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

[abmaddox1981]

Okay so as it stands now I only have one egg left but I have 2 sitting in cups because they decided they wanted to put their feet through the top of the eggs. Hoping they make it. My last silkie pipped yesterday morning but still hasn't zipped. Just peeping and periodically making it's peep hole bigger. The 2 I assisted are periodically cheeping and chirping so I'm hoping they're going to be okay!

 

[MontanaDolphin]

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.

I wish I knew the answer, but I do not...hope someone more experienced tells you what you should do.

What about the cup method? I saw a couple of people who put their underdeveloped chicks in a cup...separated from the rest. Maybe you could try that and see if it fixes itself??? Can you post a picture of the problem?

 

[MontanaDolphin]

I have four out total. One of them pipped at 8 am yesterday. Has had her beak out of the hole since 3 a.m. with no zipping. She's breathing, but not attempting to make any progress.

Should I help?

The other two eggs have not pipped yet, and the fluffy butts are almost dry.

Here's a pic uploaded "large", so click on it and it will get bigger so you can see better. That's her beak in the hole.

 

[Wunjo]

So I got woke up this morning by a loud cheeping chick. There was lots of clear liquid in the bottom of it's shell. About 30 mins later another hatched and again lots of fluid in the bottom of the egg shell. The egg flat is wet. It started raining here and I'm affraid my chicks are going to drown but I'm not sure. Advice would be very much appreciated! I have 4 more pips and I did a quick candle and I can see that they are all still breathing. Should I crack open their pip and look in to see if there is lots of fluid in them? Should I leave them? I do not have a hygrometer. There was water literally dripping from the last two that hatched.

Out of 31 in lockdown

12 have hatched
4 more pips
some more have internally pipped
looks like 3 have stopped

 

[chicken pickin]

I have four out total. One of them pipped at 8 am yesterday. Has had her beak out of the hole since 3 a.m. with no zipping. She's breathing, but not attempting to make any progress.

Should I help?

The other two eggs have not pipped yet, and the fluffy butts are almost dry.

Here's a pic uploaded "large", so click on it and it will get bigger so you can see better. That's her beak in the hole.

If she is breathing I would give her a few more hours. But it is definitely your call.

I had one that pipped on new years eve, well new years day it was just after midnight and she made no progress and showed no movement at all. She finally hatched this morn at 330am so from pip to hatch was 27hrs.

 

[chicken pickin]

So I got woke up this morning by a loud cheeping chick. There was lots of clear liquid in the bottom of it's shell. About 30 mins later another hatched and again lots of fluid in the bottom of the egg shell. The egg flat is wet. It started raining here and I'm affraid my chicks are going to drown but I'm not sure. Advice would be very much appreciated! I have 4 more pips and I did a quick candle and I can see that they are all still breathing. Should I crack open their pip and look in to see if there is lots of fluid in them? Should I leave them? I do not have a hygrometer. There was water literally dripping from the last two that hatched.

Out of 31 in lockdown

12 have hatched
4 more pips
some more have internally pipped
looks like 3 have stopped

Sounds like the humidity might be kind of high your chicks should not be dripping wet. What are you hatching in?

edited to add - Also you probably shouldn't candle the eggs while you have pips and I definitely wouldn't crack open any of the pips there may still be blood in the veins that needs absorbing you don't want to break the veins.

 

[SilkieSensation]

[COLOR=4B0082]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.[/COLOR]

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?

I really hate this myth! Cats DO NOT steal a baby's breath! They will however lick milk from a baby's face. This myth has evolved from paranoid people who don't like cats looking for excuses to make others get rid of their beloved pets. We have always had cats. My brother & I both survived. I have 6 children & never once had a problem with a cat hurting a baby. Ok...I'm getting off my soap box now. I just hate when myths are spread because people don't think to check facts first.

 

[Wunjo]

Sounds like the humidity might be kind of high your chicks should not be dripping wet. What are you hatching in?

edited to add - Also you probably shouldn't candle the eggs while you have pips and I definitely wouldn't crack open any of the pips there may still be blood in the veins that needs absorbing you don't want to break the veins.

Hovabator 1602 with fan taken out for hatch. They are sitting in egg flats. Others was good when they hatched but after this rain started those last two was very wet.

 

[Wunjo]

Ok update didn't look before I posted. I have two more unzipping atm and I will post if they are dripping wet when they hatch. Will try to snap some pics of the inside shells and the chicks if they are as wet as the last two.

 

[chicken pickin]

Hovabator 1602 with fan taken out for hatch. They are sitting in egg flats. Others was good when they hatched but after this rain started those last two was very wet.

And you have nothing on hand that can gauge the humidity in the incubator? Is there much condensation on the incubator windows? If the windows have condensation then the humidity is too high.