Pippin ain't easy! Day 23 and nothing is happening.

[FridayYet]

Sorry about the losses. The only thing I can think of is that your temperatures were too low and that's why they are developing so slowly. At this point, who knows if the chicks will absorb their yolk sacks or not, or if the ones you have left will hatch normally. All you can do is wait it out or pull the plug and try again.

Maybe someone with more experience will chime in and give you better info.

 

[WVduckchick]

I agree with Friday. Likely too low temps. And yes, they can get too big to hatch...that usually comes from too high humidity... They don't lose enough moisture, and the air cell stays small, and the chick just continues to fill up the space.

So you still have 4 in there? I'd candle again and see if they are still moving. Good luck!

 

[amaurichick]

Day 26, just candled the remaining 4 and they are still alive in there with tiny movements. The veins are still really prominent. I'll attach pics. I think two of them MIGHT be just starting to pip internally because I can see just a tiny bit of a shadow in the air sac but not an irregular line where it would have fully broken through.
After killing that poor chick last night, I'm just going to let these incubate a bit longer. I'm realizing that the incubator can't be where it is next time, because the temp fluctuates way too much in that room. It was 97 again when I woke up this morning.

 

[WVduckchick]

One thing that crosses my mind...are you sure of the day count? And these are chickens, correct?

I ask because it looks to me like you might have a few days left to go. I dont know the effects of prolonged incubation, deformities and such, but stopping now is surely a death sentence, so I guess its a decision of what happens if they hatch and need culled. They could hatch perfectly healthy, though, so just something to think about.

 

[amaurichick]

I set them on 7/20. This has got to be the most frustrating thing ever.

 

[amaurichick]

This is the one that I thought was dead and this was day 25. The yolk was really
Large and the chick was smaller than it should have been, but I saw a heartbeat. It had feathers and it's beak was small. There was a rubbery thick membrane surrounding it tightly. I feel so bad.

How far in development does it look?

 

[WVduckchick]

Yes it is frustrating. I'm sorry you are having such a tough time.

 

[WVduckchick]

I forget all the exact development days, but I would guess 18-20 with the full feathers. Did you pull it apart and look at its beak and legs etc?

 

[amaurichick]

It's beak was formed but very short, and it's legs looked normal but very clear. It's stomach was completely smooth and clear. That's how I saw the heart beating.

Would the delay happen if the eggs were too fresh? They were laid the same day I set them.

 

[FridayYet]

No, I really think it's your temps. Maybe it was at 97 every night. That would certainly explain things.