Wibbled and wobbles BUT NO PIPS! Aaaaaaaaarrrgh! Sanity at stake!

[chuckyjo]

My eggs are on day 21 and have been wobbling like crazy since Saturday-5 days! So the lil guys are obviously developed and hopefully nice and strong.

Thing is-I'm driving myself 'round the bend watching, waiting and willing them to pip.......to no avail....they're going to be overdue soon and I don't have a pip.

What's everyone's experiences? Are late starters anything to worry about? Should I get a pip soon considering the wobbling they're doing? How long will it take from pip to hatch?

Please help me........I fear I'm driving myself crazy!

xxx

 

[mom2fourbebes]

great question I want to know too! Also, on what day do you give up?? day 22, 23, 24, etc???

 

[the_eagle69]

What is your humidity and have your temps been good through out late hatches do happen mostly caused by low temp at some point and low humidity at hatch time. I run my hatches 3 days 21, 22,23 and if needed day 24 dependes on what i see going on.

 

[chuckyjo]

My temperature has been a steady 37.5 degrees all the time, I'm not dure what the humidity is because my incubator is a fully automatic digital R-Com. It automatically keeps conditions optimum, and an alarm would have sounded had anything not been as it should.

All looks in order and the water well has had sufficient water in it throughout.

The eggs are still wobbling away!

 

[the_eagle69]

Sounds great you should have chicks soon keep us posted.

 

[chuckyjo]

I've never known anything like it......they are going crazy now, if they weren't held in the egg grooves they would be rolling about all over the place!

Still no pip, but it has seriously got to come any time soon.

That's me once again sleeping next to the bator.....scared to miss anything and slowly giving myself a nervous breakdown.

If willpower alone hatched eggs, I'd be in abundance of chicks!

Thanks for your help and advice!

 

[chuckyjo]

News........

I have two ADORABLE little babies! They came 2 and 3 days late, and I had to break them out as they both got stuck fast, despite all conditions in the incubator being optimum.

I had to keep misting the eggs with aired water....which helped a little but wasn't enough. Then I dampened the membranes which had dried around their heads and gently peeled it away. Number 3 needed to be broken entirely out of it's shell.....piece by piece.....he was what we call "shrunk wrapped" and I honestly thought it was a gonner. Number 1 needed less help-just a little shell breaking from it's face so I could wipe the dried membrane and he finished the job off himself.

They were very feeble and weak at first, and it took them ages to come round. Each minute they astounded me though! they've improved and improved and are now 2 day old balls of fluff!

It was worth every second of angst and staying up all night to help the hatch.

I know a lot of you don't agree with assisting hatches, but it really was a last resort for these 2 and it saved their lives. I'm so proud.

They are my first succesful hatch!

They are little buggers.....lots of toe pecking and wing pulling going on....they are already trying to establish a pecking order! It keeps changing for now!

They are all the more miraculous when you consider that the eggs were the first two eggs ever laid by my little Hen Bonny. To think we were going to eat them!

Love them to pieces. Thank you all for your help!

I'll put pictures up when I've figured out how to do it! (Doh!)

xxx

 

[panner123]

Sounds like the humidity was to low. Don't trust those automatic gadets, humidity to low or to high kills many chicks. I have had some chicks hatch as late as 27 days.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Definately sounds like the humidity was low. I think even with a fully automatic, you should stick a hygormeter (sp?) to check your humidity level. You want at least 68 - 70 for the last 3 days.

I am on my third hatch in my home made bator and humidity at 70 or higher and they all get out fine.

Yeap - Check your humidity.

BTW - Congrats on your babies. You will love them even more becasue you helped them.

 

[the_eagle69]

Sounds like you did very well With only 3 chicks you will not have the problems helping thelm out that you would have with say 25 or more. You will know when it is time to help and sounds like you did. now the enjoyment is just starting. congrads on you chicks