Heard peeping from 2 eggs, now I hear only 1.

[chicken4prez]

Hi there.

So about 2 days ago I think I was checking on my eggs under my broody and I heard two peeping and when I candled them I saw that they were in the air cell. Now about 2 days later there is no peeping from one egg and the other hasn't broken through. The one that is peeping is on day 21 today and I'm not sure what day the other one is at.


So when I candled them this morning the peeping one was doing fine, I saw it breathing and it was peeping at me once in a while. The other one I think I can see its beak in the air cell but there are almost patches of blood in the part where the chick grows. It was peeping at me yesterday afternoon so I'm wondering what happened? I'm pretty sure it's dead because there is no movement. Did I do something or was it just something unfortunate?

Thanks.

 

[ashlierami]

Hi there.

So about 2 days ago I think I was checking on my eggs under my broody and I heard two peeping and when I candled them I saw that they were in the air cell. Now about 2 days later there is no peeping from one egg and the other hasn't broken through. The one that is peeping is on day 21 today and I'm not sure what day the other one is at.


So when I candled them this morning the peeping one was doing fine, I saw it breathing and it was peeping at me once in a while. The other one I think I can see its beak in the air cell but there are almost patches of blood in the part where the chick grows. It was peeping at me yesterday afternoon so I'm wondering what happened? I'm pretty sure it's dead because there is no movement. Did I do something or was it just something unfortunate?

Thanks.

No I do not think you did anything wrong. Quitters happen. I've had some make it to day 18 or so and quit. Since it was under the hen I feel like there's less room for error as compared to an incubator. With a bator it could of been the temp or humidity but since it was under mama then there is nothing wrong you did. I would definitely wait though until all eggs hatch and if it hasn't I would try the float test. When my eggs quit and I'm 100 percent sure and they are the very last ones left I open them to see what went on inside. Maybe they had a deformity or something went wrong. I have 2 eggs I'm waiting on right now. The first hatched last night and sometimes they move when I candle sometimes they don't but they aren't due until Thurs and little guy that hatched already is early.

 

[chicken4prez]

By the way, I normally don't candle so often on lockdown but since the chicks were taking a little bit I needed to know if they were okay. And my broody did leave for her 20-30 min break yesterday.

If you lift her up too often can that kill the chicks?

 

[chicken4prez]

No I do not think you did anything wrong. Quitters happen. I've had some make it to day 18 or so and quit. Since it was under the hen I feel like there's less room for error as compared to an incubator. With a bator it could of been the temp or humidity but since it was under mama then there is nothing wrong you did. I would definitely wait though until all eggs hatch and if it hasn't I would try the float test. When my eggs quit and I'm 100 percent sure and they are the very last ones left I open them to see what went on inside. Maybe they had a deformity or something went wrong. I have 2 eggs I'm waiting on right now. The first hatched last night and sometimes they move when I candle sometimes they don't but they aren't due until Thurs and little guy that hatched already is early.

Okay thanks. I read that you should wait until day 28 and then for sure it's a goner.

I had the same problem with another egg a few weeks ago when I heard it was moving around in the egg but the next day there was nothing. About a week later I cracked it open and there was green goo everywhere.

 

[chicken4prez]

Would there be a problem if I maybe candled them too much and I kept lifting up the hen?

 

[RubyNala97]

Would there be a problem if I maybe candled them too much and I kept lifting up the hen?

I don’t think that would have negatively affected them.

 

[chicken4prez]

Well it looks like the other one is a quitter too. :-(

 

[Jbently28]

It sounds like the one with the blood patches may have hit a blood vessel while pipping. I've had this happen 3 times before. Unfortunately, it's beyong our control when this happens. Just one of the many things that can go wrong during hatching.

 

[ashlierami]

Okay thanks. I read that you should wait until day 28 and then for sure it's a goner.

I had the same problem with another egg a few weeks ago when I heard it was moving around in the egg but the next day there was nothing. About a week later I cracked it open and there was green goo everywhere.

It could just be a quitter but nothing you did. Candling them and lifting the mama has never affected mine. I'm the classic example of a pest when it comes to broody mama. I pet my hens and candle the eggs at all times and I lift the hen off the nest so she will go eat and drink. I know alot say let nature do it's thing but these are my chickens and how I choose to handle them. In the winter I had broodys and I would bring them inside my house to be warm. Currently I have a broody and it's so hot so I do keep her hydrated and have a battery fan set up for her. All this bothering I do has never affected my eggs they have always hatched , besides 2 one wasn't fertile and one stopped on about day 7.

 

[chicken4prez]

I made a hole in both eggs and the two chicks were dead. :-( They must have lost air and were too weak.