Small air sacs? Large number of infertile...getting some nerves

[Nabiki]

I usually see a few pips by day 17, but sometimes the pips are hard to see.

 

[enigmachick]

I usually see a few pips by day 17, but sometimes the pips are hard to see.

I tried looking in with my candler (lid closed) and playing quail chick cheeping to see if there was any reaction at all and still absolutely nothing. Thermometer at egg level says 99*-99.3* and 61% humidity. Humidity has been 67%, I'm not sure why the temps are at 99*, the incubator is set to 38*C, it can't seem to warm further without a bunch of towels wrapped around it but then I was concerned I might be cutting down the oxygen from coming in the seam around the sides (there is just one hole in the top near the fan).

 

[enigmachick]

My thermometer was actually dipping into the 98's so I felt around the incubator and the top part near the thermometer was plenty hot but down low where the hatching tray in was definitely much cooler and the water reservoir under my towel was almost cool. Clearly my incubator is having trouble getting hot enough to keep the lower level warm, I have it set to 38.4*C (101.12*F) right now and it's still not getting the lower thermometer to 99.5! I'm nervous leaving it like this with the thermostat so high (I did have that one really high spike before in this lockdown) but otherwise I'm just not getting the egg area warm enough (at least according to this thermometer). This is SO hard!

 

[-Flash-]

Wait...what day are you on?

 

[enigmachick]

Wait...what day are you on?

17 I believe, though I've read conflicting things on what constitutes "day 1". They were set at around 6:00pm on Wednesday the 6th.

 

[-Flash-]

17 I believe, though I've read conflicting things on what constitutes "day 1". They were set at around 6:00pm on Wednesday the 6th.

Good luck! I've got my fingers crossed for you and the eggs!

 

[Nabiki]

If your temperature was low, they may hatch late.

 

[Kiki]

It's late to mention this now but NEVER trust the reading on a built in thermometer. Always buy separate thermometers to calibrate. The more the better. Having multiple thermometers in the bator at the same time will allow you to see, at a glance, what the temp is in multiple spots.


Take an egg or two out now to candle. At this stage a phone flash light works good.

You should see this type of movement along the air cell:

Or this:

 

[enigmachick]

It's late to mention this now but NEVER trust the reading on a built in thermometer. Always buy separate thermometers to calibrate. The more the better. Having multiple thermometers in the bator at the same time will allow you to see, at a glance, what the temp is in multiple spots.


Take an egg or two out now to candle. At this stage a phone flash light works good.

You should see this type of movement along the air cell:

Or this:

You are so right, I never want to do this again without at least two thermometers in there!

This has been an interesting day, last night no sign of life, this morning there were two pips visible but no movement from them. Then around 2 an egg started moving vigorously, I had to leave and by the time I got back at 4 that chick had hatched completely. It was stuck to its egg by the umbilical cord and ran all over the incubator dragging the egg, after about two hours it finally fell off but he had the dried cord still hanging from him (her?). Also it's been hatched for at least probably 3 hours and is still not puffing up a bunch, it's drying very very slowly (humidity is at 66-67% temps 99.3-99.7*).

-First I'm wondering if anything should be done about the umbilical cord (I am guessing no)
-Second, this chick is alone and chirping CONSTANTLY, is it cold/hot or just bored? My little kid wants to take him out but he's not entirely fluffed so I'm thinking wait...does it usually take longer than three hours??? He's definitely still damp.
-To that end, I know I have at least two pips out there (no eggs appear active other than that I know there are two pipped probably 10 hours ago), what do I do tonight? We've just started day 18 and I know this chick can't stay in the incubator for days but I don't want to shrink wrap the other two pips by removing him, not to mention this guy would be completely alone in the brooder tonight, can he stay warm enough alone? (I have a Brinsea brooder plate/electric hen thing, seems to barely go low enough for how small the quail are).

 

[NatJ]

-Second, this chick is alone and chirping CONSTANTLY, is it cold/hot or just bored? My little kid wants to take him out but he's not entirely fluffed so I'm thinking wait...does it usually take longer than three hours??? He's definitely still damp.
-To that end, I know I have at least two pips out there (no eggs appear active other than that I know there are two pipped probably 10 hours ago), what do I do tonight? We've just started day 18 and I know this chick can't stay in the incubator for days but I don't want to shrink wrap the other two pips by removing him, not to mention this guy would be completely alone in the brooder tonight, can he stay warm enough alone? (I have a Brinsea brooder plate/electric hen thing, seems to barely go low enough for how small the quail are).

Darkness will probably cause the chick to lay down and sleep, so you might just turn off the light in the room with the incubator and leave it alone.

I would probably leave it in the incubator tonight, but as long as the brooder provides the correct temperature it could be fine there too.

You are right that it shouldn't stay in the incubator for too many days, but I would probably move it sometime tomorrow, along with any other chicks that have hatched by that time. If the brooder is warm enough and not drafty, you can even move wet chicks. They dry off much faster once they are out of the humid incubator.