incubation problems

[AveryBirds]

Hi everyone,
I had a blackout last sunday which lasted for around 8 hours, at about 7 hours I realized that I needed to attend to the eggs that were in the incubator, they were cold and so I put them in a baking tray which has a grate in it for roasting and then a towel on the bottom and placed all the eggs in there. They then got really hot but not for long, plus I know that the core temp of the egg would have taken along time to get too low in temp or too high in the heating up. my questions are
will they still be ok or should I just throw them out and start again? Are they likely to suffer from defects? they are back in the incubator now but some of them appear not to have movement while others have movement but they have very cloudy and dark looking fluid in the eggs, could they live for awhile in a defected state?
Thanks
Johanna

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Sorry you are having troubles. I do not know if these eggs are viable anymore. They may or may not be. The only way to know is by candling or a float test to see if there is movement. What day are you on?

The next time this happens and you lose power, you can move the incubator to the warmest area of the house, cover the incubator with a thick blanket and just let it be. It is possible to get a fair hatch even after a 24 hour cool down on the eggs. They don't instantly die because they went cold. It only prolongs the hatch date. However yes, after 24 hours, not all will hatch.

But 8 hours is not all that long. Many times in the wild, the hen will get off the nest and be gone for hours. Predators can keep her away for much of the day.

You might post this in our Hatching Eggs forums for more input on this...https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/5/incubating-hatching-eggs

I hope all this works out for you. I am so sorry you lost power and all this had to happen. It is hard to lose a batch after waiting so long.

 

[drumstick diva]

I've never incubated eggs but, do watch out for any that leak or start to smell. Stink eggs can explode easily and gunk up walls, bator, other eggs with nasty bacteria. If you find any ,carefully slip a plastic bag over them and seal it well

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Sorry about the problems with the incubation, TwoCrows gave you some good suggestions.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

I don't know anything shot incubating eggs. Two crows has given you good advice.

 

[Cynthia12]

It's according how far along they were. Evidently a ways along..since you are seeing movement. Yes, some may make it, some won't. Not sure about deformities, that's a wait and see. I also would put a blanket over the bator whenever the power went out. Works great for those eggs that are out at least 10 days..or more. Good luck...and....

 

[liz9910]

depending on how far along they are, it may be hard to see movement. I hope some hatch for you.

 

[LIChickens]

Welcome to BYC!

You will find a lot of good information here. Keep on asking questions and you will get many good answers.

You may also want to read the FAQ below.