Are my eggs dead?

[GigaShock]

I ordered one of those small classroom incubators with 4 coutnix quail eggs for fun. At the very end of the 14th day, around 11PM, small cracks began to form in the black splotches on the egg. On the sixteenth this continued, with little chips of the egg falling away. Now, on the 17th, I can't find any activity what so ever. Or maybe I just don't have good enough eyes. The manual said hatching would only take 20 hours... so what's up?

Thanks in advanced.

[GigaShock]

I mean, It started on the 15th, continued on the 16th...

Sorry for the mistake.

[GigaShock]

Seems I spoke too soon!

One of my little guys is slowly creating a line of pecks around the egg. He seems to have stopped for an hour or two. Maybe just resting?

I just need someone to come in and tell me everything is going normal. I'm kinda new at this. No one said the chicks would make cracks only where the black blotches are, wait a day and a half, then start up again.

[faro]

It is normal for the chick to crack a line around the egg and "pop" the top off to get out. The slow rate at which it is happening is usually because of low humidity, as with the other post by wildee.

I have no idea how you would raise the humidity in one of those tiny bators. Make sure the water level is full, and if there is any place to get a wet sponge in there, then do that.

Otherwise, sounds like the chick is still working at it, and may well succeed!

Good luck!

[GigaShock]

Of course! How could I have overlooked it?!

The only reason that one egg began to crack was because I accidentally poured water on it! doh!

/me gets a spray bottle