Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

I know incubating has many variables...
I had 24 eggs in the incubator... most of them hatched on day 20.. a couple on day 21 (one I had to help because he got shrink wrapped in, unsure as the why this happeNed because I didn't open the incubator and the humidity seemed stable)
I now have 8 left in there and two were peeping... but have no pipped...it's day 23 today. Has anyone has anything successfully hatch after the 21 days? I never have that's why I'm asking. Should I just leave them?
Thanks!

I have had the odd chick hatch out on day 23 and 24. They are always weaker and their mortality rate is higher than the chicks that hatch at day 20 or 21. I have had better luck with chicks that hatch a day or two early than with chicks than hatch a day or two late. Just my experiences. Good Luck.

If you can keep the humidity up in the bator just do a very quick candle on them to check where they really are at. As goatgal said these are generally weaker. I wouldn't sacrifice my already hatched chicks but would grab them out and put them in the brooder to get started (you've likely already done that). You may have to have a second brooder for a couple of days to get these guys going if they hatch so they don't get picked on.

Thanks!
So some of them still have heartbeats... but don't look ready to hatch yet... one was dead because it didn't pip and suffocated.

All my other chick's are happily with their foster mom.

Sometime you have to wonder, did the chick that took too long became weak, or was it weak to begin with and thats why the difficulties with hatching.
My experience has been the same as goatgals, the late chicks are just not that vigorous.
Soft hearted people please cover your eyes now...
The Wyandottes I breed tend to have low fertility and it's important to me to raise only vigorous chicks , so I no longer wait for the strugglers.

You have to wait for hubby to leave sometimes (or lie) LOL!

Yes I try and help them out but like OC says it sometimes just makes no difference or you should not have helped them. In the case of birth defects sometimes you end up putting them down which I find really hard to do. At the same time I've helped lots out that ended up beautiful healthy birds. I've had them hatch on day 24.

I'm far from an expert on hatching eggs. But Happy the house rooster hatched on day 24...2-3 days after everyone else. He was under a broody and when she left his egg to look after her chicks I popped it in the incubator. He hatched by himself with what I thought was wry neck unable to stand at all. Now that he's a year and a half old and still has issues I'm sure that was just a symptom and it's actually neurological.
I'm repeating in my head "I will let mother nature take its course....I will let mother nature take its course..
It's easy for me to say and very hard for me to do lol.

I hear you Happy, it's very tough.

Late hatches usually can be traced back to a low temperature issue .. I use 2 thermometers that I replace one of every year .. just my 2 cents
TL