Very small air cells on day 16 - Please help me save these babies.

[calichickies]

I've got 9 chicken eggs that look good. Ameraucana mostly. Only one has a pip.
And 2 chicken eggs that have air cells that are still way too small - but hoping for a delay with them and for the best of course.
I've also got the 4 Khaki Campbell duck eggs, of which two have been pipping already! Slow and steady wins the race there, as they are not due until Saturday.
So I guess that's 15 total. All due sooner or later- Ha!

I'll be gone tonight from 6:30-9:30pm, so that will help keep me from messing with that first egg. It first pipped (star crack really) by 7am this morning, and I helped give it an opening to be sure that it could get air. But it has stayed in the exact same spot, peeping and opening and shutting it's beak all day.
It's hasn't been 12 hours yet - just 10, but I might try to help it along late tonight. I don't know though-- that would mean I'd probably stay up late with it. I'd HATE to lose it, but if it can wait I think it will have more company by tomorrow. Do you think it'll be ok for 24 hours stuck in the shell like that? It'll have air, but I presume it can't move due to it's swollen size.

 

[calichickies]

Some pics for reference--

This is the one that pipped this morning at 7am. It's beak is the lump on the right.

You can see the difference it the lines...
This is from day 16 to 19 - drastic, and very much improved.







These last 2-- they are the ones I am most concerned about now...
they are the thicker shell variety and have not lost enough weight. Especially the white "L" one.

 

[calichickies]

I can hardly wait too--but this is the waiting time. Wait, wait wait. All in due time. Isn't that the phrase?? LOL

How many eggs went into lockdown?

I have a feeling I'm going to need to sit on my hands at some point.

 

[Arielle]

YEs, sit on your hands. LOL

I'm sure it helped to be out of the house for a few hours!!!

If the pipped chick is still talking, I would give it a bit more time. Perhaps with lifting the white membrane you can see if the veins have absorbed. The yolk is also closing in at the belly area, so as long as it seems to be strong keep sitting on your hands.

THe white L egg is behind in aircell development isn't it? Perhaps put it in the area with the most air circulation, or air flow? Over one of the vent holes on the bottom of the incubator?? THe incoming air will cool it a bit and pull off moisture. All theory of course.


Off to do chores.

 

[calichickies]

We have a hatchling!!!!

I couldn't help myself last night, and I picked at the egg a bit at 6pm - but saw blood and backed off quick!
Bad Girl!!

I kept the bator at about 99 thru the night so as not to speed up blood flow too much, and everything seemed fine as I went to bed last night around 10.

Then this morning I went in early to check on 'her' and she was half way out of the egg and managed to hatch all the way right in front of me at 6am - 12 hours after I had last helped her. She's got gorgeous 'eye liner' lines around her eyes and she looks really good, and big and strong! Everything is absorbed, no hanging bits from what I can see, and she's not bleeding. She's fumbling all over the bator- glad the other eggs are in holders. No pics until later, I don't want to open the bator and give her a chill after working so hard. Oh I am SO happy she's here! Yippee!

And to top it all off I've got 4 more chicken eggs with pips!

Yay!!!
Ok baby-- call your siblings out and then we can really have a party!

I did put that one 'L' egg on the opposite side of the bator from the sponge-- hoping it takes it's time to hatch.
Unfortunately I don't have any really strong vent holes to stick it by.

 

[Arielle]

Hoorrrrraaaaayyyyyyy!!!!! She hatched!

You did fine chipping away at the egg-- you stopped when you saw the veins--that's exactly the right thing to do!!

Didn't know your incubator design, so I threw out that idea hoping it had holes like my LG.'L' will be a wait and see for sure.

I'm thrilled you have one hatched and severel with external pips!!!!

 

[calichickies]

Yay!!!
Me too!
She's really fumbling around in there, glad she's so strong, but she's knocking into everything -
even the roof as she climbs over her yet to be hatched sibs. Ha!

She's working hard at waking everyone up and it's working! We've got some rocking and pipping!

Another pip for the chicks (5 total) and another for the ducks too! Three duck pips total.

Today is gonna be a busy day. *whew*

 

[Arielle]

 

[calichickies]

7 Pips-- 7 Yay!!!

 

[Arielle]