March 2023 hatch-a-long

[junior67]

I'm not sure if I should be excited or worried about one of my eggs about to hatch less than a day after lockdown. Its currently day 19.

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How far into day 19 are you? Your incubator may have been running high. It may not hatch till day 20 which I have had often.

 

[PasoRoblesEgger]

Time to meet Saran.

I've always been a little vague on just what constituted a shrink-wrapped chick, but I do believe that this is definitely a case of shrink-wrapping.

He/she made absolutely no progress in several hours so I took the egg out to see if there was more dry membrane and was there EVER. Dry, brown membrane FIRMLY stuck to the down.

I moistened it with some warm water and started peeling it away very carefully, ending up with only a thin strand of soft membrane connecting the parts of the shell. As soon as I got him unstuck, he kicked out of the remaining egg and hatched into my hand.

He's back in the incubator, there's still a bit of shell stuck to part of him, but I'm hoping that will come off as he moves around. I'll check him again in another hour or so.

I'm hoping that he's not deformed, either as the cause of his failure to progress or a result of the shrink-wrapping.

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How's Saran doing?

 

[gimmie birdies]

To the left eggs due on the 30th, (one more not in pic.) To the right 4 green ones due on the 20th. The green ones are day 16, all tips are dark and they have a nice slope.

 

[ivy_huan]

I always keep my lockdown humidity at around 60%. Maybe it was too low?

Apparently ppl swear by dry hatching doesn't even add water at lockdown

I'll try again in the spring with higher humidity at lockdown

 

[ivy_huan]

Here's a thread of mine from last year: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/causes-for-dead-in-shell-after-pipping.1537121/

Thank you

 

[Tumbleweedlynn]

Hi everyone - hope your babies are healthy and your chicks are hatching

I candled for the last time tonight, I still can’t see in the blue and green eggs, and some of the dark brown eggs, but for the most part all of the air sacks looked good. There are about 3 or 4 that are iffy, but I’m letting them all ride. Will have pics of babies soon - good luck to all of us

 

[Austrian Chickens]

OMG so exciting! What day??

Day 19 just a few hours bevore day 20 startet. One ore two eggs always pip on day 19 most of the others on day 20.

I'm not sure if I should be excited or worried about one of my eggs about to hatch less than a day after lockdown. Its currently day 19.

View attachment 3432939

As mentioned above. I always have one ore two eggs that pip early. Would not be concerned about that.


Hatch:
My chicks stay in the incubator for 48 hours to let them dry completly and not to meddle with the huminity.
This was the information from my seller of the incubator. I am sad for every chick who ist not able to hatch alone but I do not help anymore.

 

[Waterfaery]

I'm not sure if I should be excited or worried about one of my eggs about to hatch less than a day after lockdown. Its currently day 19.

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Is that pip in the pointy end? If so, it looks like it's malpositioned.

I had a few like that in both of my hatches last year. It's early because it was actually trying to pip internally but ended up having to do an external pip at the same time because it didn't pip into the air cell. It might stay like that for a really long time before hatching.

All of mine that did that hatched ok. Just make sure your humidity stays up where it should be because the membrane around the pip might be exposed to potentially drying out for a longer period of time than a regular pip would usually be.

 

[Shipgirl]

They are growing! 12 days old

 

[3KillerBs]

How's Saran doing?

Popping around the incubator this morning. I'll take him out later this morning when I take the others out of the brooder for photography and formal counting.

Alas, the one that pipped and didn't progress is DIS, I peeled away some shell to be certain and it seems to be one of those mystery deaths -- almost made it but just couldn't hatch.

I'm pretty sure the egg that never even pipped is a late quitter. I'll look at my notes and see if I had a "dubious" when I candled at lockdown.

I am sad for every chick who ist not able to hatch alone but I do not help anymore.

I think that this is a wise policy overall.

I am finding that I can't watch an apparently vigorous chick that is struggling to hatch but unable, slowly lose strength and die. Especially if there is a good chance that the problem is due to my having opened the incubator.

The ones like the DIS above, I just try to think that nature is strengthening my flock.

I'm going to mark Saran for sale/culling depending on what sex it is. I helped him hatch, but I don't want a flock I *need* to help.