The Otters
Hatching
- May 19, 2021
- 4
- 1
- 4
Hello everybody,
As this is our first post, we wished to start off by thanking you, as we've learnt so much already from this community. Now in our 4th generation of raising silkies, we are happy to help in turn, if we can!
Today we face a dilemma. In an incubator programmed as a hatcher (Borotto Lumia 16), we have 12 eggs at 37.7C & 65% humidity. We went into lockdown on day 17, it is now day 19 and we have 3 fluffy chicks peeping & rolling their sibling eggs around, 1 egg which pipped 24 hours ago, and the remaining eggs (candled and confirmed just before lockdown) still unhatched.
We've read that silkies can take up to 48 hours after pipping to complete their hatch, so if we open the incubator now we risk compromising the pipped egg. On the other hand, silkies being smaller than other chicks, allowing more than 24 hours to pass seems risky. Some sites mention taking them out after 24 hours. Others say 48, 72, and so forth (albeit without referencing silkies particularly).
You can see where we're going with this... can and should we take these three fluffies out as soon as possible before other eggs pip? It seems that silkies can go on hatching, with an extended window, up to day 24!
This is the first time we're short of a silkie hen, for very sad reasons indeed which we intend to share in due course and to which many of you will surely relate, but, meanwhile, any tips on our prospects would be very much appreciated.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Thanks again and kindest regards to all
As this is our first post, we wished to start off by thanking you, as we've learnt so much already from this community. Now in our 4th generation of raising silkies, we are happy to help in turn, if we can!
Today we face a dilemma. In an incubator programmed as a hatcher (Borotto Lumia 16), we have 12 eggs at 37.7C & 65% humidity. We went into lockdown on day 17, it is now day 19 and we have 3 fluffy chicks peeping & rolling their sibling eggs around, 1 egg which pipped 24 hours ago, and the remaining eggs (candled and confirmed just before lockdown) still unhatched.
We've read that silkies can take up to 48 hours after pipping to complete their hatch, so if we open the incubator now we risk compromising the pipped egg. On the other hand, silkies being smaller than other chicks, allowing more than 24 hours to pass seems risky. Some sites mention taking them out after 24 hours. Others say 48, 72, and so forth (albeit without referencing silkies particularly).
You can see where we're going with this... can and should we take these three fluffies out as soon as possible before other eggs pip? It seems that silkies can go on hatching, with an extended window, up to day 24!
This is the first time we're short of a silkie hen, for very sad reasons indeed which we intend to share in due course and to which many of you will surely relate, but, meanwhile, any tips on our prospects would be very much appreciated.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Thanks again and kindest regards to all