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

[Chickenluver106]

Here's how my homemade collar works (took 4 days before I caught him in the act; camera shy)

How did you make it?

 

[Chickenluver106]

Because I need something to convince my parents to let me get a rooster

 

[chickendreams24]

Sorry I've been AWOL these past few days. My dads doing worse. More damage from the strokes than thought. I'm so tired.

Hey TJordan I'm sorry to hear that please keep us up to date. Still praying for him.

what breeds were they Allisa? Sounds like humidity was too high or you tried to loose weight at the end? I have noticed if you try to loose too much weight at the end it can turn albumen as well as not enough weight loss. Remember I run at a calibrated 100.5-100.8 temp in the bator, I start with 30-35% humidity and adjust as needed AFTER day 7 and...... You know you can think out of the box, Keep an eye on the air cells more than just day 7 14 try checking every two days AFTER day 7, keep a closer eye on them if you need to. As far as malpositions they were shipped and air cells can get screwy and not allow them to turn. also narrow eggs or pullet bullets dont allow them enough room to turn and pip. see if this helps you [COLOR=000000]CHICKS Wet? Sticky? Stuck? Yellow Gel? What did I do Wrong?[/COLOR] post #25379 CHICKS Wet? Sticky? Stuck? I wrote this when discussing some things about call ducks this mornin... sharing here. There are two types of sticky chicks Sticky embryos, BIG Wet, or Mushy Chicks (embryos may be smeared with egg contents / yolk residual present) (yellow jelly/jello or other fluids) HOWEVER, a green and gray tinted fluid can be caused from osteomylitis or meconium) causes: any/all combination of the following: high average incubation humidity low incubation temperature lack of sufficient ventilation too many drafts of outside air in the hatcher BREED ISSUES: Always avoid cross breeding in breeds that carry lethal genes. are we aware of Lethal genes for this breed of duck Rav?

Embryos sticking or adhering to shell causes: in any/all combination of the following: Low incubation humidity (especially during hatching) Excessive ventilation~ reduce rate but maintain minimum air exchange to prevent suffocation of embryos. To confuse you a bit more, the amount of water that a chick has in its own tissues (not the albumen) has been shown to increase during incubation under perfect conditions; however, rate of egg water loss is found to have no effect on embryonic water, how could this be if we get big wet chicks from high humidity? Makes you think outside the box, perhaps it is in fact LOW TEMPS not the hearsay on humidity? Although AGAIN combination is usually the factor. TEMPERATURE: Incubation temperature is one the most critical factors during embryo development, AGAIN studies have shown the optimum temperature is more 99.9. NOT FORGETTING that also its optimal to drop in temps during hatch, as I suggest in my article Hatching Eggs 101 in the lower day 18 section. So it may be worth a shot for you, and I am not clear on your temps or calibration, Hammond found that a bit higher incubation temps increase chick initial body weight believe it or not, at the higher temp 99.9 the higher the rate of egg water loss in the first 16 days of incubation. What I have found is when I incubate at a slightly elevated temp 100.5 calibrated I have much cleaner hatches. They found that its the opposite with low temps, body weight of chicks were less. Then you get into the additional factors of adding low high temps with humidity and ventilation.... Best we can do is work these areas to achieve absolute and relative weights. IN KNOWING THAT and then factor in that EACH EGG & breeds are different in age, air cell size, genetics etc. I run at 100.5 calibrated spot on temps, rotating eggs n the bator often.

Researchers have found that lowering temperatures will prolong incubation,​

HOWEVER it is favorable to do so at the end of incubation. ​

[COLOR=FF0000]Day 19 & 20 Temp Min 98.0 Max 98.5[/COLOR]​

[COLOR=FF0000]Day 21 Temp Min 97 Max 98.0[/COLOR]​

for more information please refer here: PAGE 42​

[COLOR=333333]http://www.hubbardbreeders.com/media/incubation_guide_english__030374800_0945_07012015.pdf[/COLOR]​

This is what am EGG from a good chick hatch looks like! your goal post #14673 [COLOR=008080]Empty shells -[/COLOR] [COLOR=008080]a valuable source of information[/COLOR] click HERE The Cuticle removal in hatching eggs as a means to reduce weight loss: Has actually been found to increase embryo weight during incubation and has direct relationship between rate of egg water loss, embryonic metabolism, and growth during incubation. But that warning of contamination is there if you dont follow cleaning procedures correctly. Chlorine treated eggs were not altered either. So with all that it is found that cuticle removal can be an effective method for increasing growth and egg weight loss.

Thank you Sally I read that before when you posted. I'm still not 100% sure what happened incubation humidity was almost always in the 20s-30s but we did have two days of rain where it got to the 60s I added a cup of rice and brought it down to a calibrated 45%. I believe I may have a cool spot in one corner of the bator. The only other thing is that I forgot to move eggs around during incubation. Could that be what caused the problems? Also the malposotioned chicks that pipped were not shipped eggs but our eggs. They did not look pullet pulletish to me. We picked the roundest ones. However the ladies are only 10-11 months old, do you think this was a factor?

From what you are describing, the temps were too low in the incubator. Late and wet chicky chicks are almost always from that. Get a brinsea spot check and adjust the temperature on the incubator. The accurite from Walmart are not reliable enough to use for incubation.

From what you say I wonder if where those eggs were I have a cool spot, it was usually 98 when I measured there? I did not turn up the temps in the bator BC on the other side I had a hot spot where for short periods the temp would jump to 102 and once to 104 but I caught it and opened it up. Could it also have been BC I didn't move the eggs around in the bator during incubation? We've been so busy that I totally forgot. During incubation my humidity spiked for two days into the 59s due to two days of rain, but other than that it ran at 20s and 30s average about 32% at lockdown I bumped it up to about 54% and it did go higher after chicks hatched despite pulling the wet paper towels out as needed. I decided not to use water in the wells this time around BC I couldn't remove it if needed so I added a tablespoon at lockdown and that was it. If you have any further ideas or advice that would be most appreciated. Thank you all.

 

[Gone-Quackers]

I had an issue with bacteria and temps were about 1 F to low. In order to join in the Easter hatch-a-long I did a staggered hatch which was a disaster. The 1st set of hatchlings introduced lots of bacteria and eventually killed the other fetuses. Only 5 ducklings survived hatch. 2 died while unzipping. One of the survivors is rather weak and was given some sugar water this morning. I don't expect that one to survive.

The 4 well-doer's are so incredibly fluffy and zoom all over. Two of them are being picked up by their new owner today. The rest will leave in a couple drays when their owner can come for them.

I am prepping for my 3rd (and final this year) hatch. The styrofoam hovabator was washed with hot water and dawn antibacterial soap. It will sit out dry for a couple days. The eggs that are going into the bator are now being cleaned followng Storey's duck guide recommendations. I am using 1 tsp of bleach to 1 gal. of HOT water, let eggs sit in solution for 1 minute, rinse and let air dry. Hopefully this doesn't come back to bite me in the butt. I've always just rinsed the dirtier eggs in hot water and put all in the bator. This bleaching removes some of the bloom however it will supposedly prevent another bacteria-party in the bator.

What do you think? Any advice??

 

[generaldsherman]

How did you make it?

Go to Walmart and buy a package of 2"x4" velcro. Check the size of one piece around your rooster's neck. If you need more than 4" to go around, sew 2 soft pieces together.

I bought the industrial strength velcro which has glue on one side, so I cut some fabric and glued it on there, use piece of the hook side of the velcro, stick it to the soft side with a small overlap. and sew it to the soft side. You'll need to sew it so that the hook side is facing outwards and the soft side is down. All you have to do after that is put it on the rooster. I ended up having to cut an arch in the velcro along the bottom. It won't sit low enough on the neck otherwise. (The nice part about the fabric is that the side facing Mr. Roo is always comfy!)

 

[ronott1]

From what you say I wonder if where those eggs were I have a cool spot, it was usually 98 when I measured there? I did not turn up the temps in the bator BC on the other side I had a hot spot where for short periods the temp would jump to 102 and once to 104 but I caught it and opened it up. Could it also have been BC I didn't move the eggs around in the bator during incubation? We've been so busy that I totally forgot. During incubation my humidity spiked for two days into the 59s due to two days of rain, but other than that it ran at 20s and 30s average about 32% at lockdown I bumped it up to about 54% and it did go higher after chicks hatched despite pulling the wet paper towels out as needed. I decided not to use water in the wells this time around BC I couldn't remove it if needed so I added a tablespoon at lockdown and that was it.

Being 1.5 degrees too low will definitely cause the problems you see. There should not be cold spots that are that far off in the incubator. Check on air flow.

Yes, move the eggs around every day or so to even out the problems caused by cold spots.

 

[ShrekDawg]

This hatch has been hard. Not sure what happened but the chicks were mostly late and some still aren't done. We have 5 eggs left in the bator now two haven't pipped. I hope they make it but I suspect one is dead already. I have three assisted chicks in the bator right now including one that I believe had fluid in his lungs based on his gasping for breath. Out if 36 eggs that went into lockdown one slw/buff orp mix died while zipping, we lost 4/5 of the my pet chicken eggs that went into lockdown a couple may have been around day 18 So far we have 16 healthy chicks in the brooder with two healthy assists in the bator and the one little gasping chick, a SLW, it doesn't seem to be working as hard to breathe I hope that's a good sign but I wont be surprised if it passes away. I have been up all night so far waiting for the little ones to be ready to be assisted. Idk what's going one with this hatch @Sally Sunshine if you could help me figure out what happened I would love the help. Idk how to describe it. It's like sticky chick but worse even our own eggs were pipping in the wrong spots completely backwards. The eggs were water logged but it was more the consistency of slightly soft jello or jam. I have not encountered this before. Ugh please any ideas I don't want another hatch to go this way again. The egg even holds its shape when the membrane is removed. Any advice on the hatch or the little gasping chick would be greatly appreciated. Thank you guys. Strangely my 1st broody due yesterday/today is also late and has no peeling or anything at this time. Although in an oops we did discover that one of her eggs is pipped but at the wrong end too. Have another broody due tomorrow for the hatch-a-long and then the first one and the last of the chicks. Will then give my final number.

Oh I also forgot to mention that when little gasping chickie finally got out of his/her egg I noticed that it had a lump above its right shoulder by its neck. I now realize it's probably the crop. However it was quite large and its obvious to me that the chick was swallowing the icky goo. What made it more odd was that the bulge had clear air bubbles in it visible through the skin. I've never seen anything like it. I should have gotten pictures but I was just trying to keep the little thing alive. Using paper towel I wiped it's mouth every time it seemed full of fluid I also wiped it's nares repeatedly. I found that when I pushed on the bulge/bubbles(then not realizing it was the crop) I could hear the bubbles come out. While the chick held pieces of paper towel in its mouth I vommited the chick and tipped it down for a couple of seconds at a time, changing the paper towel piece as needed. I also managed to get some electrolytes in it. Via a few very small bits of water I used my finger nail to give it. The chick has barely opened its eyes except a few times and has been mostly unresponsive until the last time I wiped it's flare I got a small feeble cheep and it was the most beautiful sound. It is currently laying in a basket in the incubator on its side with a piece of paper towel under its beak and nare to collect any fluid the chick has come up. I have changed this paper towel once since coming up with it. I got the chick out at 2-2:30 am and it is now 5:30 am and it's still alive. I must go to sleep although a part of me feels guilty for doing so. Will post more tomorrow if I forgot anything and will give an update on gasping chickie and the rest of the hatch. Please keep them in you thoughts and prayers as this is a new experience for me and with gasping chickie especially I'm just going on instinct. Goodnight all Happy Easter

what breeds were they Allisa? Sounds like humidity was too high or you tried to loose weight at the end? I have noticed if you try to loose too much weight at the end it can turn albumen as well as not enough weight loss. Remember I run at a calibrated 100.5-100.8 temp in the bator, I start with 30-35% humidity and adjust as needed AFTER day 7 and...... You know you can think out of the box, Keep an eye on the air cells more than just day 7 14 try checking every two days AFTER day 7, keep a closer eye on them if you need to. As far as malpositions they were shipped and air cells can get screwy and not allow them to turn. also narrow eggs or pullet bullets dont allow them enough room to turn and pip. see if this helps you [COLOR=000000]CHICKS Wet? Sticky? Stuck? Yellow Gel? What did I do Wrong?[/COLOR] post #25379 CHICKS Wet? Sticky? Stuck? I wrote this when discussing some things about call ducks this mornin... sharing here. There are two types of sticky chicks Sticky embryos, BIG Wet, or Mushy Chicks (embryos may be smeared with egg contents / yolk residual present) (yellow jelly/jello or other fluids) HOWEVER, a green and gray tinted fluid can be caused from osteomylitis or meconium) causes: any/all combination of the following: high average incubation humidity low incubation temperature lack of sufficient ventilation too many drafts of outside air in the hatcher BREED ISSUES: Always avoid cross breeding in breeds that carry lethal genes. are we aware of Lethal genes for this breed of duck Rav?

Embryos sticking or adhering to shell causes: in any/all combination of the following: Low incubation humidity (especially during hatching) Excessive ventilation~ reduce rate but maintain minimum air exchange to prevent suffocation of embryos. To confuse you a bit more, the amount of water that a chick has in its own tissues (not the albumen) has been shown to increase during incubation under perfect conditions; however, rate of egg water loss is found to have no effect on embryonic water, how could this be if we get big wet chicks from high humidity? Makes you think outside the box, perhaps it is in fact LOW TEMPS not the hearsay on humidity? Although AGAIN combination is usually the factor. TEMPERATURE: Incubation temperature is one the most critical factors during embryo development, AGAIN studies have shown the optimum temperature is more 99.9. NOT FORGETTING that also its optimal to drop in temps during hatch, as I suggest in my article Hatching Eggs 101 in the lower day 18 section. So it may be worth a shot for you, and I am not clear on your temps or calibration, Hammond found that a bit higher incubation temps increase chick initial body weight believe it or not, at the higher temp 99.9 the higher the rate of egg water loss in the first 16 days of incubation. What I have found is when I incubate at a slightly elevated temp 100.5 calibrated I have much cleaner hatches. They found that its the opposite with low temps, body weight of chicks were less. Then you get into the additional factors of adding low high temps with humidity and ventilation.... Best we can do is work these areas to achieve absolute and relative weights. IN KNOWING THAT and then factor in that EACH EGG & breeds are different in age, air cell size, genetics etc. I run at 100.5 calibrated spot on temps, rotating eggs n the bator often.

Researchers have found that lowering temperatures will prolong incubation,​

HOWEVER it is favorable to do so at the end of incubation. ​

[COLOR=FF0000]Day 19 & 20 Temp Min 98.0 Max 98.5[/COLOR]​

[COLOR=FF0000]Day 21 Temp Min 97 Max 98.0[/COLOR]​

for more information please refer here: PAGE 42​

[COLOR=333333]http://www.hubbardbreeders.com/media/incubation_guide_english__030374800_0945_07012015.pdf[/COLOR]​

This is what am EGG from a good chick hatch looks like! your goal post #14673 [COLOR=008080]Empty shells -[/COLOR] [COLOR=008080]a valuable source of information[/COLOR] click HERE The Cuticle removal in hatching eggs as a means to reduce weight loss: Has actually been found to increase embryo weight during incubation and has direct relationship between rate of egg water loss, embryonic metabolism, and growth during incubation. But that warning of contamination is there if you dont follow cleaning procedures correctly. Chlorine treated eggs were not altered either. So with all that it is found that cuticle removal can be an effective method for increasing growth and egg weight loss.

From what you are describing, the temps were too low in the incubator. Late and wet chicky chicks are almost always from that. Get a brinsea spot check and adjust the temperature on the incubator. The accurite from Walmart are not reliable enough to use for incubation.

 

[tiedyechick]

Set 42
Lockdown 36
Hatched 35

I'm impressed with my hatch rate especially with all my issues along the way.

 

[crawfordsgirls]

I put five in of my own and and all hatched. I have one drying in the baton but four in the

brooder. Yay I'm done and I got sweet babies now.so excited first time.

 

[BantyChooks]

  Congratulations! Thank You!

  Congrats. on the 7! Thank you!

           You should join us over on the April hatch a long: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...april-hatch-a-long-hosted-by-mike-sally/0_100

  Do it Banti! 

As soon as I get the bator cleaned out I'll be adding DUCKS.......................again

MUST RESIST.... A.... BIT.... LONGER ....... NOOOOOOOOOOO......

So cute!

THOSE ARE SO CUTE!!!! I luv little duckies

YES You MUST hatch them, they are just too cute to not hatch!

Duckies!!! e

I put five in of my own and and all hatched. I have one drying in the baton but four in the

brooder. Yay I'm done and I got sweet babies now.so excited first time.