my eggs are 25 days old today and started chirping. please help, this is my first time incubating

[flippyshoes]

Hi, i'm new here i'm also new to incubating eggs.

I've got some buff Orpington chickens and then won't sit so I decided to get an incubator and hatch some that way. it came to a preset temperature and the man I got it off said it was all set up and ready to use. Anyway after a couple of weeks I realised that the humidity gauge isn't working and the temperature is set at 35.5 degrees!!!!! he told me it was all ready, and because I have never hatched before I just got on with setting the eggs.

Any way, I candled them on day 18 and 4 out of 6 had died. Two have been wobbling since day 20. one started chirping yesterday and I have been expecting it to pip, but nothing. Now it has stopped wobbling and chirping. I picked it up to see if I could hear anything and it started chirping again and pecking at the egg (well that's what it felt and sounded like) but as soon as I put it back in the incubator it just lies there motionless and silent.

Is there anything I can do to encourage it to start hatching?

thank you

 

[sumi]

Have a look here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

 

[flippyshoes]

thank you. I don't want to assist if I don't have to. i'm just worried that it's struggling to get out. it only tweets and pecks the side when I pick it up. there is no pip holes. it first chirped 24 hours ago. am I just panicking?

 

[sumi]

24 hours since internal pip is a bit long for a chick. Keep an eye (or an ear) on it and if it starts getting tired or slows down create an artificial pip hole as explained in the article. That may be all she needs.

 

[Ms Steak]

From my own experience I would say, help it! I lost my entire first hatch, and my story is practically word for word the same as yours. One chick did live for a day and a half, but I wish I had done something sooner.

Good luck.

 

[flippyshoes]

I've just picked it up and it started chirping again and I could feel it tapping the side, but as soon as I put it back down it stopped chirping. I don't know what to do for the best. i'm worried that if I do make a little hole I will do it in the wrong place as when I just candled it I couldn't see anything in the egg, I think it wasn't dark enough maybe in the room? I don't want to lose the little chick, im just scared stiff about making a hole in the hell. ahh who would of thought hatching eggs would be so stressful!

 

[GeorgRodway]

You are in such a difficult situation, I would have to sit on my hands at this point as I'd be itching to help, he must have broken into the airspace to be chirping and surely he must be running out of oxygen if he hasn't externally piped yet, hmm, gosh your in a pickle here !

 

[sumi]

I climb into my clothes cupboard if I need darkness to candle during the day. Good thing we have deep cupboards! Hold the flashlight against the fat end of the egg. You should be able to see the air sac show up as a clear space. You need to make the pip hole in that area.

 

[Ms Steak]

Ok Flippy. Try going into a corner of the room. Shut the curtain/ blinds first. Now find the air cell, and scratch with a pair of pointed tweezers in a cross until you get a chip out. It is really easy. Once you get a hole and you can see the beak, you can wet the membranes, just a little to see how the blood vessels are.

Here is a link to show you how from the experts here. You can do it!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

 

[flippyshoes]

will he definitely of pipped internally? sorry if I sound so thick, but I have never done this before and i'm read lots of contradicting things on Google. if I know he has definitely pipped internally I think I will be a bit braver to make a little hole. I've sat an watched for half an hour and he isn't rocking at all so looks like he's making no attempts to make an appearance. So I tapped the box and he started chirping and scratching again. maybe I should sit there tapping the box all day haha.