The anxiety is driving me CRAZY!

[Ilovemyduckies]

So let me start from the beginning. Today is the day my chicks are supposed to hatch, but I haven't even heard anything yet. Not to long before I put them into lockdown, I candled my eggs, and one was trying to get through the membrane. Today is the actual day they are supposed to hatch. If i put the flashlight in a certain spot in the incubator, I can kinda see the air cell, and It looks like it is STILL pushing at the membrane. It been like that for 67 hrs. I'm so anxious to candle them so I can know for sure. I was wondering, is it usual for a chick to take this long it internally pip? or am I probably just seeing things and it is probably dead? (Did that make any sense?)

 

[AngelaPenny]

Those last few days of incubations are trying, aren't they?

I found my eggs only did anything exciting when I left the house. Seriously.

So grab a friend and go see a movie.

Step away from the incubator...it will all be fine....

 

[JakRat]

Same here. I felt this way yesterday. I was expecting pips and moving on day 19, but nothing. Then this morning when I went to check I heard a chirp and saw a little hole in an egg!!!

Here is my Silkie Cam

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/silkie-hatch-cam

So far I only know that one is doing anything. I havent yet gotten under her.

 

[erinszoo]

Just candled my eggs that were supposed to hatch four days ago and was excited to see a little beak had pecked through the membrane and it was peeping at us!!! The others are still moving but no pecking or noise from them. AAAUUUUGGGHHH! The 21 day count didn't work with our little ones by a long shot. Not sure why though. Keep us informed!

 

[AngelaPenny]

So...how did the hatching go?

 

[Ilovemyduckies]

They all died. Because I was measuring through a ventilation hole, the temperature wasn't accurate. I tried to measure the temperature, and it said 104. I got nervous, and turned the incubator down. Before it had actually gone down, I candled them. They seemed a little warm, (the temperature was at 104 for the last week and they were all fine, so during that part I didn't mess with it). I took the thermometer and measured it directly from the egg, and it read 120. I thought for sure none of them could have lived that, but I candled them all anyways. They were all dead, and now I'm feeling so dumb.

 

[AngelaPenny]

Oh no

Don't beat yourself up about it, we have all had bad hatches. But, we learn from them....

Was the thermometer broken? Or was it just not in the incubator?

I have one digital thermometer and one glass one, I keep them in different areas of the bator so I can make sure that the temperature stays reasonable. The digital one came from walmart in the lighting section, cost about $20 and it also reads the humidity. It's supposed to be for reading the weather outside. It works fine in the incubator.

Your next one will be better. It's just unfortunate that we wait and wait for that special day, and then....nothing.

 

[Ilovemyduckies]

Oh no

Don't beat yourself up about it, we have all had bad hatches. But, we learn from them....

Was the thermometer broken? Or was it just not in the incubator?

I have one digital thermometer and one glass one, I keep them in different areas of the bator so I can make sure that the temperature stays reasonable. The digital one came from walmart in the lighting section, cost about $20 and it also reads the humidity. It's supposed to be for reading the weather outside. It works fine in the incubator.

Your next one will be better. It's just unfortunate that we wait and wait for that special day, and then....nothing.

Yeah, I took my thermometer out to check the temperature of the brooder outside. Then when I brought it back in, it started reading 80, when really it was about 100. I was going to get another thermometer and put it in really quick during lockdown since none had pipped, but my dad was going to pick it up, and they didn't have thermometers where he was at. So I just stuck with what I had. (I wasn't using the broken thermometer any more by the way )