Set eggs February 12th! Hatch a long with me!

[Baggagolers]

I still have one trying to hatch. I also just discovered one seems to have it's eyes stuck shut. It can see because it moves to the light if I shine it in the incubator. I'm trying to wait until the last one hatches before I open it up. I'll try wiping the eyes with warm wet Q tip or something. Anybody have any ever had this happen?

 

[newduckie]

Learning experience. That's what I've enjoyed about this. I've had chickens now coming up on my 4th yr. Incubated eggs all along. I've learned alot. No one ever told me, or I never read WHY you need to increase the humidity the last 3 days; never heard of "Shrink Wrap" but understood as soon as I saw it. Explained a lot to me. I've learned alot by being in this thread discussion. Thanks to everyone.

I know what you mean. I decided to try hatching three years ago. Got the incubator and found this site and read and read and read. I ran into all sorts of weird terms that I had no idea what they could mean.. Shrink wrap was just one of them. I read and learned and tried it and my first hatch... NOTHING! Not one chick. I broke them open and was horrified to find them in various stages of development.. But shrink wrapping made sense then. Next hatch, I got one baby out of a dozen. Again.. I learned. Third hatch, most of them hatched and grew up to be real chickens. Since then I have hatched ducks, geese and swans. Still learning tho and still reading this site. The other night I couldn't sleep and read most of the night all about emu eggs and hatching.... Hmmmmm!!! I absolutely so appreciate all the time and effort people put in to help. Just can't help but think there are gentler ways to help than to tell someone who has messed up that they REALLY messed up. I know she was eyeing horrible enough. You could tell it in her posts that she was near panic. Hope she is ok.. Thanks to all who have made my sleepless nights more enriching.

 

[newduckie]

Day 21 and I have 10 out of 24 that have hatched so far with two more piping!

NYRIR--I don't think you were too hard. This has been a great learning experience, The advice on this forum is invaluable! One of the main things I've learned from being on a farm is you really do need to let nature take its course.

I agree that NYRIR was not to harsh... That was not my intent . She was helpful and kind. Sorry I brought this all up. Just felt so bad for Squackbox . I have read many of NYRIR's posts and never been anything but helpful a nd understanding..

 

[newduckie]

I was certainly not trying to be harsh with Squawkbox at all, just telling her that the situation made it super hard to tell her exactly how to procede. Seriously, what else could I tell her? There was no good course of action after opening up all those eggs two days early.

I want her to learn from this and change her course of action and think about how a broody hen allows the chicks to hatch in their own time. Nature needs no help from us and most of the time, when we think we know best, we muck it up. I couldn't tell her it was going to be okay when it probably wouldn't. It would not be honest, but I didn't see anyone being especially harsh with her, just being honest and firm. After all, the goal is a brooder full of healthy, strong chicks. Doing it that way is not going to accomplish the goal.

I have a couple or three late hatchers still not out of the eggs, however, my very well-used Hovabator failed me this time. In spite of air temps that were within perfect range all the way through at the point they were checked, most eggs on the outer edges of the turner quit something in the last five days or so, unfortunately.

I do put the blame squarely on the incubator this time and it will be stripped for parts and retired. My DH bought it for me back in 2006 and it's hatched many, many chicks, but time to go, dear old Hova. I have an older model, but rarely used, Hovabator, purchased at a yard sale (owner used it once) and it is coming up to temp right now for the next batch to try to add to the numbers I didn't get this time, though, sadly, I cannot replace any of my EE's eggs, which were fertile by my show quality BR rooster, who lives with my friend now. I do have one of her chicks in the brooder, though.

I lost the rest of hers, all four Delawares and about half of the D'Anvers, which were on the two outer edges of the turner. Because of the way they were double stacked at the beginning, I couldn't easily rotate their positions in the turner.

Ok.. I am so sorry if it looked like I was pointing fingers.. I was going on a LONG work week, little sleep and my emotions were out of whack last night. I took a Xanax and SLEPT like a log last night and woke up and saw that I was the one out of line.. So just let me say I am sorry again. Never make a post when you are having a bad day and you haven't slept worth a crap for awhile. Sorry."........

 

[speckledhen]

Much of chicken-keeping, not just hatching, is learning when to intervene and when to sit on your hands. Experience will teach you that and it helps to listen to the experience of folks who've been there hundreds of times, hard as it is.

newduckie, I wasn't saying anything about you. Just wanted to clarify that I really didn't want to come off as harsh, just frank. No one can learn if folks are not up front with them about the facts of life of hatching. It's natural to want to do something when a chick sounds distressed, but we are interpreting it from a human point of view and acting on our own feelings, which is not always in the best interest of the chick. It doesn't mean there is never a situation where a little assistance is okay, but only on the rarest of occasions and never when it's not time for the chick to be out of the egg in the first place.


Here are pics with some of the newcomers to the brooder for you to enjoy while we're all waiting. One little guy may have a hock issue. Will give him 24 hours to get to his feet after being crammed in that tiny egg, then decide the course of action (which will be to euthanize if the hock is permanently twisted). When all who are going to hatch are in the brooder and eating and drinking, will add shavings on top of the paper towels.

 

[newduckie]

Awwww. Speckled hen, they are so cute. I am going to set some today if my niece remembers to bring me the eggs.

 

[Baggagolers]

# 5 just hatched! 5 out of 5 in a 20+ year old still air mouse chewed Hova bator. I say I made out good and lucky.

BTW did anybody see my last post about the stuck shut eyes? Did it ever happen to any of you and what did you do?

 

[Ema]

Did you candle to see? What kind of rooster and how old? I know my boys can handle quite a few. I have 2 RIR (PR) roos and one EE roo and one Delaware roo...each roo has about 15 hens...my fertility is great...out of 24 eggs set, I had 2 infertiles.

The roo is from a hatchery, but by the looks of him he seems to be a cross between columbian and leghorn, lol...he is doing the best he can he was injured as a young chick by a turkey and practically came back from the dead, the fact he even survived is something else, he had 2 broken legs a messed up wing and had been pecked raw on both upper wings. He was so tiny I thought for the longest time he was a she, the only white one in the whole bunch. All the other roos I had were 2 or 3 times his size so I really thought it was a hen. now he has 18 girls to himself.

I do candle at day 7, and 14 to see the progress, sometimes the day before lock down so I can toss the infertile eggs. I wish there was a way to tell which eggs are fertile and which aren't ahead of time so I can get a better hatch rate.

anyhow, as far as these chicks go, one hatched last night, beautiful little blondie, and I woke up this morning to a gorgeous red...I can clearly see another moving about in the bator and chirping away, not sure about the other 3 haven't seen any movement or heard anything, only time will tell. the 2 that hatched were early birds, today as I mentioned prior is the actual hatch day. Wish me luck that the rest will hatch for me...

Ema

 

[Ema]

True, I hope she does come back and tell us as well. I don't think I was too hard on her?? I was trying to help! I think speckledhen was just being straightforward...she had been trying to help right along but sqwaukbox went against the advice if you read the thread...It is a learning lesson...hopefully she will not help so early again...

with my last hatch, which was actually my first I went against all the advice I had gotten, I think its the worry and we panic they won't make it out, so we don't give them the time they require to get out of the shell on their own, we worry they are having a hard time and then we go ahead and intervene when we shouldn't, open the bator at the worst time, and then do nothing else but worry we messed up, so we just make it worse on our selves, lol...

with this one I was and still able to wait it out and let them do their thing, it certainly is a learning curb. an something all new hatchers obviously need to learn on their own to know what it means.

I have been here long enough to know Speckledhen was just being straight forward, if you want real answers, she certainly will give them to you. I don't post often,mostly read, but if I want good advice on something I find her posts and posts of the older members on this forum that I respect!!

Ema

 

[B J Hopkins]

My little Silkie egg is beginning to Zip!!

Nothing that I can see from the other 10 yet