Need help 3 try at day 34 no pip

[cassandrajean]

Hello everyone this is my 3rd time trying to hatch guniea fowl rggs. We found out that our eggs are not ferile so i received some from a lady who all of her eggs have hatched. Today is day 34 and we candled them today as that is what i read on a forum here. Its very hard to see any movement however the bird inside does look bigger ... any suggestions. Some eggs kind of look like have a thin hairli crack but not 100% ...what can i do.. this is so upsetting.

 

[Pyxis]

I am so sorry for your troubles! Have you tried water candling to see if they are still alive?

Can you also describe for us your incubation setup? What temperatures are you incubating at and what humidity are you using? Is your incubator forced air or still air? Did you calibrate your thermometer to make sure it is reading correctly? Are you using more than more thermometer?

 

[cassandrajean]

I have not tried to water candle them read all over that it coule drown them? We are using a forced air incubator, i am not aware how to calubrate the thermometer, but do have a digital one in there but not sure if thats readi correct either my temperature is vetween 100-101 and humidity struggling to get it up but it varys between 70-80.

 

[Pyxis]

Okay, as long as there aren't any pips you can go ahead and water candle them. The only time water candling would kill them is if there is a hole in the shell and water gets in.

Temp is a little high, but nothing too bad if the thermometer is reading correctly. Is it the kind with a probe? If so I can tell you how to check it to make sure it's reading right. If you have a spare mercury rod thermometer laying around, you might want to toss that in there and see what it says. Those are almost always dead accurate.

Has the humidity been that high all the way through incubation, or just for lockdown?

 

[cassandrajean]

I was advised to have humidity at 65-70 before lock down an 80 at lock down. It has a probe. If pic post this is what it looks like .

 

[Pyxis]

Unfortunately it sounds like your humidity was too high I never do more than 30 to 40 percent humidity before lockdown. How are your air cells looking? Did they develop properly? I think you may not have lost enough moisture from the eggs and the embryos may have drowned. Guineas usually hatch at 26-28 days, so you are now at least six days overdue.

And to calibrate your thermometer:

Fill a glass with ice cubes, then top off with cold water.
Stir the water and let sit for 3 minutes.
Stir again, then insert your thermometer into the glass, making sure not to touch the sides.
The temperature should read 32°F (0°C). Record the difference and offset your thermometer as appropriate.

 

[cassandrajean]

I just water candled them and they are not moving. I am so devastated! Thank you for your help... Will do this over in the spring.

What tips do you have please..

Thanks!

 

[Pyxis]

Sorry to hear I would start by lowering the humidity. You really only need it at 30 to 40 percent most likely. Just watch the air cells to make sure they are growing at a proper rate, as in this chart:

I would also go ahead and calibrate your thermometer, just to be sure it's reading correctly.