Eleventh Hour

[openseason]

Today is day 22 for my Bobwhites. In my home made incubator I had a humidity around 60 percent and a temp between 98 and 104 for the the first 20 days. I haven't turned the eggs for two days now and the humidity is holding at 70 - 75 percent with a temp of 100 - 102 degrees.

What should I be looking for next? Will the eggs start to move? Will I hear chirping?

If I stop turning on day 20, how long before they start breaking out?

Thanks in advance.

OpenSeason

[CHARLIE]

HI
 I THINK THE HUMIDITY IS A LITTLE LOW I RUN MINE 84-86% IN A SPORTSMAN BATOR. ALSO BIG DIFFERENCE IN YOU TEMP. RANGE, DO YOU HAVE A FAN OR IS IT STILL AIR ? 22-24 DAYS IS ABOUT NORMAL FOR HATCHING.
                     GOOD LUCK
                        CHARLIE

[openseason]

Hi Charlie,

I tried replying last night but the internet ate my reply.

I'm using a still air incubator.

I candled the eggs on day 19 and 14 of the 24 eggs I planted were totally dark (except for a small air sack in the small end of the egg).

This is the morning of the 23rd day and I don't see any action yet. I'm a little worried.

Uggg! This is my first attempt... I'm stressed.

[openseason]

It's day 24 and ..... nothing. I don't see any movement, don't hear anything... nothing.... sigh!

I guess the temp flucuations did me in. Very disappointing!

Should I probably wait a day or two and then crack the eggs to see how far they had developed?

[coveyrun]

Definitly waid a day or two, you should start seeing some small pips on the top sides of your eggs. Git that humidity up if you can.

[openseason]

OK I did a BAD thing and I'm sorry. I couldn't take it any more... so I cut open one of my eggs. I just had to see what was going on. It was day 24 afterall. (And when I got home today one of my laying hens was dead. I only have 4 now.)

Anyway,... when I cut the egg open there was  a perfect little chick inside.... he was kicking and moving around all over the place. The only problem was the yolk sack was still outside his body. His eyes were fleshed over but that's normal right? Other than that he looked perfect.

Do I just have some slow developers here and I should expect chicks in the next couple of days.

Please help.

I'm never having kids. I can't handle the stress!

[stewaw]

Don't beat yourself up too bad over that.  I've done it many times myself. With the fully developed chick alive and well with the yolk sac still outside the body cavity, you were a couple of days early. Wait a couple of days.  Seems I recall reading that two-three days before hatching the chicks absorbs the yolk sac into its body cavity in preparation to hatching.  Not sure on the two-three days though. Either way, the chicks wasn't ready to hatch.  Could be the temp was a couple of degrees to low this time (the standard is one degree per day-for example if your temp averaged two degrees cold, the chicks will hatch two days late).  The other possibility was a mistake on calculating your hatch day- eggs placed in the incubator on Monday morning at 8:00am. Tuesday morning at 8:00am you have just completed "day one". Good luck with your hatch, since you had a live chick-all hope is not lost.

David

[greatxtc04]

Didn't you say that the air sack was at the small end of the egg, I've always heard that the air sack should be at the large end. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

[openseason]

I was wrong it was at the big end.

OK Help me here people.

I now have some eggs that a pipped there's just a little piece knocked out of the egg. I can also hear some chirping. One of the eggs had been pipped for over 24 hours, so I oppened the egg. The chick was alive. Don't know if it will survive.... only opened it a few minutes ago. There was a lot of blood and stuff.

Never did get my humidity above maybe 80 percent. How long does it take for chicks to hatch after they have pipped? Should I help after so long.

Thanks for all the advice.

[openseason]

It's now 8 hours later and all of the eggs are pipped but none have hatched some have stopped making noise. But I can still hear the occational chirp.

Suggestions?

[Superbird]

Leave them alone! Sometimes they will pip and then rest for a little while before hatching. If they are this late you must have low temp in the incubator. Check you thermometers.

[stewaw]

The speed at which a chick hatches after pipping the egg varies according to a number of factors including; health and vitality of the breeding stock, temp consistency during incubation, humidity.  A chick that is stressed by any of the above factors being out of whack is at a disadvantage before it even gets started. When things work "right" I've had them go from first pip to walking in the hatcher in less than 15 min.  Other times I've had the hatch drag on for several days. My personal experience is that those that hatch late or drag out tend to suffer higher mortality after hatching.  As I said before, don't beat yourself up about it- just get a couple of different thermometers and try it again.  If you want to use that same thermometers, just raise the average temp about 2 degrees F (raise it until your thermometers show around 102 degrees). Keep notes on everything you do and make minor corrections as you go. Try your best to learn something new each incubation cycle and in no time at all you will be making VERY accurate predicitions of your hatch based on what you've learned.

David

[openseason]

Thanks David,

Looks like the final tally is going to be 3 chicks hatched. Two with splayed legs. And one is as healthy as a little horse. He was the first one out, and now he's running all over the place. The other two are moving around and are alert but can't walk.

Chances of the single guy surviving on his own aren't great I guess? Any way to save the other two... as much for company for the healthy guy as anything else.

You're right... I learned a lot. I have two dozen eggs ready to go as soon as I can clean the incubator.... maybe the day after tomorrow.


One final post on this thread... How long do I leave healthy chicks in the incubator... I've heard 24 hours.... and I've heard take them out as soon as they are dry. Suggestions.

Thanks everybody I'll post again when I my next batch hatch.

[stewaw]

In this instance (since your hatch is complete)  I'd go ahead and take them out as soon as they were dry.  During a hatch I restrain myself and remove the dry chicks once every 24 hrs.  This is due to the amount of moisture/humidity you lose everytime you open the lid/door. The higher humidity is vital to the chicks that haven't completed hatching. The yolk sac provides them everything they need for about three days so keeping the humidity high rates as a higher priority for me.  There are many successful stories all over this board regarding splayed legs and recovery of those chicks.   As for the single chick surviving, I see no reason why not.  Look on the bright side......at least you won't have to worry about correcting a pecking problem.


David

[quail_lvr98]

I have courtnix quails and they haven't hatched for 20 days. they should ov hatched 2 days ago. I am afraid that if i break open one of the eggs i will kill an egg! It is stressing me out? is this normal for them to be late? Is it okay for me to crac one open. If i do what will i do if one of them is healthy, but still has the yolk attached? :(