When the pip is bloody what do you do?

[VioletBlueIvy]

Grasshopper is trying to keep busy! I watered the corn, the squash, weeded, rescued my wheaten marans cockerel from under the coop (he has been stuck under there since yesterday am and I had to DIG him out, and made a cake. In between all the other mom and wife duties!
And- I have good news! The egg(#1) is zipping! I have had 4 more pips too, #2 in the wrong end, #3 and #4 are in the right spot, and #5 is another backwards one. Maybe they are just dyslexic?

#2 is making progress too, maybe zipping along with #1. They are both rocking around and peeping.

It doesn't look like #2 has gotten through the membrane yet though?
Thank you for telling me to wait, I needed help!

 

[VioletBlueIvy]

Well, the two with the bloody pips made it, the first one with a teeny tiny bit of help after 30 or so hours. The second one was about gone when we decided to give it a hand and see how it will do, it fought so hard for so long. I think that it was a sign of something really wrong with the hatch, and I posted about it on another thread to try and find out why... Btu thanks for helping me wait it out, it was the best thing to do, and I have six healthy chicks, though it took until day 24 to get them out, to show for it!

 

[ChooksChick]

I'm delighted you got that many!

My opinion is that you need to go get three cheap, green-suction-cup glass tube aquatic thermometers from Wal Mart (less than $2 each) that have the same temperature as each other IN THE STORE.

This will give you a closer, accurate reading of the temps in your incubator. It sounds like the temps were almost certainly low, which can make hatching difficult, as they cook too slowly and don't evaporate as well. I also add NO water until day 18, which keeps my birds karate-chopping out of the shell!

Congrats!! Let me know if I can help in any way!

 

[Surehatch]

How did the results go in the end

 

[VioletBlueIvy]

Yup! That is a good idea! I read a thread somewhere where it tells you how to calibrate them too. I'm going to walmart tomorrow! I didn't have a hydrometer either Or I probably would have been able to spot the humidity problem.

I am worried about them in the brooder now, my thermometers must be way off, because I had a hard time keeping the temps DOWN to 100 degrees!

I used the one that came with the incubator because it says in the instructions, and when I emailed the company, to be sure to use the thermometer that came with the incubator. It follows that up by saying the thermometer provide could be 2 degrees off or so, and that you should incubate one test batch. If they hatch early it must be too hot, too late too cold, and to run the incubator one degree higher or lower accordingly. I figured since my first hatch went well, it was not a problem. The incubator was set up at my Inlaws though, and it went dry a couple times. And the temperature was frequently high when they checked on it. ( I just found this out) So that reason really makes sense.

I am also kindof

because I went to the hardware/feed store and paid 25$ for a digital thermometer with a probe to back up the other one, because the guy there said he has hatched 300 eggs this season and all he uses are these thermometers. They are supposed to be very accurate. Not the case apparently. Live and learn I guess, and I still have those six little chicks to show for it all!!!!!

I am not going to use this incubator again though, someone else mentioned cold spots in the incubator, and it is too sensitive to the fluctuation of the temps in the room around it, and I dont have a basement to put it in. I think I will make my own based on some of the designs I have seen on here....

Thank you! I will!