One pipped today. Now nothing. Humidty/temp questions

[chickeegirl]

This is our 2nd attempt at hatching. The first time (about a month ago), one pipped and then 24 hours later, it was dead on day 25. None of the other pipped. All died. Of the 16, at least 8 were perfectly formed chickens. I know, *now*, that they were all put in the egg turners pointy side up, b/c I wasn't given any other instructions. I'm guessing that's why they died.

So we decided to try again. This time, we have 12 eggs. I didn't candle this time, just kept the temp steady at 100 and kept water in two of the three basins in the bottom of the styrofoam.

Today is day 20, and when I came home this afternoon, one has pipped. No chirping. It still rocks a little bit when I whistle at it. I've added more water (with a straw dripped down through the ventilation holes.

Should I hear it chirping? I'm worried that I'm not doing something right. We didn't have a way to check humidity and I'm hoping that the thermostat we used is correct. It held at 100 degrees almost the entire 3 weeks, so I'm guessing so? I just found another thermometer and it's measuring the internal temp at 107. Yikes! I hope it's wrong! It has a humidity checker as well and is saying that it's 55 internally. But I have no way of knowing if it's right. All 3 bins are full of water and my friend has used this same styrofoam incubator to successfully hatch their chickens. She doesn't pay much attention and just lets it all happen. I am not cut out for this! I'm way too stressed I think! lol

How long until it should be out? I don't know when it pipped today. I didn't get a chance to check this morning, but at 3pm today, it had pipped. Now it's almost 6pm. I'm so afraid of losing this batch of chickens again.

Thanks for any guidance. I know at this point, all I can do is wait and watch every so often, right?

But why isn't there any chirping?

 

[Apriljc]

It can take up to 24 hours from internal pip to external pip and up to another 24 from pip to zip.

I lost two of my my ten. One was upside down in the egg and one had an air space that was too small so it drowned after attempting to pip internally (at least that's my guess).

Humidity is huge. Too much during incubation and the chicks drown. Too little during hatch, and the membranes get sticky. It's really important that you buy a couple hygrometers and thermometers and use them to guide your incubation process.

My guess is that if your temp was running at 100 and they made it to hatch day, the one reading 107 is probably wrong. If it had been 107 all along they wouldn't have survived.

 

[chickeegirl]

Thanks so much for your reply! I will be patient then and wait it out.

I found another thermometer and stuck it in the vent hole and it registered at 100, so I think you are correct...the 107 one is going back in box and getting returned.

Another one is rocking now. Yay!

I don't have a way to check humidity, but at this point it's either going to work or not, right? I'm just keeping the little bins filled and add more with a straw through the hole to keep them filled. It's 50% in the house right now, so I'm sure that it's higher in the incubator and hopefully ok.

Any idea when I should hear chirping? Will they chirp before they hatch?

 

[chickeegirl]

A second one has started to move around a bit. And I finally heard a few chirps! Hopefully, we'll have some live chickens this time around!