Small air cells on day 20

[nsumchickens]

I'm on day 20 with a batch of 8 eggs. I candled and marked the air cells on day 17 and since then 6 have grown substantially and 2 haven't hardly changed at all.

We're now in the middle of day 20 and all but those two have pipped. Do these two have a chance?

The first picture shows the growth of the 6 and the second pic is what the 2 in question looked like last night.

Thanks in advance for any and all insight!

 

[JaeG]

They may just be a little behind so it's a case of wait and see. The air cell draws down substantially on one side as the chick prepares to internally pip. I'd candle them once the others have hatched if there's still no action and see if anything has changed.

 

[nsumchickens]

They may just be a little behind so it's a case of wait and see. The air cell draws down substantially on one side as the chick prepares to internally pip. I'd candle them once the others have hatched if there's still no action and see if anything has changed.

I've been shining my little flashlight through the sides of the incubator. Will it disturb them if I keep doing that throughout the hatch process?

 

[JaeG]

I've been shining my little flashlight through the sides of the incubator. Will it disturb them if I keep doing that throughout the hatch process?

No - they'll be fine and often the light stimulates them a bit and gets them chirping. My incubator is hard to see into so I use my phone flashlight all the time to search for external pips and check for progress.

 

[nsumchickens]

No - they'll be fine and often the light stimulates them a bit and gets them chirping. My incubator is hard to see into so I use my phone flashlight all the time to search for external pips and check for progress.

 

[nsumchickens]

I can't see very well through one of the questionable ones as the shell is darker brown. But also haven't been able to see the internal pips in any of the others, just the cracks in the shells. I guess I'm not sure what to look for? I also have one that has pipped on the underside. Hearing their little peeps has me more anxious than I was before!

 

[JaeG]

I can't see very well through one of the questionable ones as the shell is darker brown. But also haven't been able to see the internal pips in any of the others, just the cracks in the shells. I guess I'm not sure what to look for? I also have one that has pipped on the underside. Hearing their little peeps has me more anxious than I was before!

This is the torturous part of incubating! Your one that has pipped on the underside should be just fine. Just keep an eye on it in case there is any leftover liquid in the egg that could settle there and potentially drown the chick. You'd see liquid dripping out of the pip hole if that were the case, but it's usually just fine so don't be too concerned.

You'll be glued to the incubator all day (and maybe all night too).

 

[nsumchickens]

This is the torturous part of incubating! Your one that has pipped on the underside should be just fine. Just keep an eye on it in case there is any leftover liquid in the egg that could settle there and potentially drown the chick. You'd see liquid dripping out of the pip hole if that were the case, but it's usually just fine so don't be too concerned.

You'll be glued to the incubator all day (and maybe all night too).

I'm not seeing any liquid from the upside downer. I occasionally hear one loud cry and panic a bit wondering if it's in distress.

I've been glued to it for days already! I thought this would be so fun to have some hatching easter eggs for my son, but I've never been so anxious in my life! it's like watching water try to boil for 3 weeks.

Thanks so much for all your words of wisdom.

 

[JaeG]

I'm not seeing any liquid from the upside downer. I occasionally hear one loud cry and panic a bit wondering if it's in distress.

I've been glued to it for days already! I thought this would be so fun to have some hatching easter eggs for my son, but I've never been so anxious in my life! it's like watching water try to boil for 3 weeks.

Thanks so much for all your words of wisdom.

And despite all the anxiety it won't be long before you want to hatch some more! It's quite the addictive hobby.

 

[nsumchickens]

And despite all the anxiety it won't be long before you want to hatch some more! It's quite the addictive hobby.

Ok I'm back with more pictures...

This one that's cracked on the underside, how will it get air? You can see the air cell up top. Has it actually pipped down below or did it accidentally break through the wrong side with a foot?

And the second picture, is this what an internal pip looks like?