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

[Cynthia12]

I've been sick all day.

In bed all day. Hoping it's just a 24 hr. bug. Tummy flu. Ugh!

 

[ronott1]

so how would you tilt them....could you post a pic with a fake drawn air cell?

I have pictures of the tilted. I will find one for you. They do not have the air cell outline but you can see them when you candle at setting the eggs for hatching.

 

[Pozees]

chicken farmer, I am sorry to see that you didn't get the hatch you wanted. I know it's little comfort, but all of us have had trouble at one time or another, it is part of breeding, raising, and hatching, a part that is no fun - just like culling chicks or sick chickens is no fun. It is, nonetheless, the reality of dealing with anything living that depends on you for shelter and sustenance.

No one wants to have to cull chicks, but eventually, if you keep hatching or buying chicks, you will have to do it. The first one I culled arrived from a hatchery with a completely wry neck (head twisted 180 degrees, so the chick's beak pointed to the ceiling). If it had been a juvenile or older I would have had a chance at saving it, wry neck is often curable, but a day old? Not happening. I broke its neck, and took care of the rest of the chicks. Had I not noticed when moving from shipping box to brooder, it would have starved and been pecked to death by the other chicks. That is a horrible death and one I was not willing to witness.

In the same vein, no one wants failed hatches, but they happen. It is really sad to open the shell and find a fully formed chick that was not able to hatch - but far worse to have one hatch with its digestive system outside its body, the yolk not absorbed, etc. Sometimes everything is perfect and these things still happen. Genetics throw us loops. Mother Nature is not known for being kind, but for proceeding on the survival of the fittest principle.

Think of all there is to learn from these experiences, and how this education strengthens you for the challenges you will face in the future. In my early twenties I learned lots of harsh realities I'd never been exposed to, when I worked in a hospital for 5 years. There was a tech in our unit who could not abide petty arguments between staff members, whose mantra was, life is short. It is. We never know how short, and appreciating all we have today is underrated.

I am sorry to wax philosophical - it is sometimes the way I comfort myself when things have gone horribly wrong. I remember how lucky I am to have a roof over my head, food in the cupboard, and a warm house on a cold night. It sounds trivial, but there are many who do not have these luxuries, and I am grateful to have them.

 

[Cynthia12]

It was fully developed but for some reason it didn't live

I know that I am going to get guff on this one..but, I always help on day 20 with silkies if there aren't any pips at all..or, if a few have hatched, and there are others that haven't done a thing. I have had several great hatches by saving them. They tend to have a pretty hard time with the hatch itself. I just go into the air cell area, open it, look to see if it's alive or dead, if alive, I clear the shell to the nose/beak. Let it hang out either half a day, or a full day, according to how it looks. They are weak for a while once I work them out in a day or so, but they pop right up and are at em after giving them tiny drops of electrolytes every 2 hrs. the first half a day, then one only for a day after that. Before I started helping on day 20, I wasn't not getting near as good a hatch with the small breeds. I've had a lot of people that I bought the eggs ask..you had how many hatch?? Wow! Not bragging, just saying, this is what I've found to work for the small little guys.

 

[FeyRaine]

I wouldn't have the guts for the zip locked method. cutting it would make me scared.

could you drop it in boiling or ice cold water? I didn't know if that would work.



I hope I don't have to cull any chicks....I would feel TOO bad and would be haunted....knowing I killed a chick.

Boiling water BAD

I've had a vet say freezeing is kindest for reptiles. When a person dies of hypothermia (cold) they feel cold at first, but then they start to feel warm and get silly/giddy so that is apparently a non-painful way to go for per the vet for 14ft python snake that needed euthanasia and per some human medical folks apparently a not too bad way to go as a human (after the initial cold part of course). <shrug> of course I can't _personally_ say on that method but if the zip lock method is not something you could do, perhaps your freezer could be a better alternative than the horror of vinegar&soda. But if you (or anyone) is going to hatch chicks the reality is you do need a plan/method b/c some chicks that hatch are simply not ok not going to make it & are suffering. I understand you are not an adult so you might well need an adult to partner w/ you as a plan in case this issue comes up. But everyone on the hatchalong, hard as it is, does need to have a plan just in case. It dosen't happen often, but it does happen. It is not something you want to try to figure out in the emotional moment of trying to make the decision to cull, you need to have the method planned in advance, then hopefully you won't even need to ever think about it again (or do it).

 

[Cynthia12]

I have my fingers crossed I will get a incubator of Christmas!

Hope you get your..ahem..surprise!

 

[MMGerlinger]

I think there are a few people hatching grocery store eggs, most likely they are Leghorns.

You can hatch grocery store eggs??? Tell me more!

 

[starlingsbaby]

I would LOVE to see them.

But what I would like to know is how do you keep up with that many pets? Do you ever forget to feed anybody?

No i actually have like a line assembly kinda thing going on at feed time lol. if i dont than i do forget lol. But i will post some pics as soon as i get the rest uploaded. and it is quite the job to do everyday, from 5 am till about 11 a night iam so super busy. than i focus on my house stuff so i dont get to bed till around 2-3 am. so i have to push myself for sure. but love every minute of it.

 

[Gardeningmama]

I've been sick all day.

In bed all day. Hoping it's just a 24 hr. bug. Tummy flu. Ugh!

​

 

[ronott1]

I know that I am going to get guff on this one..but, I always help on day 20 with silkies if there aren't any pips at all..or, if a few have hatched, and there are others that haven't done a thing. I have had several great hatches by saving them. They tend to have a pretty hard time with the hatch itself. I just go into the air cell area, open it, look to see if it's alive or dead, if alive, I clear the shell to the nose/beak. Let it hang out either half a day, or a full day, according to how it looks. They are weak for a while once I work them out in a day or so, but they pop right up and are at em after giving them tiny drops of electrolytes every 2 hrs. the first half a day, then one only for a day after that. Before I started helping on day 20, I wasn't not getting near as good a hatch with the small breeds. I've had a lot of people that I bought the eggs ask..you had how many hatch?? Wow! Not bragging, just saying, this is what I've found to work for the small little guys.

Thank your for sharing your experience with Silkies. It is very good to know that they hatch early and have problems. @chiqita has posted many times that Silkies are hard to hatch, especially with shipped ones.