Wondering about this last hatch

[SusanJoM]

So, I had 6 beautiful silkies hatch out on days 20 and 21 of the incubation. The other 6 eggs didn't do anything, and today -- Day 25 -- I decided to toss them. Well, I really expected them to be undeveloped.....I don't know why, I just did, but....every one of those eggs was full of chickie.....

So....what would you think would cause 6 out of 12 to pop right out and the other 6 to just die in the shell.

I've been trying to be really philosophical about this hatching stuff, and not take it too much to heart, especially since all my eggs are being shipped, and I know that the hatch rate isn't great, but....

This seems to indicate rather more that something went wrong after they got here.

I'm incubating them in a Hova 1588 with a turner, moving them to a Hova 1588 without turner on Day 18, and I haven't seemed to have any issues with temp or humidity....

Any ideas?

Thanks
Susan

 

[Eggseronious]

Hi Susan, I would say since you have those 1588's then its shipping problems. I went to the PO the other day to mail a letter and while I was waiting I looked and seen a stack of boxes looked like 6-7 stacked up and 3 had the whole corners smashed.

I think in these central hubs they handle them like one would firewood or something of sort. Did you ever get you one of those "Philly" thermometers?

 

[robinaggie]

Check out this website, which was given to me today by another BYC member: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AA204

There's a lot that can go wrong. I just hatched seven silkies, but three of them pipped bloody. Two of those are ok now, but the third probably won't make it. Five eggs are doing nothing, and I know from candling over time that they are full of chick. I don't know what to do.

 

[robinaggie]

After I responded to your post, I decided to re-candle the dormant eggs in my hatcher. I noticed when I picked one up that it had pipped on the bottom. I opened the shell a bit to expose the beak all the way, and I tried to get the little chick to breathe, but it wouldn't. Then I proceeded to open the shell - because I KNEW IT WAS DEAD. Well, it wasn't. After I opened the membrane at the side, the chick started to breathe, and chirp. I have it wrapped in a wet cloth, and back in the incubator. This stinks!!!!!!!!!

 

[TerriLaChicks]

RobinAggie, that is a GREAT website & thank you so much for sharing it!!!
I wish one of the moderators would make it a 'sticky' --maybe one of them will read this & check it out & do so. It is wonderful info to have.

On Day 20 here (BBS & BL Polish standards & bantams & maybe a frizzle if we're lucky!) & I know my temps are running a bit low but the humidity is on track & I am NOT opening the bator!

 

[robinaggie]

Hijacked your thread - sorry.

You're welcome for the link. I'll send it to a moderator and see what they think.

All three of my bloody pips are now screaming baby chicks! I ended up with eight little Silkies. Four eggs never pipped, and the one I opened (because I thought it was dead) died. This could have gone better, but it could have gone worse. I'm going to do a whole lot more research before I try hatching again, but I still have six Cuckoo Marans in the 'bator scheduled to hatch next week, although none of the eggs looks promising.

 

[2manyhats]

Quote:
Watch that your humidity doesn't get high on the cuckoos. I have lost two whole batches to drowning in the shell with high humidity. As it was explained to me, the pores on the shell are very small because of the dark colored coating. They do not exchange the moisture well. I will be trying again, but with lower humidity levels than I usually hatch at.

 

[SusanJoM]

Thanks everyone.

Susan

 

[hinkjc]

Quote:
Great site! I added it to my list of links here.. (this is a stickied post in read-me's on hatching).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=368295#p368295

Jody

 

[robinaggie]

Thanks for more great info!

When do you intervene, how do you intervene? Here's today's story:
I have eight beautiful (that's a big, fat lie) Silkie babies. Three were bloody pips. I ended up helping them out after 18 hours by partially immersing them in warm water to loosen the dried-up membranes. The chicks were stuck. They are completely formed, yolks fully absorbed, and doing fine. One egg pipped on the bottom last night and died after I tried to help it.

Four eggs never pipped, so this morning I took them out of the hatcher to open them for my own curiosity. I pipped the air cell end of the first one, and there was a perfectly formed chick, yolk NOT absorbed, and the chick was curled up and dead. The next two were early-stage dead eggs. The last one, well, I have a ninth ugly little Silkie chick hatching! There was no pip, the chick is in an odd position, and when I pipped the end it started chirping!

I have killed chicks by trying to help, I have let them die by not helping. Is there a "right" thing to do?