No Hatchers Yet At Day 23! what do I do?

[Southernbell]

Well, my chicken eggs wiggle from time to time, but wont make any holes or anything, so I'm wondering if feeding my hens laying pellets, is making my fertile egg shells too hard to where they can't get out? If so should I take tweezers or something and poke a small hole in my eggs in the blunt end? I'm so lost

.... should I help? if i wait too long to help, the membrane i've heard could dry out and the chick could get stuck and die in there...whats worse, waiting too long and the chick sticking to the shell, or too soon and killing the chick because theres still yolk left or something like that? like I said, Im So LOST

......and like I said, its day 23!

 

[ladyomaha]

Just from what i have Read and I am NO EXPERT on here, But if your temp was low they will be late hatchers, if your humidity is low they cant get out, I know if it was me I would probably try to help one and see how far along it is, It is hard for me to wait, But if you hear them and know they are still alive, wait a day yet, and see, if the chirping is getting faint, you want to intervene, Thats what I would do, but I have no clue to help you really. Hope all works out for you.

 

[KLRA]

I'd wait a bit if they're still wiggling. Can you hear any peeping? One of my eggs this week was rocking like crazy at 5:00 am one morning and didn't pip until 4:00 am the next morning. It didn't zip until about 8:45 that night and then hatched out within 5 minutes! Sometimes they like to move slow. Maybe your temps were a little bit low, causing them to be late. It's better for them to be late than too early!

 

[ladyomaha]

BYW

Lots of great info on here!!!! Love this site, ask and thy shall receive!!!!

 

[Cowgirl75446]

Hi, usually you need to let them hatch without help. I know some of my breeds hatch a day or so late, but usually by day 23, they are hatching.

 

[LegginMF12]

Hope everything turns out o.k. on your hatch!

 

[Southernbell]

to answewr your question, no peeping, just moves from time to time, but not very often....and i dont think humitity was ever too low because i mist them 3 times a day and pour water in the bottom 2 a day

 

[HHandbasket]

I have had chicks not start hatching until day 22-23, and I have seen posts on here about folks whose eggs didn't hatch until day 25 and once even day 27! So just hang in there.... I know you must be at the point where your neck's starting to hurt from looking in the incubator window 100 times a day! (I know, because I do the same thing LOL.)

Keep us posted & hope you have a great hatch!

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
Im thinking right there is your issue-opening your bator 5x a day-all your temps and humidty are screwy. what's the temp been?

 

[Southernbell]

when closed (which it has been all day tosday), temp is 99.5-100 degrees...when opened fr a while it will get as low as about 80-90 degrees, but i havent opened it today so it has been about 100 degrees all day today