Is there any hope?

[TheFatBlueCat]

I have two broodies sitting on 16 eggs (8 each). It's day 25 and day 26 respectively. I have just candled the eggs as I was going to remove and discard them as a 100% fail. The candling indicated full term chicks but with high humidity (tiny air cell, which I suspected because it hasn't dropped below 75% for weeks now, day or night and is often in the 80s). I see no internal pips, and I discarded one egg as it was definitely dead. Is there any possibility these could still hatch or are they dead or dying? I didn't have the heart to throw them out so I put them back with the hens for now.

I've never had a 100% fail before, especially with 2 sitting. The worst I've had was 25% success rate and I suspect humidity was a factor there too, but I didn't candle those (last year).

 

[Smileybans]

Could you see the chicks moving? I know when I candle, even after the 21 day mark, that’s what I look for. I almost threw out an egg from my last set because it was past due but saw the chick move when I candled in a dark room. How tiny is the air cell? I float test my eggs when they go past. I’ve never had to float test any under a broody though. Just the ones from an incubator.

 

[TheCluckyClucker2]

The worst that can happen is that they die. As you probably know high humidity can create late hatches. If you decide to discard I would open them up slowly and make sure they were dead.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

I am just not sure how late is too late, I've never had a hatch go past day 22, and they were pipping on day 21.

The air cell was exactly like the pictures that illustrate high, low and normal candling for day 21, matching the high humidity diagram. I didn't see movement when I candled but I didn't candle each egg for very long. I guess that's why I put them back, there's nothing I can do so may as well give it as long as possible.

 

[MageofMist]

You can make a tiny safety hole at the top of the air sack/the base of the egg to provide more air after the chicks have internally pipped. I did it for two eggs that were internally pipped and peeping, but hadn't externally pipped and were taking longer than the rest.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

That is a good idea, I think I'll give this a go and see if anything comes of it! At this stage I figure anything is better than nothing.

 

[629864]

I'm definitely rooting for your little ones...and anxious to hear how it turns out!

 

[MageofMist]

Any luck so far?

 

[FloorCandy]

I had a button quail egg I thought might be ok, and after the others had all finished, I left it in the bator and forgot about it. Several days later I hear peeping and it was hatching! It was like day 22-23 and buttons hatch on 17. I had forgotten to even top up the water, he hatched miraculously bone dry but not shrink wrapped haha. There’s always hope. Idk if it’s the same for other eggs, but in quail, the fluid changes, it darkens and thickens a bit, and when you’ve candled enough times you get a feel for that internal change.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

I float tested them today, and candled the three that miiiiight have been alive based on how they floated (no movement for any of them). All are dead. The air cell has decreased even further since I candled them last. It's a pity but I was dubious as to the survivability of any chicks that might have survived this long anyway. Now to convince my girls that they can stop being broody now

In a cruel irony the humidity has dropped into the 40s today for the first time in 6 weeks.