1972 mile eggs Georgia to Mass **FINAL update**

[insiderart]

Quote:
Don't feel bad. Really it's like an art to know when to help. After you've incubated hundreds of eggs you kind of get a feel for it. Or at least that's my experience. My personal opinion is not to help non-shipped eggs as I don't want to propagate weak hatchers... But it's a different story on shipped eggs (I would not count your GA eggs as shipped).

 

[faerielady]

My first batch is just now in the bator (set on the 20th) so take my words with a grain of salt and being raised by a southern farm boy...

I'm not going to help any of the babies hatch. Not unless it's an outstanding circumstance, something went terribly wrong. Pipping then failing to make it out of the shell, for me, is a fact of life. I will be sad (because I know it WILL happen to me, simply a matter of time), but instead I'll say a small chant over that poor lost baby, and wish for life for the remaining chicks.

Maybe an unpopular opinion, but opinions are like smelly feet... everybody has feet and on occasion they just flat stink.

 

[speckledhen]

I think folks are less inclined to help when there are lots of eggs and they are garden variety breeds. When you have a lesser number of eggs that are very important, the tendency is to help the chick out. Neither is right or wrong, just a different philosophy. I tend to not want to help, but my DH just can't help himself and has to try.

 

[insiderart]

True Cyn raises a good point. When there are few eggs or valuable eggs you tend to want (ne: need) to help them. But again like I say, in my experience you really have to have a good feel for it from lots of hatching to know when to intervene. Don't beat yourself up about it, I killed tons of chicks before I figured it out. (Shipped eggs are no fun sometimes.)

You have some lovely chicks and more coming!

 

[jthayerkatz]

more sad news so we will get it out of the way first,
the premature PA Del seemed to be doing fine, it had absorbed about 80% of the sack that was protruding at hatch, and then it started to reverse itself. The sack became larger and larger and it started to leak yellow fluid. It appeared that intestines were coming out through the stomach opening. I decided that this chick would most likely not make it and did not want to contaminate the other 12 eggs with bacteria, so I dispached it humanely.

So on to the good news, we have 16 GA Dels in the brooder box all cute and perfect with one more on the way out of the egg as I type. two of the PA chicks are working there way out as well as a 3rd that has pipped leaving nine more PA Dels left to pip. there is only 1 GA egg that has not yet pipped.

Finally one of the Orp eggs has finally hatched and another one has pipped

to my untrained eye it first looked like a dark blue to me but as I am looking closer at it as it rests from the hard work it may be black, I will post pics as soon as it wakes up from it's nap.
HOORAY

 

[insiderart]

Go chickies!

 

[jthayerkatz]

one last update before I crash and my wife takes over..

the second Orp is hatching YIPEE

the first one is still sleeping ???

but is beginning to dry out and is absolutely gorgeous

it definately has some splash and another color ?? not sure the second one that is hatching now looks like it may be all splash

these were the 2 unkown eggs the two Smokey eggs still have not even pipped

might have to try Charlie Daniels next

There are now 18 perfect GA Del's in the brooder and 2 PA Dels that have hatched but are still in the bator. Will have pictures soon

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Thanks for keeping us up to date. Congrats on those hatched and hatching, so sorry for your loss. Come on babies.

 

[insiderart]

Wow! It's seriously chickville there. And what? You can stay up until 6am but you can't take pics??????

 

[speckledhen]

You have a brooder-full! Aweseome!
A splash chick will look silvery when it hatches and dry mostly cream colored with maybe some yellow tones. Blues will look blue, but can be almost black or almost splash. Had a bluish splash here last time--looked lavender toned.