New at this - please help!

[telltheteach]

Hi!

I am a Kindergarten teacher and we are hatching eggs in our classroom (this is my first time doing it)! I have 16 chicken eggs and 2 goose eggs. I got the eggs from a friend of mine who raises them, and when I put my goose eggs in the incubator a hen had already been sitting on them for a while.

Yesterday (Monday) I was turning the eggs and talking to them and the goose egg started moving! He was rocking pretty hard. He does this on and off - he's more active in the morning. (I'm not sure if it's a boy or not - but we've named him Bruce the Goose!) Since I'm not sure what time line we're on with the geese (the chickens are on day 16), can anyone tell me if I should keep turning the goose egg? I have stopped turning him because I wasn't sure, but when I pick the egg up I can feel him at the bottom.

I'm also worried because he wasn't moving this evening when I talked to him. I guess he's tired? I don't know how you guys do it - this is so nerve wracking! But it's exciting at the same time. I can't wait to have babies!

I would really appreciate any help you could give me!

Thanks!

 

[88Haywood88]

I'd say stop turning the egg, and add some extra moisture to the bator. you have a kinda big issue here though. normally, within the last few days before due date, you add extra water to the bator and go on "lockdown". in other words, you don't mess with the bator untill the eggs hatch. You have chicken eggs that still need to be turned and do not need the extra moisture. you have to ask yourself what you would rather have: a goose or chickens. What i'd do is to leave the goose egg alson, and wait and see. The goose might be dead if it's at the bottom. keep turning the chicken eggs and add just a little extra water. If the goose is dead, this way you will still have chickens. if you were to go on lockdown at this stage, the chicken eggs would die, and the goose is potentially already dead, soooo... save what you can. good luck.

 

[telltheteach]

I have stopped turning the goose egg and I added a bowl with a little water just in case he was ready to hatch. I don't think he's dead because he moved yesterday and this morning when I talked to him. But I do have the concerns that you mentioned - I don't want to open the incubator, but I'm scared to stop turning the chicken eggs. I read that they (the chicken eggs) might be okay at day 14 if the turning is stopped then. Does anyone know anything about that?

 

[telltheteach]

Another update... if there's anyone out there...

The goose egg is still moving and instead of wiggling he's rocking back and forth and I can hear him tapping on the shell, but he hasn't broken it yet. How long does it usually take them to start pipping?

Any help is appreciated as always

.

 

[sheena6292]

Hi I'm following your situation. Search for pipping. I have no experience with incubation but there's lots of posts about it.

 

[herefordlovinglady]

good luck teacher...it is very nerve wracking just reading your posts. we are here for you. i have never hatched so i am no help at all except to give you the big --

your doing a great job.

 

[JordanFamily]

So did he hatch??? I think if the humidity is at 70% for a day or two it wont kill your chicken eggs and your gosling needs the moisture or he will not be able to get out of his shell. So up the humidity an then take it down to 35-40% after the goose eggs are done... Then remember when your chicken eggs are on day 18 up the humidity again but only to 65%. That should work...

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

http://www.minkhollow.ca/MHF/doku.php

That is a site I found tons of info on when I started hatching eggs. It is set up for ducks, but most of the info is interchangable for different species, just the development time line will vary a little.

Find the page on "why you can't do a cecerean (sp) on eggs". That will explain a lot of what is going on with the gosling now so close to hatch. Takes some of the mystery out of it. Then the chicks in a few days.

You can wrap a moist paper towel around the goose egg to give it some extra moisture also. Leave it loose so air can circulate.

 

[telltheteach]

Thanks to everyone!!

I really appreciate the advice!! It's nice to talk to somebody other than my husband - I'm driving him crazy!

Here's what I have done: tomorrow will be day 18 for the chicken eggs anyway, and they're already moving (A LOT!) too, and I know the goose is close to hatching. Tomorrow morning was supposed to be my last day turning the eggs, but I knew if the goose (Bruce) was hatching I couldn't open the incubator. Since he has not pipped the shell yet, I went ahead and filled both troughs in the incubator. That way, the chicken eggs will get their humidity either way and Bruce gets the extra to help him hatch. I still have the extra bowl of water in there, but I will take it out if Bruce hatches and dries off. Can chicken eggs have too much humidity?

That's the best I can do, I think. Hopefully, that works out for all the babies involved!

 

[telltheteach]

Hi!

He is still rocking and tapping, hard. Yesterday he jumped off of the floor of the incubator! But he still has not broken the shell! How long does this normally take? Should I help? I have stopped misting him - should I do it again?

Please help!