Setting my eggs tonight (April 10) Any tips?

[EastinChickens]

Sorry, my little cousin got impatient with the eggs and decided to get on.

But, anyway, No zips, no chicks..... and the pips look like they have flattened back out- they aren't there anymore......
I'm starting to get worried.......

 

[raimnel]

Quote:
ok what day and time did you set? what has ur temp been all through? is ur thermometer right? how about ur humity whats it been through day 18? can u hear peeps? ummmm can't think of anything else

 

[raimnel]

sometimes I flake that little bit of shell off.

 

[EastinChickens]

Quote:
ok what day and time did you set? what has ur temp been all through? is ur thermometer right? how about ur humity whats it been through day 18? can u hear peeps? ummmm can't think of anything else

Well, you made my cousin happy by answering, lol!

Set: April 10th at 4:30 p.m
Humidity: Before lockdown: 48% Lockdown: Between 58-62%
Temp: Between 98-101 degrees; goes up and down but stays in that range (no clue about the thermometer)
Pips: None anymore
Peeps: No

 

[EastinChickens]

Quote:
I dont know... I don't want to srink wrap them, but I don't see them rocking or anything.... no movement, sound, nothing.

 

[EastinChickens]

Would it be safe to candle the eggs that aren't pipped this late into incubation? I just want to check if they are still moving in there

 

[klf73]

I candled my remaining eggs yesterday. I will candle late, others won't. I just add hot water after to bring up the humidity. I hate waiting for nothing(or the possibility of nothing)
eta- I don't always candle all of them, if there is movement in a couple I just quit there and add the water

 

[EastinChickens]

Okay, I will candle real quick and tell you guys what's up.

 

[EastinChickens]

Wow... I have no clue. Candling didn't show any pips or cracks, and it looks like it is filled with yolk, not a chick.

The mass doesn't look solid, and in a couple of eggs there is a dark spot... Should I crack them open and see what happens, or wait it out?

I just don't know what to do, because I only have five eggs in there.

 

[dak]

Eastin, I recandled today the remaining four with no pips. I didn't want to wait in vain. No movement, so I pipped the air sacs. No internal pips and no sign of life so I opened them up for self education. Only one was at term with just a bit of a yolk sac outside its abdomen. The other three were late quitters. Sad. So, I have 2 chicks out of the initial 15 mailed eggs. To my knowledge temp and humidity were OK throughout. The two that hatch were late day 20.

Things I plan to do different .
1) Just purchased an egg turner so I'm not opening the bator 5 times a day.
2) Move the bator to a counter instead if the kitchen table. The table gets jiggled alot.
3) It will kill me, but I will cut back on the candling, even though they're never out more than 5 minutes for a quick assessment. 4) Because I am near the altitude where the manufacturer recommends leaving the vent plug out, 6000ft (I'm at 5800). I wiil try that.

I am unsure what if anything to do about humidity. I live in the high desert. my house humidity is 20%. I didn't recognize excessive fluid in the eggs I opened or shrink wrapped chicks, however, with the vent open I can't maintain 40-45% humidity with the center well only filled, and it is much too high with both wells filled, so maybe a cup of some indeterminate size.

Any thoughts from those more experienced would be greatly appreciated.

I've got viable eggs in the bator and more on the way.

To summarize- out of 15 egg shipped
1 cracked
4 clear
3 early quitters
3 late quitters
1 at term, no internal pip
1 born with deformaties, culled
2 healthy live chicks


dak