Rotating question... I messed up

[BecKub]

So this is our second year hatching, first year with our OWN eggs! It's day 19 1/2ish... Day 21 should be tomorrow evening or the day after. I'm an idiot and wasn't paying attention... I rotated the eggs today. Completely forgot I wasn't supposed to. The humidity is at 73/74 so we're good on that. And I've heard some peeping already. Do you think the chicks will be ok in finding their way out?! I can't believe I wasn't paying attention to that. I feel awful. Anybody have a similar experience?? Thanks!!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

So this is our second year hatching, first year with our OWN eggs! It's day 19 1/2ish... Day 21 should be tomorrow evening or the day after. I'm an idiot and wasn't paying attention... I rotated the eggs today. Completely forgot I wasn't supposed to. The humidity is at 73/74 so we're good on that. And I've heard some peeping already. Do you think the chicks will be ok in finding their way out?! I can't believe I wasn't paying attention to that. I feel awful. Anybody have a similar experience?? Thanks!!

They should be fine. I've seen instances where people have forgot to turn off the turners at lockdown or early birds (pun intended) hatching early while still in the turners.

 

[BecKub]

Oh good!! I figured the peeping was a good sign, I just feel bad for possibly screwing them up!

 

[kuchchicks]

I guess that goes along with newly hatched chicks rolling the other non hatched eggs around. I had 2 that pipped internally last hatched that got rolled by new chicks. They never completed their hatch and died. I also had 7 others that were fully developed that got rolled but never pipped/hatched. Could their lack of hatch have been due to getting rolled around by new baby chicks? I tried to wait for them to dry out before I put them in the brooder. Does anyone use anything to keep eggs/chicks separated in the bator to avoid rolling the other eggs?

 

[BecKub]

That's a really good point. My eggs are kind of all bunched together. I didn't think to separate them along the sides. Now I'm wondering if I should move them... although I hate to open the bator and lower the humidity at such a critical time... Ideas???

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I guess that goes along with newly hatched chicks rolling the other non hatched eggs around. I had 2 that pipped internally last hatched that got rolled by new chicks. They never completed their hatch and died. I also had 7 others that were fully developed that got rolled but never pipped/hatched. Could their lack of hatch have been due to getting rolled around by new baby chicks? I tried to wait for them to dry out before I put them in the brooder. Does anyone use anything to keep eggs/chicks separated in the bator to avoid rolling the other eggs?

The experts will tell you no, them being moved around by the others don't hurt them at all. If you've figured out by now, though, I'm not a follower. I see an awful lot of people say that they have had pipped eggs severely rolled around and die in the shell. My thought is that under a broody, the hatchlings are not rolling the other eggs around. They are bunched together, under momma not going far. So I have to question it myself, how the stress of being knocked around really does effect unhatched chicks. I think the majority probably do hatch out just fine, but I think there is a probability that some of these in shell deaths are products of an overstressed chick. (This is where the big wigs say they'd rather have them not make it because it's a sign of weakness and they only want the strongest chicks hatching in their hatches....talk to the hand.)

You can hatch in cut down egg cartons. It cuts down on the amount of abuse the eggs take from the hatchlings. The only thing with hatching upright is the possibility of loosing a malepositioned/pointy end hatcher is greater.

I myself remove chicks as they hatch. I keep my humidity up. I am comfortable opening my bator during hatch. I haven't lost an egg that has pipped or zipped. So that is what works for me.

 

[kuchchicks]

So Amy do you remove them even when they are still wet? Do you have another incubator/special brooder? I had been keeping mine in the bator until they dry and then move them to a box with a heat lamp over top of it. If it were okay to move them to this box as soon as they hatch even if they are wet to avoid rolling my other eggs I totally would. I don't like the idea of my other eggs getting rolled. Like you said "talk to the hand". It kills me that I had those unhatched chicks... especially the two that had pipped... something in the back of my head just tells me it is because they kept getting rolled around because they were strong, loud, and making good progress until they were rolled, then they slowly went silent and quit.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

So Amy do you remove them even when they are still wet? Do you have another incubator/special brooder? I had been keeping mine in the bator until they dry and then move them to a box with a heat lamp over top of it. If it were okay to move them to this box as soon as they hatch even if they are wet to avoid rolling my other eggs I totally would. I don't like the idea of my other eggs getting rolled. Like you said "talk to the hand". It kills me that I had those unhatched chicks... especially the two that had pipped... something in the back of my head just tells me it is because they kept getting rolled around because they were strong, loud, and making good progress until they were rolled, then they slowly went silent and quit.

I used to wait until they were 1/2 dry. But when they started getting hurt on the fan I started pulling them as soon as they started moving around and stretching. Between 1/2 hour to hour I would say. Under my brooder light (I used a red heat one this last time) it was 100F. I dip the tip of their beak in the water, (cause that's what I was instructed to do when I started hatching, though I doubt it's neccessary, lol) and put them under the light and they usually lounge there under the light until they are fairly dry. Usually within two or three hours they are moving around investigating the water and pecking the crumbles.

 

[lazy gardener]

I love to respond to questions by relating some of my experience... and I'm not saying that I have a lot of experience, just that I've had some hatches that relate to the topic at hand. On my first hatch, my first pip was the last one to hatch. The other chicks were playing kick ball with that egg. Finally, I took that egg, and put it in a little tupperware container that had the sides tall enough that the other chicks couldn't jump in. That little one zipped and was out within 1/2 hour!

My next to last hatch: I think there were 25 going into lock down. They were in cartons until lock down, and were then placed flat. I hatched 19, one malpositioned chick died after a partial assist. Eggtopsy revealed a lot of wet chicks, never pipped, and some malpositioned.

So, the following hatch: I set 26. 23 went to lock down. Humidity ran too high during the first 2 weeks, and air cells were not big enough to make me happy. So, i ran dry right up until the internal pips, then cranked the humidity up. These eggs had been flat until lock down, and were then set upright in cartons. Best hatch ever.

As much as I would like to advocate for putting eggs flat for hatch, I think these experiences point me in the direction of continuing to use egg cartons for at least lock down.