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

[Sphinx]

Does anyone know how dramatic a drop in temps pre-pipped hatch-day eggs can survive?? My light burnt out at some point this evening, and the thermometers were reading 83

before I noticed and changed the bulb out.

Am I done? Is it hopeless? Or do I keep hoping, and give them a few days, yet?

Any advice welcome...

I'm definitely not an expert, by any means. However, from extensive reading at this board, I've realized that these chicks are much tougher than we give them credit for. I hear about chicks that survive amazing things, and hatch out and thrive. The desire and drive to LIVE is really strong. I bet your chicks are doing fine, though they'll probably be on the later side of hatching.

Maybe you'll even hatch with me and my poor slowpokes who aren't due til Tuesday...

 

[nightowl223]

Quote:
Thank you for the encouragement!

I won't give up hope, then. I do so want at least a few to make it!

If only to show that my home-made bator design is workable!

 

[Cedarknob]

Quote: I had to pull the plug and clean the hatcher today because I have eggs going into lock down tomorrow, but did eggtopsies and found two with internal pips and one not even pipped internally, and all still alive and apparently healthy. [I hate killing them, but I tell myself they may have never progressed any farther anyway.] The first hatched nearly 2 days ahead of those, so you just never know.

Kathyinmo, thanks for that list of problems! The bulk of my non-hatched eggs were very large red-sex-link eggs covered by an Ameraucana, and had obviously drowned without a pip, plus the few that did hatch were very wet, with a bunch of albumen left in the bottom half, and shot humidity sky high for the others hatching. I had never once thought about a problem associated with large egg size, so was at a loss as to why so many of those drowned while the earlier small eggs were hatching perfectly for awhile.

 

[JD4570]

I've got 14 in the brooder. 5 eggs still left in the hatcher with no pips. Still waiting.

 

[Sphinx]

I did a final candling before I locked down. My four ameraucana eggs all had movement, and had totally filled up the egg. The two BCM eggs also had movement, but they looked to be about 2 days behind the rest. I set them all at the same time, though the breeder I bought the eggs from expressed concern that the BCM eggs had been exposed to some pretty cold temperatures. I know I've thought that from my first candling at 11 days, the BCM didn't seem to be as advanced as the lavender ameraucanas.

Do BCM eggs just take longer to "cook"?

 

[kathyinmo]

Do BCM eggs just take longer to "cook"?

Mine never did. I hatch them right along side all my others.

I just hatched another Delaware, and I think 2 more Barred Rocks are about to.

 

[nightowl223]

I'm toddling of to bed...

Congrats on everyone's beautiful babies!

I fear I may not be so lucky... but I won't give up till all hope is gone.

I never have heard what the cut-off date is for reporting hatch numbers... if I get anything at all, it obviously won't be "on schedule"... *sigh*

 

[Papa Brooder]

Ok, final count is edited below:

Update on my hatch thus far:

Swedish Flower Hens: Start 13: 1 egg cracked, 12 remaining
6 hatched, 6 developed but never pipped
Cream Legbar: Start 4: 1 clear, 1 blood ring; 2 remaining
1 hatched, 1 developed but never pipped
Blue Laced Red Wyandottes: Start 14: 1 blood ring, 1 quitter, 12 remaining
12 hatched
Silver Hamburgs: Start 3, remaining 3
3 hatched
Ameraucaunas: Start 12, 2 clear, 1 quitter, 9 remaining
8 hatched, 1 no sign of life

Start total: 46 eggs. Remaining 38 eggs, 30 hatched

So, 30/46 = 65% hatch rate.
Although if we compare shipped to not shipped:
Shipped eggs 17, hatched 7, so 7/17 = 41% hatch rate
Local eggs 29, hatched 23, so 23/29 = 79% hatch rate

and to break down even further...:
developed eggs in that made it into lockdown:
Shipped 7/14 = 50% hatch rate
Local 23/24 = 96% hatch rate.

It's kind of fun to crunch the numbers. Hoping there are still some hatching chickies out there!

 

[coldupnorth]

I've hatched one EE, two Frizzles and one Sizzle and have a couple of pips. Many of the eggs weren't set until Sunday eve, so they aren't completely ready yet!
Goodnight, all!

 

[cowchick11]

I got home tonight just after 9 PM (I set between 9 PM and midnight on the 17th) and I had three chicks out already and 7-9 pips (hard to see some of the eggs).

11:30 PM update, another chick just hatched!!! and two more have much larger holes so I'm calling them as zip starters! Plus we noticed for sure 2 new pips!!!

So I'm at 2 home chicks (feedstore layer crosses), one BBS Orpington, and one Lavender project Orpingtion. That is 4 out of 23 that went into lockdown and 26 that I started with.

Feeling good with all the activity so far and just about right on time. Really glad I ended up coming home last night as my humidity had plummeted.

It was fine when I left Thurs. morning so hopefully it was not low for too long. The hatched chicks look good!!!

Good luck to others that are still hatching too and HAPPY EASTER!