The 7th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-A-Long!

[wicket 07]

TJordon I am near you

 

[wicket 07]

I'm in mobile Alabama. My husband is going to try to clean up this weekend (I'll believe it when I see it) and try to build a coop. Took 3 years to build this one. I'm just so tired this week. I know I'm under attack but despite how tired I am or may become I refuse to give up.

I am near you if you need anything let me know.

 

[mlm Mike]

I just realized I will have eggs hatching that day and I didn't even try it. I set 8 buckeye eggs.

Welcome!

@Sally Sunshine Hi Sally or Mike, just wanted to give you my EHAL day 14 update 15/17 eggs still going, lost one that ended up being a twin embryo around day 11 & one to a blood ring the last couple of days. Another one just doesn't look quite right but will leave in until day 18.

Great! Danke

Quote: Welcome back, good luck!

 

[GitaBooks]

I noticed I started having quite a few upside down in their shell also. I have an auto turner though. I read on here that someone else had the same issue and stopped turning eggs at day 14 because that's the day that the embryo starts positioning for hatching. I thought that sounded like somewhat sound advice, so I'm following suit (except I stop turning around day 15/16. I have 2 due on Thursday, then the HAL eggs due a week from Saturday. Just my thought, but maybe someone else has either tried this already or has some thoughts.
Good luck!

Thanks so much for the advice! Yeah, I'm thinking turning up until the last few days makes sense, because a broody hen will at least kick them around a little up until the last day or two. I want to give them time to position themselves but I also don't want anymore chicks dying in my hands.

I don't think the turning can be the issue, because when I have had broody hens I KNOW they do not stop turning the eggs during "lockdown"! And they usually have excellent hatches!

I was thinking it may be because I didn't turn it enough. Broody hens turn their eggs a lot, even up until the last couple of days, but I wasn't sure when these eggs were hatching so I had stopped turning them early. They also were pullet eggs, some of them, which could make a difference. As far as humidity and temperature, I really need to get a back up thermometer so I can keep a better watch on it because right now my incubator is at 102 F and they sometimes still feel too cool.

Are you counting your days right? Just a thought. Make sure you are not opening them until at least day 21. I'm sure you know how to start the count .. right? Don't start counting your eggs set until the day .. after .. you set them. Lock down on day 18. Leave them alone until day 21 or day 22. I hope you can figure this out. Bless your heart, you've had some hard times. Another thing. Make sure you don't put a baby that's been helped out to the mother hen until you see it up on it's feet. Make sure it is pretty strong. Good luck!

Thank you. You're always so helpful.

Counting the days was a little hard this time just because I wasn't sure when my broody hen started setting on them exactly and they were allowed to go cold a couple times which could affect when they hatch as well. I candled them and when I saw which ones had developed I put a small hole in the top just so I could see inside and see if they were breathing, I then tried to let them do their thing but when they showed no progress at all I started to get worried. One internally pipped but the others kept struggling. When I saw one was upside down I opened the hole wider on the others so I could feel for a beak beneath the membrane. When I found none I assisted that egg as well.

The little weak chick was put under its mother too early, but we brought it back inside when it got weak and held it until it could walk, keeping it warm and giving it some electrolytes. Little Jean is doing really well now and happily back with her mother and sibling.

I'll try to get some pictures of her soon, as she's a pretty silver color with black eye-liner. Looks like the daughter of a pharaoh or something.

MALPOSITIONS SOMETIMES PIP THROUGH below where the air cell can be reached!
see positions in the common malpositions images

THIS PIP IS BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL , both at the same time!
So dont step in too soon to assist!!! see this post post #51845



Malpositions





Step by Step Guide to ASSISTED Hatching - BackYard Chickens Community click HERE


Oh NO!​

It PIPPED the WRONG END!​

MALPOSITIONS
It is common to lose about 1-2% of the chicks due to deformities and malpositions. Deformities occur during embryo development, while malpositions occur the last week of incubation. Malpositioned embryos are unable to pip the eggshell and escape due to improper positioning within the egg. The chicks can have difficulty positioning for pipping, absorbing the yolk sac, or changing from embryo to chick breathing air. The majority of malpositioned embryos that have died in the shell probably resulted from exhaustion and/or lack of oxygen. One GOOD thing to remember is that SOME malpositions are Lethal and some are not! Occasionally, malpositioned chicks will hatch unassisted but the hatch does need to be monitored closely to ensure that the chick is not becoming stressed, or stuck. Often as a result of the position in the shell they have been unable to absorb all of the yolk. Please refer to Navel SECTION BELOW.

Common reasons of Malpositions are:
Eggs are set with small end up.
Advancing breeder hen age and shell quality problems.
Egg turning frequency and angle are not adequate.
Inadequate % humidity loss of eggs in the setter.
Inadequate air cell development, improper temperature and humidity regulation, and insufficient ventilation in the incubator or hatcher.
Imbalanced feeds, elevated levels of mycotoxins, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Lower than recommended temperatures in the last stage of incubation.

Normal hatching position and the six recognised malpositions Images:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1608/investigating-hatchery-practice-examining-the-hatch-debris


ASSISTING MALPOSITIONED CHICKS
The external pip of a malpositioned chick is actually both an internal and external pip, these are also the hardest to deal with because they are made directly into a fully active membrane and not into the safety of the air cell. Be extremely careful not to puncture the membranes directly under the shell as this is likely to cause a bleed.
PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY
BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT THIS ASSIST!

The decision to intervene and how fast to progress with assistance is not simple and there are NO RULES except… SLOW SLOW SLOW HOURS HOURS HOURS and MORE HOURS!
A chicks chances are slim with these kinds of malpositions so recognize that your trying to give it a chance to live! I have lost a few malpositions and saved a few! EXPERIENCE WITH ASSISTING is VERY HELPFUL! Assistance should take place in stages. Stopping after each stage of assistance gives the chick a chance to complete the hatching by itself.


Assisting Chicks that have ALREADY pipped the wrong end
or have pipped in an air pocket within the egg (seen while candling, or hearing their chirps). If the chick has made a successful external pip at the wrong end or somewhere in between, you can monitor them and see if they can hatch out themselves, if no progress in say 10-12 hrs begin a slow assist, keep reading. If the pip is not successful you will need to create one, chip a tiny bit of shell away from the center of the crack. Make sure there is a slice through the outer membrane so air can get in. TINY means less than 1/4”. If the pip has fluid running out of it create a viewing hole to check if its still viable.

ASSISTING~ If the chick does not progress, membrane looks brown or seems exhausted after (give or take 8 hrs), begin assist by slowly chipping outer shell as to create a viewing hole to see whats going on in there. CAUTION ~ SLOW as the view hole in the case of a malpositioned chick is actually the external and internal pip in ALL cases. They are difficult! More so than the standard view hole, as they are made into a fully active membrane area and NOT into the safety of the air cell. The membranes directly under the shell should not be punctured accidentally as this is likely to cause a major bleed.


Assisting CHICkS that you SUSPECT Malposition w/o pips
THIS is by FAR THE WORST SENARIO and SO HARD to Distinguish between Not ready to hatch and malpositioned! If you suspect you have a malpositioned chick (the egg is overdue for hatching) and HAS GONE PAST day 21 and the hatch of everyone else…. you can open air sac, (DO NOT OPEN BELOW AIR CELL LINE!) follow the instructions above on opening the air cell CREATING an EXTERNAL PIP. BUT FIRST Study the common malpositions as pictured in this article so you are familiar with its anatomy!….
Normal hatching position and the six recognised malpositions:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1608/investigating-hatchery-practice-examining-the-hatch-debris

After carefully removing air cell end, wet a finger and feel and look for the beak through the membrane. IF there is A LOT of fluid under the membrane you may have a wet/mushy chick or one that simply isn’t ready yet, place them back in the incubator and wait! DO NOT OPEN THE INNER MEMBRANE! If a lot of fluid is NOT present, look for its big round eye, or beak, or even wing to help you find its head. JUST LOOK AND FEEL THROUGH THE MEMBRANE AT THIS POINT DO NOT OPEN IT!

If you find its beak/eye/wing take your tweezers and create a small hole in the inner membrane AVOIDING ANY BLOOD VESSELS! Depending on position you may need a larger hole, just AVOID vessels as much as possible. You may need to gently lift/pull the head from under the wing and by gently extending it may be sufficient to allow the chick to complete hatching. (If you do hit a vessel quickly using a dry clean paper towel or gauze hold for a few seconds and bleeding will stop.) After this stage the chick will look as though he is gasping, place in incubator & let it rest at this point. Let the chick rest until the blood vessels recede, follow instructions for assisted hatch above from this point on. WAIT WAIT WAIT! Oh and WAIT SOME MORE! AGAIN. this is the HARDEST position to get a chick to live, but at least your giving it a chance at life!

IF YOU DON’T FIND its beak/eye/wing from the air cell end or see a yellow/orange sack DO NOT break the membrane! I HATE HAVING TO DO THIS STEP AND depending on egg cost I WONT EVEN TRY AN ASSIST! It is Hard understand and find how a chick is positioned! IF YOU CANT FIND ITS BEAK, you can make a guess as to where you think it is after refering to that link and its pictures on malpositions, and carefully chip ONLY OUTER EGG Shell away at the guess area. (Example: If you see the butt or yolk sack when you took the air cell end off, you have the bottom of the chick, you will refer to the link with malposition pictures and take a guess at how the chick is situated at the other end or SIDE of the egg) The membrane will often be brown where the beak is trying to break through. If your lucky and find its beak, create an air hole there so the chick can breathe and if you didn’t find it DO NOT open the membrane, refer back to the position ANATOMY pics and try another spot and keep trying! As LONG as your only taking the Shell off and not causing blood loss and NOT disrupting and inner membrane your ok! ITS HARD to figure out a position and I am finding alot of times their head is tucked in the middle of the egg between butt and feet! After you found its beak establish clear beak for breathing, let the chick rest until the blood vessels recede, follow instructions for assisted hatch above from this point on. WAIT WAIT WAIT! Oh and WAIT SOME MORE!




SHIPPED EGGS & Malpositions!​

SADDLE SHAPED AIR CELLS are very COMMON with shipped eggs!​

​

Saddle shaped is when one or both sides have a large "dip" in the air cell. For the best way to incubate shipped eggs please refer to the Shipped Egg Section in… https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/incubating-w-friends-helpful-notes-links-informational-post-links​

A lot of times with saddle shaped cells the chick doesn’t position correct for hatching and their feet can easily get stuck behind their head and “smoosh” the chick so they can’t move, it can also force the yolk sack and everything more north in the shell.... First lets Look at this position.....

​

Common reasons of Malpositions are:
Eggs are set with small end up.
Advancing breeder hen age and shell quality problems.
Egg turning frequency and angle are not adequate.
Inadequate % humidity loss of eggs in the setter.
Inadequate air cell development, improper temperature and humidity regulation, and insufficient ventilation in the incubator or hatcher.
Imbalanced feeds, elevated levels of mycotoxins, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Lower than recommended temperatures in the last stage of incubation.​

I had a question by the way. When does a chick get fully into position for the hatch? If they are upside down, does that mean they were that way all through development? I'm just wondering because it seems hard for a chick to position its self correctly after they reach a certain size. When those chicks break out I can't believe they even fit inside of those eggs sometimes!

I am incredibly angry right now.

I almost killed Saint a bit ago and I'm honestly still thinking about it. I went to feed the chickens and I always start with Saint's pen. I stepped over Henpool to get in and right in front of Saint and he attacked my left leg! I would have been fine, but I just cut a pair of pants to make shorts. He got me 3 times and those suckers are deep. Thankfully not as deep as they would have been if Blizzard would have attacked me. I can not even express on this site just how mad I am.

Oh yeah, angry roosters are dangerous. I've never been cut by spurs because all my aggressive roosters started attacking when their spurs were blunt. The spring breeding season might be getting to Saint's head right now. Some roosters reform, but if you have to worry about blood being drawn, it may be best to get rid of him.

By the way, who is Henpool? I like the name. Makes me think of Headpool from the comics. LOL.

Well I'm smallest bantam died.

worst part is I don't know if it was yesterday afternoon or this morning. I spen from 2:30-after midnight at the ER with my dad. Just for them to tell us my dad , who can't even stand up and is showing clear signs of a stroke, was fine. Go home. We had to lift him into my can and carry him back into his little motor home well into the night. I got home at about 1:30 am and passed out!!! I found her this morning.

I'm so sorry about your bantam and about your Father. As everyone else has been saying, go to another doctor!!! We have a hospital in town that is so bad it actually killed a friend of ours by cutting her and causing her to bleed slowly to death. They also sent my mother home whens he had a cracked vertebrae, causing it to break later, and I've heard plenty of other stories. Some hospitals just aren't good. Go to an expert people trust and get the proper care your family deserves.

We're praying for you!

Sorry for the radio silence everybody! I've been reading every post, but haven't had a chance to reply. I agree, there is so much depressing news in this thread right now. I'm so sorry to everyone losing their eggs and birds

As for my own eggs, I got to do a Day 14 candle on my pre-HAL eggs with the cruddy air cells. Of the 11 I had remaining after the Day 7 candling, I believe I'm down to 8. Those eight look good and they all have confirmed movement. Another egg was cloudy inside with no movement but still had veins. The other two were very cloudy and had no trace of their veins remaining, so I'm guessing they're quitters. I still left all of the eggs in the incubator as a just in case, I'll just pull all the bad ones when they go into lockdown this weekend. I suppose 8/24 isn't terrible given the shape they arrived in, but I was still hoping for a few more. Oh well, I guess I still have my 33 HAL eggs to look forward to! Not allowed to candle them until Friday.... but I may have peeked at one just now. Just one. I swear. It was a good one

I certainly hope they all hatch well for you!

Things are looking up here finally. We did loose some chicks, but the rest are strong and healthy and enjoying the spring weather. It rained so much here that the grass has all turned green and the chickens are loving it.

All my 31 eggs from a local farmer are not fertile

they are clear but will give them a few more days before tossing she had told me she wasn't sure if they were fertile this time (I got eggs from her last year). out of my 9 only 1 is clear so if all goes well I can lock down 8 later on.

Sorry to hear that. Its better to have some eggs then none at all though.

Hey there.

Hatched out 30 chicks this weekend. Set another 50 eggs on saturday. An elderly neighbor asked me to take some of his hens to relieve himself a bit. So I built a new tractor pen to set them up in isolation. On the far side of my property. He gave me two barred rocks and two white leghorns, layers. Two breeds I have never had laying. Actually, this is the first official white egg layers I have haf, which got me excited.
So I made a couple pysanky eggs today

Tomorrow I transplant some tomato plants, strawberries, and a couple of other veggies in my garden. It was in the 80s here today. Summer is pretty well official here in Florida

80s!!! So jealous!

Its kind of cold here, we actually started a fire in the fire place to keep warm.

Well, my dozen white eggs stopped developing. I'm leaving them alone now except for turning them, since I don't want to throw out an egg that might be viable.

I walked over the hill to Andy's market on Highway 116 in Sebastopol, and bought a carton of Rock Island fertile brown eggs to replace the ones that got baked, and a pink carton of multicolor eggs from the Chicken Girls farm in Forestville. There's a pale green egg (CCL?), a white one, a beige one and brown ones, some with speckles (Welsummers?). They're a week old.

They won't hatch in time for Easter, but at least I should get some little chickens this way.

My count is thus 36 now, but I'll cull at some point.

Sounds like some cool eggs you got. Waiting to see what hatches out of them is the hardest part.

Sooooo my younger sister looked after my eggs for 2 days while my mom and I were on vacation. I came home and the ten that were in my old faithful homemade incubator were at 119 degrees. They were dead, dead, dead. I candled my 30 in my Brinsea Eco today and 20 are definitely developing and 1 im not so sure about. 20 out of 40 originally set are still kicking haha

I'm sorry to hear that. It can be hard. I was sick this weak and so for a couple days I couldn't go out and do the chickens. I was constantly worried something would be over-looked. I know all the little details and things to worry about, so even though my family does their best they sometimes miss something. Thankfully, it all worked out in the end. One of my chicks almost died, but Mom was awesome enough to sit and hold it for a few hours until it was strong enough to walk and go back out with its mother. Mom's so awesome.

Hey all! Finally home, all kids in bed and sat down for a minute!! Long day - haven't caught up on posts but wanted to update on my daughter. So I feel like we got decent news but still aren't out of the woods just yet. (Which is making me a nervous wreck!!) The enlarged node hasn't grown anymore according to the doctor BUT it hasn't gotten any smaller either. And she has some other odd symptoms that have been ongoing throughout this.
The oncologist wants to see her again in 2 months to see if the node is still this swollen or if it's gotten larger - if either are the case, then she'll have to have an excisional biopsy of the entire node. We're hoping it shrinks back down before her May appt. He also told me if her symptoms worsen or it grows noticeably larger BEFORE May, then we need to come in sooner.

So...kind of left not feeling super great because it's so open ended still but we're optimistic!
Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers...her oncologist is 2 hours away so we had a long day.
Time to play catch up, read some posts and candle my day 10 air cells!!!

I'm glad things were okay, even if you didn't get answers yet.

We'll keep praying!

Is it too late to join this HAL?

I set 24 eggs on the 4th, that should be hatching on Friday March 25th. Didn't realize when Easter was this year!
I pulled 4 infertile eggs last Friday and have a few more that questionable fertility. Marans!

Welcome to the HAL! So glad you could join!

Sorry the house is flooding . I did set 64. We will see what happens

The spring rains hit us also. I think this is the first time our dock (in our pond) almost got completely covered.

I hope your house doesn't get badly damaged.

 

[Chickenluver106]

I have 14 eggs under a broody Cochin when they hatch how long should I wait to let them and mama outside

 

[chickadeeNSC]

100 % hatch on my backyard easter eggers

. I've been busy, but I finally caught up! Hope everyone is doing good! Here is a pic of newbies!

 

[junebuggena]

I have 14 eggs under a broody Cochin when they hatch how long should I wait to let them and mama outside

Let your broody hen decide that.

 

[butterfliesdoku]

I have 14 eggs under a broody Cochin when they hatch how long should I wait to let them and mama outside

When I had a broody I let momma alone outside supervised from day one for short periods to stretch and from day 3 and on I let her out with her chick (again supervised).

 

[ShrekDawg]

And you would have received a PM if we didn't have your numbers.

Nope, they have to hold it.  Usually we don't get that long of a rain storm while they are brooding up for spring.  Once it warms up and they start raising new bees, they are eating more than in the cold of winter.

Ahhh okay, that makes sense then. Well they seem happy to get outl ol

  Welcome! 

 Great! Danke

 Welcome back, good luck! 

 

[butterfliesdoku]

100 % hatch on my backyard easter eggers

. I've been busy, but I finally caught up! Hope everyone is doing good! Here is a pic of newbies!

That's great! Which breed(s) did the blue egg genes come from?