1st Silkie hatch!!

[cherieangelle]

I have 15 eggs in the incubator! My first one pipped last night between 11PM-4AM! Is it normal that non of the rest have pipped? They all were active when I put them in! Now she is hopping all over them & it’s stressing me out. Is it okay to take her out once she’s completely dry & move her to my brooder?
Also, what color does everyone suspect she will be?

 

[Debbie292d]

Congrats!

We hatch silkies weekly. I find the same thing happens almost every time as you. They take 19 days to hatch, but they should say 19 days to START hatching.

NO, do not remove the first ones out as you don't want to hurt the ones that have pipped that remain in there. It's called shrink wrapping when a pipped egg is exposed to a sudden humidity drop. They could die then. The hatch one(s) can survive in there for an entire day at least, without needing food/water because they are still absorbing their yolk and getting nutrients from that.

 

[Prince and Pavo]

Hello!

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FIRST CHICK! That’s so exciting!

I’m thinking she’ll be black… though I have one that hatched black and developed a bronze tinting on her neck and breast feathers… her mom is a buff silkie and her dad is a black one. What color are your chick’s parents (or did you get them from a hatchery/friend, etc.)?

I know that it’s so stressful when they roll and tip and fall all over the other eggs… I get that feeling for every hatch too! The thing is that it’s probably best to leave the incubator closed. The rolling and chirping actually encourages the others to get ready to hatch. They’ll be okay. If you absolutely need to, you can open the lid to take the chick(s), but just make sure the humidity goes right back up as soon as you close it.

How many more do you expect to hatch? I think it’s fine that none of the others have pipped yet; it may simply mean that the first one developed faster and was stronger and more energetic. There may also be some other pips that you just can’t see… Do you hear any others chirping inside the eggs? I bet the others will start hatching very soon and it’s nothing to worry about. Keep us updated! I’d love to see how your hatch goes!

 

[cherieangelle]

I now have 4 more pips! One is pipped at the wrong end of the egg but it’s a big pip so fingers crossed it’s getting air!

 

[cherieangelle]

Hello!

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FIRST CHICK! That’s so exciting!

I’m thinking she’ll be black… though I have one that hatched black and developed a bronze tinting on her neck and breast feathers… her mom is a buff silkie and her dad is a black one. What color are your chick’s parents (or did you get them from a hatchery/friend, etc.)?

I know that it’s so stressful when they roll and tip and fall all over the other eggs… I get that feeling for every hatch too! The thing is that it’s probably best to leave the incubator closed. The rolling and chirping actually encourages the others to get ready to hatch. They’ll be okay. If you absolutely need to, you can open the lid to take the chick(s), but just make sure the humidity goes right back up as soon as you close it.

How many more do you expect to hatch? I think it’s fine that none of the others have pipped yet; it may simply mean that the first one developed faster and was stronger and more energetic. There may also be some other pips that you just can’t see… Do you hear any others chirping inside the eggs? I bet the others will start hatching very soon and it’s nothing to worry about. Keep us updated! I’d love to see how your hatch goes!

I got my eggs from a couple breeders! 5 from one & 10 from another! The 10 were shipped from up north to me in south Louisiana! They seem to be doing great 4/10 have pipped & actually the first one that hatched was from there! They’re black chocolate splits!

 

[Prince and Pavo]

Very cool! Let us know as the others hatch and keep us updated on how things are going!

 

[cherieangelle]

I am on chick number 3!!! So many others have pipped as well though!

 

[cherieangelle]

I’m hoping the 2nd or 3rd one is a chocolate!!!

 

[CluckyandPeepsFlock]

Congratulations!!

 

[Prince and Pavo]

Yay! That’s awesome! Fingers crossed that you get what you’re hoping for… What color do you think the silverish one in the pics will be?

I may like to buy another incubator soon and so far it seems like the one you’ve got gives you a pretty good hatch rate! I would like one with a grid floor like yours so that the chicks don’t slip and the eggs don’t roll around so much too. So I am curious, what kind of incubator do you use?