Need advice quickly please - 28 hours since pip

[Michaels1715]

This is my first hatch and today is day 21 (but I set them in the evening of March 21, so I guess officially it's been 20 1/2 days). I have 11 eggs in the bator, 10 of which definitely had movement prior to lockdown. One of the eggs pipped 28 hours ago, and made the hole a little bigger 24 hours ago but nothing since. I saw movement (eye blinking) and heard peeping as of 2 hours ago. A second egg pipped (just cracked the shell - no hole yet) about 8 hours ago, but nothing from any of the others yet. 

I think I now know what might be the problem. More than 12 hours ago, I noticed that the temperature was up to 102 - the thermostat must have gotten bumped with people looking inside the bator. I was worried, so immediately, and without thinking, I lifted the lid for a second, closed
It, then opened again for another second and closed it - that got the temp back down to 99.5. I have no idea what the humidity level is - I filled both troughs with water prior to lockdown and they both still have water in them. I am using a hova-bator by the way. 

I now think, after reading a bunch online, that opening the lid may have "shrink-wrapped" the little guy and I'm worried he can't get out now. Is it time to help??? I have read so many different opinions on this subject, I'm not sure what to do. Since incubating isn't completely natural, I have no problem "interfering with nature" and helping this chick if it's the best chance he has.

So, I am leaning towards helping him. Do I wrap the egg in a warm 100 degree wash cloth? Do I carry the whole incubator up to my bathroom and open it after running a hot shower to steam the room up?  I know (think) I should only very carefully remove the shell but not the membrane in a circle around the top of the shell (imitate zipping) and then let the little guy try to get out on his own. Is that right? Also, to raise the humidity for the others, should I put a warm wet washcloth in there? As I said, I have no idea what the humidity is. I do have an outdoor sensor that reads humidity that I could put in the bator if I have to open it to help the chick anyway. 

Please give me your opinions/advice ASAP as I think I need to do this really soon.....

THANK YOU!!!
~Sharon

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I doubt you shrink wrapped them. With both trays filled your humidity will be high enough or actually high. Next go around get a hygrometer so you can keep it at 60% for lock down (last three days). As for temperature, keep an eye on it and it's actually recommended to lower by degree during hatching, 98F, they are generating their own heat now and don't need to be incubating just warmed.

Eggs can take many hours (over 24 hours) after pipping to start zipping. Don't fret over it just yet and sit on those hands. It's tempting to "help" but in reality your best to let them be. They get exhausted and need to rest before zipping and hatching.

With high humidity your only danger is the inside of egg can turn gooey but this usually happens if a later hatch, chicks sat too long without being turned as they are late. Chicks will start to get stuck to shell. You can tell this very easy, at least I could on my stuck chick this last hatch, by peering through the window looking into the pip, if there is fuzz stuck around the pip hole there's a good chance it's getting glued in. Mist warm water into hole. Temp 95-100 F and key word is mist. This will aid in dissolving goo. Think of stripping wallpaper past, warm water and wait.

Congratulations on what looks to be a success! Pipping 24 hours early is perfectly fine. Sit on those hands as you enjoy the hatching. This past weekend ours pipped 24 hours early and started hatching 12 hours early and continued to hatch 24 hours late. The last 2 stragglers that didn't pip until over 24 hours late ended up getting glued, we aided them the following day once we knew what the problem was.

 

[Michaels1715]

Thank you for your quick reply and for your advice. I will wait for now, but will keep an eye on the chick to make sure he's moving & peeping. I have other chicks in the room (bought 6 at TSC on Friday that are 1-2 weeks old), so their peeping makes it hard for me to hear what's going on inside the bator.

Just for additional information - the pip hole is about the size of a pea. Also, the second egg still only has a crack - no hole yet (is that considered a pip or not yet?). Also, my instructions for the Hova-bator did not say to close the vents, but they are from 1993 (borrowed from my sister - I didn't realize it was that old!), but I have read more recent instructions on what I think is the same or similar model that talks about the vents closed for part of lockdown. I don't know if what I did (leaving the big ones on top open) was right or not.

Should I put the sensor that will read the humidity in there now? It would mean opening the incubator quickly which is the only thing not sure about. I didn't have it in there during incubation because it did not fit with the turner, but now it would. I wish I had thought to do it at lockdown. Is it worth the risk to see where I'm at with the humidity level? I can see a slight sheen on some of the eggs, but not all. No condensation anywhere.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Usually, and if people choose to, the vent holes are closed first 18 days and opened last 3 for more fresh air for hatching chicks. Opening vents will also lower temp a slight amount. As chicks hatch your humidity will go up so don't worry about the vents being open losing humidity. Some folks just run incubators with vents out only. Have even lost the vent caps over the years as they hatch with out them. I do the closed until first sign of pip. That's the tiny crack, it continues to pip to a pea size then will rest. All chicks I've ever hatched have zipped and popped out of shell in less than half an hour once they start to zip. That can take from just a short rest after pipping is finished to many hours rest but once zipping starts pull up a chair it wont take long.

 

[Michaels1715]

Thanks for your reply.

Regarding the vents, I followed the manufacturers instructions. It said to have the caps in place (I used tape since the caps are probably long lost) for the first 3 days then remove. It did not say another word about them (that I saw) other than to not forget to close them again for the next setting. So, that is what I did - they've been open since day 4.

The chick is still moving and peeping when I tap gently on the glass. I occasionally hear tapping on a shell, but I can't tell which egg it's coming from.

Any thoughts on opening the incubator just to get a reading of the humidity? Is it worth opening it for a second to put the sensor in? If I do that, should I take another second to mist the egg that pipped, now more than 30 hours ago ?

 

[Michaels1715]

...

I doubt you shrink wrapped them. With both trays filled your humidity will be high enough or actually high. Next go around get a hygrometer so you can keep it at 60% for lock down (last three days). As for temperature, keep an eye on it and it's actually recommended to lower by degree during hatching, 98F, they are generating their own heat now and don't need to be incubating just warmed.
I just re-read your first response and had a question about what you said about the temperature. I didn't quite follow the manufacturers instructions because it said to incubate my eggs (bantams - Silkies) at 100 degrees UNLESS using a turner - then lower it to 98. I pondered this for a while and finally decided that they said that based on a thermometer being on the bottom of the bator with the eggs a little higher up, and therefor a degree or two warmer than the reading would show. I didn't have the original thermometer (I used a probe type one inserted through the side at egg level and unfortunately it did not give me any fractions of a degree) so I kept the temp at 99-100. Since I hadn't followed the directions to incubate at 98 with a turner vs. 100 without, I didn't follow the directions to "increase the temp by 2 degrees" at lockdown. When I got supplies on Friday, I also picked up a Little Giant thermometer made for incubators so I could lay it on the floor next to the eggs. With the exception of the slight temp spike yesterday, I have kept it right around 99.5. So do you think I should lower the temp to 98 for these bantams? I'm only asking because I don't know if you thought I had a larger breed or if your advice is for all chickens.

 

[rungirl]

I lay a wet paper towel on the bottom of the incubator after I take out the first hatched chicks to get the humidity back up quickly. It increases the surface area for evaporation. The humidity really plummets when you open it up and it takes time to recover. Also, my Brinsea manual says to keep the vents open during incubation because you need oxygen exchange for the eggs, then close them down during the lockdown, but no lower than 1/3 closed. So that's what I do. Good luck and be patient!

Lisa

 

[Michaels1715]

Does anyone else have thoughts about this?

Edit: Thanks, Lisa. I must have been typing the question above when you posted your response.

 

[Michaels1715]

Congratulations on what looks to be a success! Pipping 24 hours early is perfectly fine. Sit on those hands as you enjoy the hatching. This past weekend ours pipped 24 hours early and started hatching 12 hours early and continued to hatch 24 hours late. The last 2 stragglers that didn't pip until over 24 hours late ended up getting glued, we aided them the following day once we knew what the problem was.

I just wanted to post a follow-up since so many times I have been left wondering how a situation turned out because the OP never came back to give an update. I want to thank you again for your advice - I did "sit on my hands" and wait - and that little chick did eventually zip and hatch. I also appreciated the info about how you helped the two that got glued in their shell, because I had that happen to two of mine too! They both zipped half way, one at the wrong end, the other in the middle, and then stopped. After several hours and when it was apparent they weren't going to make it out on their own, I gave them a little help and they both seem fine now, a week later. Anyway, to anyone reading this, worrying about a chick that pipped but hasn't started to zip after 24 hours or more, consider just "sitting on those hands" and giving that chick a little more time. My little Silkie took THIRTY FOUR HOURS from pip to zip - and then hatched in about 15 minutes

 

[ChicksinPR]

great information... thanks for letting us know how it turned out. I will now sit on my hands...lol