November 2016 Hatch-a-long!!

[theceltichorse]

Yes, I would stop turning & increase humidity on Sunday. There's not an exact moment you have to make the switch. it's all about making it easier for the chicks to hatch. A little worry is normal, but chicks are usually pretty strong. Even if you goof up on a few things, they can still hatch.

I do recommend doing the lockdown stuff at a time when you'll be near the incubator. For me, the temp changes when I add humidity, so I must make some minor adjustments. Doing it right before bed is not very good, b/c you may worry & have to wake yourself up every few hours to check on the temp. (I talk from experience. LOL)
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I plan on starting lockdown late morning/early afternoon (I am home all day as I just took on a daycare child). I have my incubator set up in the corner of my kitchen. So, everytime I am in there I check on it. I have certainly noticed that when I have to increase humidity, temp changes. It is quite a dance, isn't it? Keeping everything stable!

I keep seeing good things about the Brinsea and Hovabators... I'm not to impressed with the Farm Innovator 4250 that I have in regards to the temp/humidity digital gauges.

 

[orrpeople]

Day 14 candle, 75% of the shipped BCM are still developing - we had a couple quitters

but still determined to beat the odds! Our olive eggers are developing right along. 100% on the home eggs.

 

[Cynthia12]

Thanksgiving babies

Oh wow, they look a lot like mine! I had blues too..one of mine will be a splash, you can tell.

 

[Cynthia12]

Out of six eggs at lockdown, four hatched.

The fourth needed an assist and I'm wondering if you guys can help deduce why. The chick had picked away a good hole in the egg shell, to the point that you could see the chick well. The membranes dried and trapped it, though, and it couldn't get free. Humidity was high, temp was stable, and my first three had no such problem. My last two eggs quit, one around the start of lockdown I think but the other, upon investigation, seems to have run into the dry membrane problem too and couldn't get positioned quite right in time. Any thoughts why two would run into this when the others didn't?

We just don't know why sometimes. It could be a number of different things. It could be that the baby just wasn't strong enough to last. We can have everything looking great, but then, DIS babies. I do know that there are some chicks that just get so big, that they really do have a hard time turning. Then, there's the problem! Or, with silkies, too high a vault for a small egg..hard to know. You got some cuties there though. Congratulations!

 

[dcba flock]

Oh wow, they look a lot like mine!  I had blues too..one of mine will be a splash, you can tell. 

A splash!!! Yeah those are chocolates and lavenders on AM and on Orp. I just got my last batch (I SWEAR) from Papas Poultry (but they were on sale....) lol he included a ton of extras from his projects pens etc so I'm hoping maybe a splash may come out of that batch!!!

 

[NysiaAnera]

I have been a little frustrated with myself lately, because I can't seem to get everything done that needs to be done, and have been so busy, I have not candled the eggs under my last broody hen... at all! Every time I remember, it is at night, which is very cold now, and with just me, it is too difficult and would take too long, and not worth the risk in the frigid temperatures, to candle then. So, here it is the start of day 20, and I have no idea how many to even hope for out of the 14 eggs she has. Of course, I will be checking on her constantly today. Here's hoping she is a better momma than the last one, and she doesn't reject any.

And an update on my other November family: momma is taking good care of the 6 she still has, and I am taking good care of the 6 she rejected. All are doing great! I do still wish these 6 could be outside, instead of inside, but it is just way too cold. It will be a chore now to not only get them acclimated to the freezing temperatures outside, but also integrated into the flock. But they sure are cute!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

53 hrs after the 1st chick hatched, I decided to peek into the 2 unhatched - but still living eggs.

1. It had made a small pip which I slowly peeled away shell with foreceps.  I removed the top shell, moistened the membrane, wrapped in a wet paper towel (being careful to avoid the beak), & popped it back into the incubator.  About 30 min later, it wiggled out of the shell & is now walking around the incubator & looking fluffy.  I'll keep it in there until morning to make sure it can run & keep up with the older chicks already in the brooder.

2. This egg had no pip, so I waited until this evening.  (I began to worry that I might wait too long & miss the window for help.) I then candled & used a tiny nail to carefully make an air hole.  Next I used the forceps to peel away the shell until I reached the area near the beak. I thought I saw some blood vessels in the inner membrane, so I wrapped it in wet paper towel & put back into incubator.  I checked after 30 min, but I want to avoid a nicked blood vessel &/or herniated navel, so best to take it slow.  I'll keep checking every 30 min.  I can't figure out why this particular egg/chick is so far behind the others. (Now about 56 hrs behind the 1st.) It's a lav orp.  I hope he'she makes it!

It could be that your incubator has some hot/cold spots causing your babies to hatch at different rates. Hope that last one hatches for you!

 

[Faraday40]

53 hrs after the 1st chick hatched, I decided to peek into the 2 unhatched - but still living eggs.

1. It had made a small pip which I slowly peeled away shell with foreceps. I removed the top shell, moistened the membrane, wrapped in a wet paper towel (being careful to avoid the beak), & popped it back into the incubator. About 30 min later, it wiggled out of the shell & is now walking around the incubator & looking fluffy. I'll keep it in there until morning to make sure it can run & keep up with the older chicks already in the brooder.

2. This egg had no pip, so I waited until this evening. (I began to worry that I might wait too long & miss the window for help.) I then candled & used a tiny nail to carefully make an air hole. Next I used the forceps to peel away the shell until I reached the area near the beak. I thought I saw some blood vessels in the inner membrane, so I wrapped it in wet paper towel & put back into incubator. I checked after 30 min, but I want to avoid a nicked blood vessel &/or herniated navel, so best to take it slow. I'll keep checking every 30 min. I can't figure out why this particular egg/chick is so far behind the others. (Now about 56 hrs behind the 1st.) It's a lav orp. I hope he'she makes it!

Great news: Out of the 12 eggs, I got 11 chicks. (One egg developed a blood ring in the 1st few days of incubation.)

That means that all 11 eggs that went into lockdown, hatched!
I was very worried about the last 2 (above)

1. I assisted, it hatched the rest of the way, & is running around like a normal chick.

2. I kept checking on the chick/egg. Just after writing the message above, I went to check on it & had a cute, wet, lav orp crawling inside the incubator. It too is running around this morning.

From what I can tell, these eggs were normal, just delayed. Perhaps they were in a cooler spot.
Still, I'm a very happy chick mama!

 

[FridayYet]

Congratulations!

 

[dcba flock]

That is strange... Congrats!!! Glad they are all out and about!!!