4th Annual BYC NYD Hatch-a-long

[SilkieSensation]

NEVER hurts to remind me or share! I am always OPEN on this issue!!!

I swear we should never order less than TWO DOZEN eggs when shipped we may do pretty good then aint? LOL

I AM however treating these eggs different, since it was extremely warm for Jan here and the eggs were warm, I candled marked and put directly (air cell up of course) in a cut out carton and SET them. They will remain untouched for 48 hours and then I will candle where they sit, and if they still look wiggly giggly I will let them another 12 and re check and then 12 more and then after that do the egg tilt in the carton and hatch upright.... which brings me to something I ran into last night and will be researching more today.....

Below IS what I read over and over...... and what I put in the hatching 101 article.......

See how that air cell is beginning to dip more to one side? This is a natural occurrence to help aid in the hatching process. If you lay the egg down on a flat surface it will roll itself into the correct position for hatching with the greatest part of the air cell up. I now mark the upward side of the egg so I know how it should remain for hatching. This is the best position for hatching so that the chick is able to turn into hatching position. See images below….
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Now if you go here and scroll down to chart of malpositions!!

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/artic...-hatchery-practice-examining-the-hatch-debris

Malposition 4 – Beak away from air cell

The incidence of this position is five times greater in eggs incubated horizontally than large end up and is thought to be nearly always lethal. However, it is a difficult malposition to recognise.
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I will be searching more on this issue but would love input!
THOUGHTS..... I must have missed something here.... SOMEONE PLEASE tell me I am reading this article wrong.... but my gut tells me, "hey stupid, just because its natural doesnt mean its better! Hatcheries place large end up!" GULP

I had a bunch facing the wrong way in this last batch. I managed to save 2 with assisted hatch, the other 8 that didn't hatch were either facing the wrong way, quit right around lockdown or pipped internally & never made the external pip. Most were shipped eggs, but 5 were mine. Not sure WHAT was going on with this batch of babies. I saved 1 of mine that was backwards & 1 Serama from Gabby that was backwards. There were at least 3-4 more that were backwards & didn't make it.

 

[TMNfarm]

Prim and her chicks only ate a little of their wet feed. (I'm not calling it fermented just yet.... No smell, just mushy). Same with the layers... I did give dry feed in their regular feeders, though. It's too cold out right now for them not to have something I know they will eat. Both flocks seemed to eat less of their dry feed, so they must have gotten something from the wet. I added more wet (the other stuff froze) and sprinkled their cracked corn on top... Hopefully that will get them going!

I gave it to my NYD chicks for the first time this morning, and they seem to be eating it pretty well.... I took their dry feeder out. They are in the house, so,I'm not so worried... They are walking all over it, though. I can see it's going to be messy!

I'm still not down to liquid in the buckets, so ill keep feeding the mush until I hit water, then ill try to add a bit more ACV and some warm water and try again.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

My chickens are loving the FF but the chicks still prefer the dry? I think I will do the same a little added at a time

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: How had you incubated them? settle for ? no turn for ? or upright.... just trying to figure this out!!! uggg did u see that article and all the different malpositions? interesting.... I just want to be convinced lol but I think I may be setting upright from now on!

 

[SilkieSensation]

Prim and her chicks only ate a little of their wet feed. (I'm not calling it fermented just yet.... No smell, just mushy). Same with the layers... I did give dry feed in their regular feeders, though. It's too cold out right now for them not to have something I know they will eat. Both flocks seemed to eat less of their dry feed, so they must have gotten something from the wet. I added more wet (the other stuff froze) and sprinkled their cracked corn on top... Hopefully that will get them going!

I gave it to my NYD chicks for the first time this morning, and they seem to be eating it pretty well.... I took their dry feeder out. They are in the house, so,I'm not so worried... They are walking all over it, though. I can see it's going to be messy!

I'm still not down to liquid in the buckets, so ill keep feeding the mush until I hit water, then ill try to add a bit more ACV and some warm water and try again.

You won't find the water. The feed soaked it all up. You will need to add more water.

 

[SilkieSensation]

How had you incubated them? settle for ? no turn for ? or upright.... just trying to figure this out!!! uggg did u see that article and all the different malpositions? interesting.... I just want to be convinced lol but I think I may be setting upright from now on!

I had them all on their sides just as I always have but never had this many backwards at a time before. I occasionally get 1-2 from a full bator & most hatch on their own. This hatch was just plain screwy all around. I had to move my bator to my new house with most of the eggs already in for the last batch but all of these were set right after I moved the bator. I don't know if it was the cold in the house the 1st few days messing with bator temps, humidity too high/low (I dry hatch & don't even monitor humidity), or just screwy chicks this time. I have a batch running now set in cartons to see how they do. I'm also getting tired of turning 4 bators by hand so the cartons make it easier to just tip the whole bator side to side. We'll see how this batch does.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: I hear you on the turning, I purchased those plastic egg trays and will be cutting one down to fit in the coolerbator and when I turn I will just lift one end of the whole darn bator or if there is room at least do the same with tilting the tray. I dont want a homemade turner in it, because I like all that space! yea I know true addict.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I hear you on the turning, I purchased those plastic egg trays and will be cutting one down to fit in the coolerbator and when I turn I will just lift one end of the whole darn bator or if there is room at least do the same with tilting the tray. I dont want a homemade turner in it, because I like all that space! yea I know true addict.

That's why I started out hand turning

You can fit a lot more eggs in without a turner. Now I'm running short on time, so looking for shortcuts.

 

[cmfarm]

I guess ya'll missed my question before. Have they said how many eggs ended up hatching yet?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I guess ya'll missed my question before. Have they said how many eggs ended up hatching yet?

I am not sure, have you checked the contest thread??