Topic of the Week - Hatching Eggs

[sumi]

Following the previous thread on Incubating eggs, this week I would like to talk about hatching eggs. Specifically:

- How long would you consider a "normal" hatching process for different species, from pip to hatch?
- Do you assist struggling hatchlings and when is best?
- What do you do when you have a malpositioned hatchling (For example, pipping on the wrong side of the egg)?
- How long do you leave hatched chicks in the incubator, before moving them to the brooder?

Anything you'd like to add?

For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

 

[chickenjoe12]

I always move them out of the incubator when they have dried or if they are full of energy

 

[rainee63]

Following this thread! I need to know the answers to these questions! I just reloaded my mini incubator yesterday!

 

[chickenjoe12]

I also try not too but if the egg is starting to dry i make the crack bigger once i helped one and now she abit smaller then the rest of the flock now i called her po after the smallest telletubby and she has a half sister lala

 

[casportpony]

Subscribing.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Following the previous thread on Incubating eggs, this week I would like to talk hatching eggs. Specifically:

- How long would you consider a "normal" hatching process for different species, from pip to hatched?
- Do you assist struggling hatchlings and when is best?
- What do you do when you have a malpositioned hatchling (For example, pipping on the wrong side of the egg)?
- How long do you leave hatched chicks in the incubator, before moving them to the brooder?

Anything you'd like to add?

For chickens I consider normal hatching process from external pip to zip roughly 24 hours.
I do assist. If there's no progress by 24 hours I will start an assist, but to be honest, many times I don't go very far because they still have veining, which is most likely why they haven't progressed on their own. My fear is having them get that far and quit, so it does ease my mind knowing there's a reason. Many times after I start an assist, the chick finishes it themselves when it is ready.
Malepositions I just keep a close eye on and it. How quick I am to help depends on just where the pip is. I'm more likely to assist a malpo that is in the pointed end than one in the middle, (that might still be in the air cell due to the significant amount it draws down at hatch) or one that is high but on the flip side of the air cell. I will however make sure that malpo pips are all the way through membrane and beak is at the pip to insure clear breathing while they have time to do their thing.
I remove my chicks to the brooder as they become active in the incubator. I keep the temps under the light at 100 for the first couple days and there is no drafts where my incubator is. I try to make sure I have at least two hatchers before I move the first ones to brooder so they aren't lonely in the big open space. My brooder is a couple feet from the incubator, so the other chicks still hear the peeping and I also play chick peeping videos at the incubator for motivation of the others. They have electrolyte enhanced water and food in the brooder at all times.

Add, for two and a half years I used an old lg 9200 model (with fan). Anyone familiar with these knows how touchy the control is. If I could get the bator to settle above 99.5 and under 101, that's where it stayed. I started noticing something. I'm not sure where it fits into scientific reality, but it seemed like the early hatchers, those that hatched out day 19/20, seemed to take much longer to progress from pip to zip than did hatches that hatched the latter part of day 20 into 21. The more on time hatchers seemed to progress within 12 hours give or take, whereas the early hatchers pushed 18-24 hours or better.

 

[DsLittleDarling]

Not sure if I'm in the right place but my question pertains to egg fertility. I have 2 Peking drakes, a malard drake and a female malard. I have seen Freedom taken place by one Peking and my female mallard she has recently laid an egg but I'm not sure if it's fertile can anyone tell me an easy method so I could find out

 

[wabbit1964]

Great conversation.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Not sure if I'm in the right place but my question pertains to egg fertility. I have 2 Peking drakes, a malard drake and a female malard. I have seen Freedom taken place by one Peking and my female mallard she has recently laid an egg but I'm not sure if it's fertile can anyone tell me an easy method so I could find out

When you crack one open look for the formation of the blastodisc and bullseye. These are chicken, but same concept

 

[madchuck]

We have a mix flock of hens. Most are free ones people were giving away so are mainly ex battery hens. We bought a few banty chucks and 2 have gone broody.We have left them to get on with it, just put a couple of blue eggs under each in the hope of more blue eggs if they hatch. Not sure what will happen if they hatch -should we lock the cockrel and other 4 hens out of the coop and give them another coop in the run? The coop the broodies are in in is great for them and any chicks. Any ideas would help Ta