Late Feburary-Early March 2016 Hatch-A-Long!

[KeyFlock]

When a chick pips, it still has an egg full of yolk and is not ready to come out for at least 24 hrs.

(If I could say anything to a person new to hatching ...that'd be it.)

Yes, it's definitely a good thing to know when hatching chicks!

 

[NTBugtraq]

I put a wet paper towel around it and left room for its beak for now. The humidity is at 75 right now. 6 out of the 7 chicks looked really good going into lockdown. One was iffy, it wasn't really moving when I candled it and the air cell hadn't grown since day 14 so I'm not confident in that one. But all the others were great, air cells looked perfect for day 18 and all looked lively and feisty. Today is day 20 btw.

Please get the wet paper towel off of the egg. Not only might it actually cause water to enter the egg (through the shells pores), but it is also preventing other necessary tasks.

 

[Gone-Quackers]

This is my first time hatching since I was a kid. I have 10 viable eggs out of 10 eggs put in bator (yeah, I know no culls is weird). They are duck eggs on day 24. Last night I heard some noise (pecking and a faint peep?) and cat was watching the bator intently. So I took the eggs off the turner. One egg has been rolling a bit and moving in the bator. Eggs are due to hatch unitl day 28 (Saturday). They are in lockdown mode now.
So, what should I expect? What is pipping? When I was a kid we'd just notice them rolling around and then hatching a day or so later.

Also, Duck eggs were accidently overheated last week when bator ran up to 118F rapidly when temp control jammed. Luckily seemed to catch it in time and all duck eggs show movement on candling. I'm guessing this is why I am seeing them appear to be close to hatch a bit early.

 

[NTBugtraq]

This is my first time hatching since I was a kid. I have 10 viable eggs out of 10 eggs put in bator (yeah, I know no culls is weird). They are duck eggs on day 24. Last night I heard some noise (pecking and a faint peep?) and cat was watching the bator intently. So I took the eggs off the turner. One egg has been rolling a bit and moving in the bator. Eggs are due to hatch unitl day 28 (Saturday). They are in lockdown mode now.
So, what should I expect? What is pipping? When I was a kid we'd just notice them rolling around and then hatching a day or so later.

Also, Duck eggs were accidently overheated last week when bator ran up to 118F rapidly when temp control jammed. Luckily seemed to catch it in time and all duck eggs show movement on candling. I'm guessing this is why I am seeing them appear to be close to hatch a bit early.

Expect to want to put your hands in the bator every half hour. Expect to be worried about every little thing. Expect too, that if your eggs are as you describe then chances are they will hatch out just fine without any help from you.

The first pip is when the chick pokes its beak through the membrane into the air sack space. At that point the chick begins to breath, and its then that you will hear chirps. That action may be simultaneous with the external pip, or the pip through the shell itself. At that point the chick is breathing the air in the bator. This pip, the shell pip, is often nothing more than an eruption in the shell. No matter how big it is, there may be a very long delay after that before the chick "zips", or breaks the shell all the way around the egg. This is when people often interfere and "help", but in fact the chick is at this point absorbing the remaining yolk, strengthening its leg muscles to allow it to stand, and developing its ability to breath air...so it takes as long as it takes.

Sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

[Gone-Quackers]

Expect to want to put your hands in the bator every half hour. Expect to be worried about every little thing. Expect too, that if your eggs are as you describe then chances are they will hatch out just fine without any help from you.

The first pip is when the chick pokes its beak through the membrane into the air sack space. At that point the chick begins to breath, and its then that you will hear chirps. That action may be simultaneous with the external pip, or the pip through the shell itself. At that point the chick is breathing the air in the bator. This pip, the shell pip, is often nothing more than an eruption in the shell. No matter how big it is, there may be a very long delay after that before the chick "zips", or breaks the shell all the way around the egg. This is when people often interfere and "help", but in fact the chick is at this point absorbing the remaining yolk, strengthening its leg muscles to allow it to stand, and developing its ability to breath air...so it takes as long as it takes.

Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Thank you so much. I worried after the bator tried to coddle my eggs and was thrilled to see they were all still going after that. I work long days so I suspect my cat will spend more time watching them than I will. She's been sitting by the bator watching the occasional rolling egg with great interest. I wonder what I'll find when I get home tonight?

 

[littlesmos]

Fertility wasn't as good as I has hoped for but still have quite a few to put into lockdown Friday. 25 of 46. Not my best fertility rate but some of the hens had just started laying again so that might have had something to do with it.

Four hatched so far. They started hatching late this afternoon. I'll get some pics when I put them in the brooder tomorrow

 

[JadedPhoenix]

Quote: YAY!!! Can't wait to see the fluff-babies. Sorry you didn't get the numbers you were hoping for but that just gives you an excuse to do another hatch.

 

[KeyFlock]

Can't wait for pictures!

My eggs are on day 14, so I candled again and tossed 2. I'm down to 32 now, with only 4 days until lockdown!!

 

[gimmie birdies]

I pulled my clears and had 15, that was my count, I had 2 quitters, now I have these 13...



got bored tossed together 2 incubators..

they are very small 7w and will hold about 4 eggs each. I am going to put in 3 eggs each for testing after they ran 24 hrs.

 

[KeyFlock]

I pulled my clears and had 15, that was my count, I had 2 quitters, now I have these 13...



got bored tossed together 2 incubators..

they are very small 7w and will hold about 4 eggs each. I am going to put in 3 eggs each for testing after they ran 24 hrs.

Good luck!