Need help NOW! Emergency hatches! Please advise!

[4H kids and mom]

Ok, eggs were on Day 13. There's a pip and its peeping at us! We ARE NOT ready (with all things that happened) and the eggs have been in the turner (as it was only supposed to be Day 13). We are currently QUICKLY warming the hatcher to temp. But need help now! How do I possition the hatching egg? Can it be moved safely at this stage? Its comin out wether were ready or not. Deffinate pip and deffinate peeping when we peep at it. Excited and nervous! Please help!

 

[4H kids and mom]

PS...with it being turned the whole time, is it gonna make it? Should we also move the other eggs that we got with that one and assume they are the same age, or leave them in the bator wit the others? We currently have the turner turned off.

 

[arwmommy]

4H-- I can't help you at all, but I am glad you are back. I missed you already! I am sure you will figure it out-- you are an awesome chicken mama!

((((((hugs))))))

 

[Frozen Feathers]

I'm sure it will be fine to move the egg. I moved Hiro around when he/she was pipping and turned out fine. This was with a broody hen though...
I would lay it on the floor in the bottom of the bator. I'm assuming you have a bator with a wire floor??
Wish I could be more helpful, but I'm not experience with an incubator.

 

[Picco]

Moving the egg shouldn't hurt the chick inside. Just try to move the egg with a steady hand and place it in the hatcher in the same position. I know everyone says to stop turning... and I do with my incubator but the hen never stops moving the eggs and once the first chicks hatch the other eggs get knocked around so its natural for the hatching chick to be knocked around a bit. I have incubated several clutches of wild turkey and mallard eggs that were partially incubated (nests were run over by the hay mower). Since I didn't know how far along they were I just kept on turning until the first pip. I had no problems with the hatch and had great success. I would move the egg rather than keeping it with the others, its best not to compromise the whole clutch. Is the egg really early or is there a chance that the hen sat on it for a while without you knowing?

 

[4H kids and mom]

I had them in the HovaBator with the auto egg turner, thinking they were all on Day 13 so they were all still being turned. I just thought the air cells looked rather large in these eggs (12 of the 36) but thought nothing of it. We've hooked up our new bator (thank you, you know who you are!) a Little Giant still air bator with no turner and wire floor. I've moved the 12 eggs into it and its stablizing temp, and I'm trying to raise the humidity now. The egg is active, moving about and a good size pip. It peeps in response to sound and can be heard 'tapping' the shell. I just SO hope we caught it in time so he/she still hatches.


Edited to add: The eggs were from a chicken raising neighbor, who says they were collected that day. The eggs SHOULD have been on day 13...so to hatch now its either really early, or she missed eggs somewhere and thought they were from that day. She gave me 11 other eggs from the same group of hens, should I move all 12 to the hatcher, or just the one? All the 12 look further along than my other eggs in the bator...


Also edited to add: Someone said put the egg in the same position it was in the bator. I can't do that, as the egg was nearly straight up and down in the egg tray when I noticed it pip and heard the peep. Will laying it on its side with smaller end pointed downward slightly be alright? Can I candle it quicky to see if its getting into position?

 

[MandyH]

We have left eggs turning until chickens popped out. It does not hurt them, in fact they seem to hatch better. As long as the turner doesn't get them. I would not take all of the eggs out of the incubator IF you are where you can keep an eye on them often. Put the one pipped egg in the hatcher with the pip up so he won't drown. They have and will get crazy and rock and roll and turn their egg over while hatching and drown in the egg. That neighbor must have pulled that egg out from under a hen or something. We currently have 300 eggs incubating so if you have any questions please e mail me. I have seen and had to endure all things possible and some that didn't seem possible when it comes to hatching eggs.

 

[AZChickenlover]

We had a Kindergartener knock the whole incubator on the floor, we cooked the eggs at 110 degrees once, and still two eggs hatched. I was amazed.

 

[MandyH]

Aint it amazing how you can have an ulcer over incubating and hatching chicks, but they are tough little snots.

 

[silkiechicken]

I've moved birds in a ice chest from one place to another after a 1 hr drive and found some had pipped along the way. Great hatches still. Lost none from those hatches! And I don't follow humidity rules and don't have any water in my incubator during the last week of incubation. I bet your birds will be fine. The worst part of leaving eggs in the turner is that chicks cant get their footing when they come out and the chicks can fall into the turner and get squished. I had that happen once and it was terrible. poor thing was slowly squished to death by the turner tray sliding to turn all the eggs. Good luck!