5th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2014 Hatch-A-Long

[rochelle1021]

Nothing happening still....looks like I will be in the running for worst hatch. I set 11. Put 3 in lockdown. Still no pips on those 3..... UGH

I think you and I tie.. set 21 .... 3 lockdown... and nada .... hmmm I've already thought if my next batch

 

[JLaw]

I'm not the only one in our house keeping watch on the incubator! We have 10 cats and none of them have ever did anything to harm a chick or chicken.

Body heat that's one way to keep an incubator warm. But i think cats steal the breath from kids sleeping and kill them so sure she's not trying that?

 

[Brookhavens]

Congrats on all your fluffy butts! What kind of Incubator is that?

I use a Sportsman to incubate my eggs from Days 1-17 and then for lockdown I move them to my homemade coolerbators. If you'd like to see the whole inside this is what they look like: Homemade coolerbators

 

[Wunjo]

an Urban Predator!

Make sure the cat does not block the air vents.

I need to hatch more of those!

I took him off after the picture.

Out of 31 in Lock Down
10 hatched
7 pips
I think I may have finally got me a black chick. Will have to wait until she/he dries. She also has a yellow belly and black feet. My EE has to be the daddy.

 

[Chrysolinsbirds]

Guess I'm a little late for this hatch, I only had four eggs to set, I put them on lockdown three days ago so they should of hatched by today =/ checked for pipping this morning and made the discovery that one of my kids played with the lever, so now they will need a cream day or so. On the bright side atleast the lever didn't get turned the other way.

 

[scotter]

Well I could tell something was wrong

I should have kept a closer eye on things. I noticed that my remaining eggs were not progressing and 6 hadn't pipped. I decided it was time to start candling, and sure enough 6 were dead. 4 of them had the same problem I had in my last hatch where they were mispositioned and overgrown for the egg and had no room to move, one of these 4 had it's head between it's feet down in the small end of the shell.

The other two I cant explain they were totally ready to go, no yolk sack left but neither pipped internally. I did have a huge humidity spike this afternoon and suspect it may have had a role in the deaths.

It's a bit of a bummer because there was movement in all of them earlier today.

The last six got some emergency assistance two are out and drying and there are 4 left to hatch. I'll be keeping a close eye on them to make sure they don't get shrink wrapped. The two that are out drying popped out right in my hands, they were pushing hard with their backs because that was all they could do.

 

[JLaw]

The other two I cant explain they were totally ready to go, no yolk sack left but neither pipped internally. I did have a huge humidity spike this afternoon and suspect it may have had a role in the deaths.

I don't think one spike will kill chicks. I mean I get some good 15% spikes when a lot hatch and no deaths cause of it.

 

[BoereMeisie]

Look at this little one's red head and white body. Soooo cute! Red Sex link hen crossed with a Silkie roo


Another RSL x Silkie:


Rhode Island Red (Possibly pure RIR... or maybe the Silkie got to this one's momma too, but she looks pure) (?)


The first 3 musketeers together:


Two more zipping in the incubator, and another two just being eggs in the incubator...

 

[CackleJoy]

I had no idea hatching eggs would be a source of so MUCH DRAMA!

First is the paranoia and the worry.
Then the estactic joy of that pip.
Then the horror.

Oh how horrible! One of the dried out ones attacked one as it was coming out of the shell! Then they all got in the game and were flinging this poor thing around until it got a bloody wing. After some debate we decided we had better remove the dried chicks to save those coming on. Afraid to open the bator - but it must be done. I wet a dishtowel with hot water and flopped it in the bator as it was opened and the four dried out chicks quickly removed to allow the next ones coming on a better chance. There were 4 pipped at that time and I knew it was dangerous. Temp and humidity barely fluctuated and due to the warm towel went back up and stabilized quickly.

Then one hatched with a little umbilicus issues. It had a small bloody protrusion. I thought to myself that it didn't look too bad and I hated to open the bator again. Went to town and came home to carnage. Blood all over the incubator and this chick is hopping around dragging its insides after itself.

Of course it had to be culled and quickly. The last chick also had a little bloody bum but I separated it by putting it in a bowl on newspaper shreds (still in the bator). What should I do for the last chick? I hate to cull it if a trick will fix it.

Are these bloody umbilicus issues from opening the bator?

Also, I have 6 unpipped eggs left. Set on the 12th at 12:08 a.m. I didn't candle before lock down. At what point do I candle these last eggs? The incubator has been opened 3 times today already. Kind of don't want to mess with it anymore.

 

[kara1015]

My final total is 4 chicks from 7 eggs set. 3 were infertile.