Mahonri's 3rd Annual, BYC Easter Hatch-a-long! - Page 919

Mahonri, remember when you freaked out because your temp was at 101.  Well last night I had issues with my hovabator with temps dropping after lockdown.  I found the wafer in the thermostat was loose.  For about 2 hours the temp was around 91.  Then I fixed it and the temps started climbing.  Around 330 DS woke up with a fit again.  And I asked DH who was up to keep an eye on the bator and turn it down if it gets too high.  IT was at 98.  It took til almost 5 am to get DS back to sleep and  I was exhausted.  I was tempted to go check the temps but thought, well DH said he had it covered.  I woke up late today for obvious reasons and the temp was at 107. 

I called DH and he said.  I checked twice and when it was at 100 I knew it was good.  I should never trust a non hatcher.  My eggs have survived some serious heat spikes but I doubt that these will survive.  Its too hot this late in the game for that long.  I'm devastated.  BUT I still have eggs in my LG. 

BTW, I got a call at 7 am yesterday.  DH was coming in.  It was a magical reunion.  My friends watched my kids so we surprised DD at her house.  I told her a surprise was coming and then he knocked on the door and she answered it.  She ran into his arms and started crying.  She said..."Daddy, I missed-ed you soooo much.  ARe you leaving me again?  Please don't go!"  Then DS was just showing off like crazy and kissing his daddy over and over.  I literally barely got to spend time with him.  He was sooo tired but enjoyed the kids crawling all over him and bothering him.  Neither would go to sleep unless daddy would sleep with them.  So they got my whole bed.  LOL  as mad as I am at DH for ruining this lockdown...I'm beyond thrilled to have him home.  I'm so happy.

 

I didn't tell DH. But when he came home yesterday he checked the bator in my room.  Walked into the living room, saw my HM bator and asked why I had two running, and then looked over and saw the new one.  He just sighed and shook his head.  LOL

As I said earlier I had 8 chicks hatch. My brooder is in our shop just outside of the part we partitioned off as the chicken coop. (The shop used to be a BBQ grill before I was born and the "coop" is the old kitchen) Anyway All of my chicks were doing great, eating drinking, walking around pecking things etc. I went next door to my mom's and about 10 minutes later my husband called and said one of the chicks was looking real bad. So I went back and he wouldn't stand up, his head was limp, and was just slowly dieing. I asked who had been watching our almost 3 year old nephew, my husband and my brother in law were in the shop the whole time so I though one of them could handle watching him. Husband claimed he was and that he was playing with checkers... The checkers weren't even a foot away from the brooder, and the light in the brooder was moved over.... just like if someone had bumped it while reaching in the brooder. Husband wouldn't tell me even if he knew he had hurt the chick because it would have been the last straw and brother in law or not he would have been told to get control of his kid and/or leave. Now I wouldn't be upset if it was an accident... but this child is a terror and finds joy in hurting animals and needs a good whoopin' for it. I've gotten to the point now that I keep all my animals away from him, I wouldn't blame them a bit if they got him though. not that I want them to but really how much can something take before they fight back? I have a dog that would bite his head of in a second if he hurt him and knowing them they would blame it all on the dog because their angel never does anything. Anyway my nephew will pick a cat up and throw it, stomp on animals, throw things at them, hit them, belly flop on to them, pick them up by their tails, picked my chihuahua up off the ground by her ears. I am about 95% sure he had a hand in my chicks demise, and is now barred from being anywhere near the chicks. I will be making a top for the brooder tomorrow that I didn't need before because I taught my kid how to treat animals (he was with me by the way). It is aggravating that my dogs (that are always by my side, a Doberman and a Boxer) go into lock down every day when his dad brings him over and doesn't watch him. My poor cats disappear when they see him coming, and my chickens aren't even safe at MY house because he won't watch his kid. Did I mention that I walked out of the shop and he was peeing on my truck?!?! Not the tires... the paint on the door and his dad thought it was the funniest thing. My mother in law said the other day "When your cat has kittens I want one for him to play with" HA! Sure thing, February 30th you can pick it up.

Sorry I guess I just needed to vent. I guess I am the only one around here besides my mom that thinks that a 3 year old being cruel on perpose is NOT an ok thing, and not something that they will "grow out of" if not dealt with. My husband says "He doesn't mean to" "It was an accident" "He was just trying to play with it". Ok I have to stop before I write  a novel.

I candled last night and I am so glad I did!  I thought out of the 42 I had set that I only had about 2 that made it.  They were shipped eggs and about 8 were broke when they arrived and another 20 or so were scrambled (must have had a hard time in shipping).  Then I had a temperature glitch.  My thermometer was reading 2 degrees lower than it actually was.  :(  The good news is that when I candled I could see that more than 2 made it.  I feel really good about at least 7 of them.  So I have uppped the humidity and will be patiently waiting. 

I do have one question though.....   The air cells are big.... and they dip in at one spot...  They are perfectly even all the way around but at one spot they dip down about 1/2 an inch.  When I turn them to the side and shine the light into the dark chick part of the egg I can see veins and they are red so I think they are alive.  Do big air cells mean my humidity was too low?

Just checking the bator when I awoke.  There's a little progress from one of my low SFH, seems to be doing OK.  The other has a little bit of blood and the pipped area hasn't changed much.  Keep hoping.  However, lots more pips: 6 ameraucanas, 3 silver hamburgs, 3 BLR wyandottes, maybe one more cream legbar, but no more of my 9 remaining SFH eggs.  Kids are excited and the bator keeps getting untimely jolts as they scramble over each to see the chicks.  cute though and fun.

Regarding naughty three year old....

My niece came to visit last summer, and she attempted to drown a kitten in the dog waterer (five gallon bucket)...! I caught her and she ran away from me, knowing it was a bad thing she was doing.  Her mother wasn't watching her, and didn't see the implications in what her daughter was doing! I put her in time out and for the rest of her visit she was not allowed to hold the poor kitten that I did manage to resuscitate. The mother was angry at me for the rest of the visit, saying that her daughter was just being normal...?!?!

Children showing a lack of empathy and care for small animals should be cause for concern... just saying...

Has anyone made an incubator out of a styrofoam cooler?  I tried to make one last night because I thought it might be nice for hatching only when I have staggered hatches.  I have a couple of eggs that are a few days behind the others.  What I did was cut the top off and install a 5x7 picture frame glass for a viewing window then I cut a hole for an extention cord to go inside and plugged into the extension cord is a light bulb adapter and I put a 25 watt bulb in there.  I cut holes in the sides for air and I am running about 105 on temperature.  So I cut a few more air holes and it didnt cool down.  I probably need a smaller bulb but they don't sell any lower wattage bulbs than 25 that will fit in a standard light socket.  I thought about getting a night light but it says no larger than 4 watts....

Any suggestions?

Oh and I am so excited to be seeing hatching chick pictures.  This is my favorite part!!!
 

For those of you who are experiencing "hatching envy" (and I am one of "those people" ) please DO NOT PANIC!!!!!!  You will see people reporting pips, cheeping and hatched chicks today and tomorrow.  You have nothing to "worry" about until later Saturday.  If your temps were running a little low, they may hatch late.  Do not think that ALL IS LOST.  Hatching day isn't until Saturday.  I am only stating this because I went through this on my first hatch.  I was beating myself up all Saturday thinking I had messed something up since the eggs were just sitting in the incubator looking like they had just been set.  Remember, breathe, sit on your hands and DON"T PANIC!!!!!!!!!!!   BTW my temps ran low my first hatch and I had eggs hatching from Saturday evening until the following Wednesday.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mahonri 

Nothing in the Brinsea. (l HAVE 21 EGGS IN THERE)

 

OK folks this is what I am talking about.  Why are we PANICING two days before hatch day?  This is not the time to ask WWMD

Remember to breathe Mahonri! Wisher I think he needs on of your slaps!

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBAcres 

My tiny tiny egg, a blue or black silkie. Its had a very active baby in there. So. IF it hatches out  will this baby be okay with the others?? Will they pick on it?? Do I need to move it with another smaller chick or what??? I got a couple of small eggs but this one looks the size of a quail egg almost. Ok maybe not AS small as a quail egg but yeah....lol

I got a little OEG/EE from a swap egg, just the tiniest thing. He is now best buds with the biggest one from that hatch and seems to do OK. He IS a game bird though and super quick. I think if your little silkie stays with his/her hatch mates it might be OK.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsqard 

OK folks this is what I am talking about.  Why are we PANICING two days before hatch day?  This is not the time to ask WWMD  

Remember to breathe Mahonri! Wisher I think he needs on of your slaps!

I think I need a slap too! I am so glad I'm have to work for the next two days! At least I did get the Spring hatch out of the basement brooders and into the coop brooders so I have some place to put the new hatchlings. I have GOT to figure out a new place for some growing pens though. Everyone is out growing their pens

I just transcribed my bator side scribbles into my hatch log spreadsheet and am a little mortified to see I have hatched out over 100 chicks since New Years day. Still have them too.

 

I chirp too!  WHen I get a response I know one has internally pipped or externally pipped. THen search ,a search, scanning over every detail of each egg until I find the pip!  I check on the pips regularly, chirping, asking for an answer!  No wonder the chickens follow me around!

I am sitting there and watching the bator all day!! Can't help myself! Or I'm here, feeling everyone else's angst and concern and anxiety!! My heart rate increases and I get hart palpitations reading updates!

 Keep the updates coming!1 Keeps me distracted and away from my bator!!

At moments I want the chicks out NOW, and at others,  its "hold on, I have more prepping to do! I"m so distracted today. Much to do . . but I'm at the bator or catching up on the Easter Hatcha thon. 

WOw, Michelle, that's pretty high. I get 80-90% when hatching turkey eggs per POrter's instructions. Otherwise, lower is better. Perhaps remove some of the set ups until RH is wjhere you want it. I go in and out of my bator and don't have problems with hatching as I can get the RH up very quickly with a hot wet sponge.

My point is, you have time to adjust the RH  before the chicks externally pip.
 

Children this young need to be supervised 100% of the time around animals. THey do not function as we adults do yet, and what we see as hurting an animal is more like experimenting and expressing curiosity.  I know of several people that participated in mishaps as young children and grew up to be rather thoughtful and caring people.  CHildren must be supervised at ALL times around animals. Repeat: children must be supervised at all times around animals. ANd parents are responsible for their children. Be there to supervise.

  Off the soap box. 

Did you guys set your eggs early again? Every time we do this I panic when everyone else is hatching except me!  But they aren't due till Saturday. This is Thursday. I shall calm down. Ohm..........................

That would make me nervous too.  One shot is usually all it takes to scare the coyotes away out where I am.  Single shot totally normal but repeated shots?