5th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2014 Hatch-A-Long

[SallyinIndiana]

Is this egg fertile?

is there a way you can retake the picture with a macro setting. When I click on the picture it is very unclear with much of the color distorted.

 

[JDchicks]

Question:

My silkie that was broody hatched out 4, 1 passed away not sure why.

The tempature has been 60-40, but we are having a massive drop tonight, 20 degrees.

I would move her, but last time she abandoned the chicks when I tried.

Should I move the the babies inside with my incubator hatched chicks?

Or I can just insulate her box better and leave them be?

 

[SallyinIndiana]

kiralouise21
here is what you are looking for:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5319gtZbD...AE_Y/w-iaoq9e4yA/s1600/Fertile+Egg+Aoxa+1.jpg

 

[Myfourladies]

I love my baby Hawke.

He has learned to drink and is trying to eat on his own, he still has moments that he is LOUD. I think it is just because he is lonely.
Has anyone had experience with a non broody hen taking a chick? I was wondering if I bring my cochin in if she might help him learn to eat and do 'chicken' things. LOL

 

[JDchicks]

BTW

I came to an incubator with
1 silkie
3 d'Uccles
1 pipped silkie

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Question:

My silkie that was broody hatched out 4, 1 passed away not sure why.

The tempature has been 60-40, but we are having a massive drop tonight, 20 degrees.

I would move her, but last time she abandoned the chicks when I tried.

Should I move the the babies inside with my incubator hatched chicks?

Or I can just insulate her box better and leave them be?

I vote for leave them be as long as the broody has dealt with similar weather in the past and knows how to stay warm.

 

[Myfourladies]

Question:

My silkie that was broody hatched out 4, 1 passed away not sure why.

The tempature has been 60-40, but we are having a massive drop tonight, 20 degrees.

I would move her, but last time she abandoned the chicks when I tried.

Should I move the the babies inside with my incubator hatched chicks?

Or I can just insulate her box better and leave them be?

I would try to move her, or move the chicks in. It is up to you, but 20 seems a little cold for 2 day old chicks. Brrr.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

I take the time to baby if I think the problem isn't genetic or nutritional but an incubation issue.
That said, intervention usually eats up an exorbitant amount of time.

It's important to keep a cool head. I worked in industries with big egos and anything but cool heads so places like BYC have been a learning experience.
In the last 20 years, I was an automation engineer, robot programmer, robotics and integration instructor, industrial electrician and feed mill programmer.
When I couldn't find work in my field, I migrated to wind and solar power. When that dried up, I went to Costa Rica and volunteered to do maintenance and bird care training for a Macaw breeding project. It was selfish since I was able to improve my Spanish at the same time while not having to pay for instruction.

This is much more enjoyable than the electric stuff.

Yes. I wouldn't cull until you're sure it's a goner.

IMO it never hurts to try to help and I do so, especially when I think the chicks failure is my fault - i.e. poor storage conditions, improper temp, humidity, ventilation, etc..

Normally, I don't intervene often. Vibrant, healthy chicks that are going to have a high quality of life and improve the flock, rarely have to be helped. The ones that need helping usually aren't going to help the flock.

Quite a dichotomy, eh?

If it has been a while, I would pop a hole. They do run out of air in the cell and when CO2 goes too high that is what stimulates them to externally pip.

I followed the hatching help article posted in Ron's signature line. I made a pip at its beak (kinda missed the first time, so the hole is bigger than the beak). I looked with a flashlight, and discovered the problem...first, it pipped a vein. Blood on its beak and blood inside the inner membrane. I also noticed a yellow blob...looks like it hasn't absorbed the yolk yet. Don't understand why it would pip internally if it wasn't ready??? I could see the veins running down the inner membrane, and they look like they are still pretty big (from a chicken egg standpoint).

So, I wet the membrane (it was a little dry), put the baby back in the incubator on a very wet paper towel, misted the bator, closed the lid, and walked away. Hopefully it will make it, if not, I guess it just means there was something wrong with it. I will wet the membrane every two hours as the article advises.

The other egg I had that didn't show signs of life was dead inside the shell. I candled, saw no movement, no inner pip. The aircell hadn't dipped either. I did the float test. It sank.

I did an egoscopy, and poor little one still had a huge yolk attached, but was fully formed it looks like. I'm guessing it died the day of lockdown...or over night before lockdown...since I hadn't seen movement since the 29th, and I went into lockdown on the 30th.

Here's a pic of the chick that died:

 

[Avlana]

Thanks for the response Avlana. I had to assist 2 out, the first was obviously zipped but the second one simply looked pipped until I turned it around and saw it was also zipped. The membranes were like dried glue stuck to them and I got them out. They are back in the incubator to dry - I hope they'll be okay

You're welcome And good job!

 

[ronott1]

Question:

My silkie that was broody hatched out 4, 1 passed away not sure why.

The tempature has been 60-40, but we are having a massive drop tonight, 20 degrees.

I would move her, but last time she abandoned the chicks when I tried.

Should I move the the babies inside with my incubator hatched chicks?

Or I can just insulate her box better and leave them be?

It does not get that cold here!

I have read about Broodies raising chick at temps below zero though.