MARCH Hatch-A-Long 2015: Please Read the First Post to JOIN the H-A-L

[HugHess]

...too be continued!

 

[Torch404]

I'm dealing with one I tried to help. Got shrink wrapped I just soaked it in a bowl of warm water to get its limbs free. It's still chirping so hopefully it pulls through. Many lessons learned this first run.

From 36 eggs 29 made lock down. 21 hatched fine one still questionable.

 

[Heron's Nest Farm]

I need everyone's wisdom:
My fist bird hatched on day 19, like in the first few hours of day 19. Now I am on day 21. At the end of this day this little guy will have been up and going for 3 days. I still have unknown eggs in there I want to give a chance, BUT I think I should get him out for food and water. What do you think? Will a quick grab dash my chances with the other eggs?

 

[WalnutHill]

I'd get him out, but be warned he may be distressed at being alone. If you have a brooder set up, place the little one in the brooder and coach it to drink and eat. If the chick becomes too distressed after an hour or so, move it back to the incubator and repeat every few hours.

 

[Torch404]

Have to other eggs pipped? I think if they haven't pipped they won't shrink wrap. If you spray some warm water on the walls of the incubator so the humidity goes back up quickly you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[ochochicas]

Have to other eggs pipped? I think if they haven't pipped they won't shrink wrap. If you spray some warm water on the walls of the incubator so the humidity goes back up quickly you shouldn't have any problems.

Agreed - take him out. You can spray warm water lightly on the sides of the incubator or mist the eggs if the humidity drops. You should hear some chirping coming from the other eggs by now. Good luck!

 

[Varglet]

Opening and closing the incubator several times to move the chick back and forth will cause you problems. If the chick gets lonely, give it a stuffed animal (some people have feather dusters that work well, because they can hide under it like a mother hen) and/or a mirror. It will be fine until more hatch.

 

[ochochicas]

Maybe it depends on what kind of incubator you have. Personally, I have not had any hatching problems and I take my chicks out whenever there are a handful of them that are ready for the brooder. Maybe it is my OCD, but it bothers me to have the chicks running around the incubator knocking into the other eggs. Of course I'm not recommending opening the incubator a whole bunch of times, but if you have to it isn't the end of the world. Everyone has their own way of doing things though.

My hatch is finally over for March. I had a really good hatch rate (haven't calculated it yet). I had two that died because they pipped in the middle of the egg and drowned. I also had a handful that quit around day 19/20. I think there is a cool spot in my incubator, so the eggs that were put there at lockdown didn't make it.

 

[scflock]

Final tally: 6/8 d'uccle
9/10 Polish
0/2 cuckoo marans

 

[mymilliefleur]

Maybe it depends on what kind of incubator you have. Personally, I have not had any hatching problems and I take my chicks out whenever there are a handful of them that are ready for the brooder. Maybe it is my OCD, but it bothers me to have the chicks running around the incubator knocking into the other eggs. Of course I'm not recommending opening the incubator a whole bunch of time, but if you have to it isn't the end of the world. Everyone has their own way of doing things though.

Agreed.