Please Help Me! Hatching Chicks For The First Time And Am Stressed

[ranchhand]

Quote:
1. Yes

2. Yes, it's living off it's remaining yolk for 2, possibly 3, days.

3. Nope, see above.

4. It can take minutes or days.

5. The bowling ball treatment is okay unless it gets really rough, like cracking unpipped eggs. I went to hatching in cut-down cartons to lessen that effect.

6. Sit on your hands and stop fogging up the incubator window. Go clean something somewhere else.

Happy hatching!

Got any more than the two yet?

 

[asb]

Thanks for the help everyone! One little chick broke a hole about 21 hours ago and it still doesn't seem to be making that much progress, you can just see it's little beak opening and closing as it chirps, same with another one that broke a hole last night. Shouldn't they be working on getting out, not just sitting there? Nothing else has happened with any of the other eggs even though some different ones were moving last night... I'm a little sad, but very excited that I at least have two. Watching them try to get out is heartbreaking and knowing that some were moving last night and aren't pipping is so confusing. Is it possible that more could still pip? It's day 23 and I originally put them in incubation around 9:00 a.m. after the incubator was sitting for about a day getting setup. I bought a really nice one (well it seemed like it). Anyway, so I didn't measure the humidity, because the instructions told me to do certain things with the water trays and I would be fine... now I regret not doing that, but I thought it would be okay... I would open the incubator about twice a week to add some warm water, that is all. It will be 48 hours since the first one completely hatched in about 4 hours from now... is that one okay to still be left in there? It's too hard to tell if any other eggs are making sound because I have two walking around plus the other two eggs with the beaks sticking out of the holes they made...

I wish I could help them, it seems that one of them is giving up since it has been 20ish hours since it first pipped.

Any advice? I just want to make sure there is nothing I can do at this point to save any of them... I think I have read that some people have their eggs hatch over 4-5 days? Could that really happen?

 

[asb]

Oh and by the way - the two little Black Copper Maran chicks are the cutest things I have ever seen... one of the chicks trying to get out is a Wheaten and I really wanted at least one of those.... cross your fingers!!!!!

 

[featherz]

I am hatching keets and I'm a newbie, but I had three pipped keets last night (three days early!!) that weren't doing ANYTHING and one that was rolling around and then stopped. It took 12 hours or so but all are now hatched. So I am guessing it takes a while. I have two more pips that aren't doing anything but SOMEONE is making noise in there!

 

[SportChick]

If your hatched chicks are dry, take them out of the incubator (quickly). They tend the kick around the other eggs, which if they are having a hard time, probably doesn't help them. If the pipped chicks are getting tired, then you may have to help. If all your eggs are Marans, apparently they need help more than other breeds. Read the sticky at about the top of the section about when to help. Here is the link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=45583&p=1

There is also a very useful thread about exactly how you help (I am pretty sure I made things worse when I tried to help my BCM a little and it died the next day anyway).
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=9316

Good luck.

 

[scbatz33]

Here is my advice - and take it for what it is - based on my experience.

I would open the incubator and pull off some shell. If they have been trying to get out for two days, they are going to be exhausted. At this point in the hatching after day 22, I go in and I help them a bit. I also take a small sharp object and pop a hole in the big end of the egg to see if the others are alive. Sometimes I get a surprise, but most of the time they are not viable.

I know everyone screams about humidity levels. But at day 23 humidity is the least of my concerns. If you are 100% positive you are on day 23 and those babies are still struggling, I'd help.

 

[asb]

Aaaaaaahhhhh - so stressed, this is consuming me.... hahaha

Okay, I opened the incubator and had somebody spraying warm water in it as I did it, and then quickly turned the egg that had pipped, so I could see the hole because the other chicks kicked it over and I couldn't tell if it was making progress or not... It is a decent size hole, but I just can't tell if it is going to make it or not and if it is time to help. I think I will in the next few hours if there is still no progress. HAS ANYBODY READING THIS EVER HAD LATE HATCHES ON DAY 23 OR 24? I have read this sometimes, I was wondering if it is very possible to happen with mine or if I am crazy to think that... I know for sure that a one I saw rocking last night isn't the one that pipped, so I don't know if it just died or will still hatch... I think I will take the first one out at this point, it seems to be getting aggressive as it is almost 48 hours old. Will it be okay all by itself? The other one isn't quite ready to take out so I was going to leave it in with the other two eggs trying to hatch so it could encourage it with its chirping...

So you could really poke a hole in the egg and actually have the chick start to hatch? I think I will try that tomorrow if still nothing has happened...

Thoughts, advice??? Anything is GREAT!!!

Ohh, one more thing... if still nothing is happening to any other eggs, should I try to candle them with a flashlight or if I picked them up at this point would it kill them? Should I do something to see if any are alive?

 

[Cattitude]

I remember someone on the forum posting about a Day 25 hatch. Don't give up yet!

 

[asb]

Really? So would you just leave them or poke a hole or something like that one person said? Or should I candle them to see if any are still alive?

 

[asb]

So should I candle them to see if any others are going to hatch?