a bit. I didn't want it to get cold so I shut the lid. I hope this is a good sign. If it is to hatch alive do I leave it in this egg incubator or move it to a box with a lamp to keep it warm?

 

[Rickba]

After it's out of the shell put it in a brooder with a lamp. 95 degrees. The chick has enough yolk left for moister and nourishment for perhaps 2 days. After that it needs to be eating and drinking on it's own.

 

[Leaguinea]

What kind of incubator do you have?

 

[bobbi-j]

I would leave the eggs in the incubator - make sure you have plenty of humidity. (Check around, you will find out the proper amount - it's been a long time since I've incubated, but I'm guessing 65-70%. I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong.) Could be they're a bit delayed because they were under a light the first few days, and the temperature might have been a bit low, or it may have been low in the incubator.

Your hatch day count down starts on the day they are set. If you set the on a Friday, Saturday would be Day 1. The easiest way to figure it out is, whatever day you set them on - let's say Tuesday - go to a calendar, count down three Tuesdays. That third Tuesday would be 21 days after you set them, and in perfect conditions, the day they should hatch. It's not uncommon for them to hatch a day or two earlier or later than that, because artificial incubators do not always offer perfect conditions. Heck, even a broody hen will sometimes have them hatching a day or two early or late.

 

[Tara G]

Thank you all for your help. The incubator is made by Magicfly. I've had it set at 37.9c for 23 days. The little egg that I cracked is chirping away and I can see feathers poke out as it wiggles. No sound or moveneyfrom the other eggs yet. I will keep you posted!

 

[Tara G]

What kind of incubator do you have?

Made by Magicfly

 

[Tara G]