need help on timing- eggs not pipping, but trying please help

[chellebyerly]

okay- let me start by saying I know all the rules about not helping in the hatch.

This year I have hatched out about 300 eggs, both quail and chickens for family and neighbors, and myself.
I have a 97% hatch rate.


But this is MY hatch, these chickens are for me only, and of course I'm having issues. I kept my temp and humidity the same as always, but its been cold here, even getting snow- which we NEVER get. and its been HOT, and its been rainy. maybe that has something to do with it.

anyway, I had 42 eggs in the bator (like a cabinet bator, really big, .. ) 2 went bad- REAL bad, I threw them out.

I have had 16 hatch. The first one to pip and zip was found the next morning, still in his shell, He had died, even though he did have air. At that time I started realizing that there was no moisture in the eggs, and I kept it at the right humidity. The white part under the shell was just rubbery. and dry.

So I shelled and pulled the white off the next 15- I'd let them pip, make sure they had an air hole, and if they wernt zipping within a few hours I'd go ahead and get them out. The actual membrane with the blood vessels would mostly stay intact on them, there was minimal bleeding, they would lay until they absorbed the rest and all are up and going now.

I have tried to 'listen' to the remaining eggs, yesterday evening, 3 for sure had loud chirping and some tapping. They are STILL not pipped. this is pert near 24 hours later and I dont want to loose them.

I guess my question is, how long can you hear them chirping and trying to pip before they usually get the hole started? All the rest of them were born 3 days ago. I havent had one hatch out since saturday night, and this is Tuesday.

I am down to 5 chickens in my yard, and I really need as many of these as possible. And since next month I'm getting my kids 4-H project cornish cross's I really dont want to have too many chicks running and around at the same time and dealing with all of them. SO it would be a few more months before I could hatch more.

This just makes me SOOOO mad- The only problem I've had with eggs not hatching is just dud eggs. once in a while I've had to help one or two out, but I credited it to shells that were too hard, or just alot of the white stuff on that certain egg, but this batch its been the WHOLE one. not a one would have made it out.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

I would take all of them an remove the shell around the air cell. Wet the chicks an put them in the incubator. You have allready started helping so just keep going. I think your humidity was to low. You said the temp was an unusual low. When the temp drops it takes less water to get the humidity up to what ever % it normaly is. So when you heat it back up to 100*F it takes more whater to get it back to the huimidity you want. So more water is taken from the eggs.. Lower outside temp = higher humidity to get the same hatch.

 

[Yvonne37894]

That is to me a no win, no win
If you help you could end up with problems in the chicks
If you don't help you could end up with dead chicks in the eggs.
For us it was a short time inbetween when we should have helped and when it was too late.
My only suggestion is, if you see blood, stop, and put it back in incubator.
We saved 6 out of 12 in a bad hatch by helping them out. 1 of those I culled.

 

[chellebyerly]

Thansk y'all

I am fixin to go and get started.

and I think I mistyped, my in bator temp and humidity really never waivered. my temp stays really solid. I just wander if barometric pressure or highs and lows, and all that crap messed with it? LOL I keep the house steady, and this incubator aint pretty, but its Solid as a rock. I just have to fill the water up every few days. The lowest it ever got was around 62%.

I'll let y'all know, maybe its not toolate!

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

I was talking about outside temp. If the outside temp goes down then you get more evaporation from the eggs an the humidity needs to go up to compensate. If the outside temp was lower than what you are use to then that may be why your hatch was not what you were use to.

 

[chellebyerly]

Thanks Rebel, LOL- thats what I was wondering about too. I guess we were on the same page, I was just readin it upside down ;-)

okay, I still heard chirpin and pippin in one. I cracked at the top, and RIGHT where I cracked was the beak! I was right, just dry and rubbery white stuff. and boy was it glad to see me! LOL
It had pipped through the inside membrane, just couldnt get the shell broken.
There was still veins, but I got off almost all the shell, and got the white off, down about half way, I moistened the rest. She (I know its gonna be a boy... just my luck) has unfurled her head, and gotten a wing out- she is still absorbing the rest of the veins, now its just a waiting game to see if she has enough energy to come on out and get moving.

Like I said, the rest dont seem to have any movement or noise. I am going to try and candle them once it gets dark. But I fiqure its too late.

I knew some of my shells were extra hard, and that the white membrane seems to be thicker than I am used to, but didnt think it would kill off a whole group of eggs. I will be opening them all up in a few days, if I dont get any more movement or sound.

OH and 6 of these came from my SIL. honestly, I dont know which 6. LOL but for them to do the same thing is wierd, I guess we do just blame it on the outside weather.

 

[Painted Spirit]

I also had a hatch that had trouble with the humidity. I wish I had intervened earlier! This weather thru out has gotten to us! Go with your gut and help the ones you can.