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

[Nonyah Biz]

Okay, I'm going into lock down with:
8 SFH x RSL
6 Marans
3 Cochin x Silkie
1 Silkie
1 SFH
5 blue - unknown cross
3 greenish blue - unknown cross
6 Silkie- size eggs - unknown cross

33 total!!

wow wtg and i think i got a few grey hairs added from trying to hatch only 6 eggs .lol not even close to hatching 33 ~Good hatching~

 

[michaelf]

Cayenne pepper sounds good with a little season salt

Freezer,,, or can you give him some Cheyenne  pepper,,,AHAHH 

 

[Nonyah Biz]

First chick out. Just had to be a 'wrong way' chick. Pipped at the wrong end. GAH! After 10hrs, I helped out. He was stuck in quite the yoga pose - not a chance he would have gotten out. Did have the cord still attached to the membrane and I am letting it dry out. He is not moving about too much. Exhaustion and the leg that was wrapped about his head has not relaxed yet. Going to leave him alone and rest. Now lets see what the other 4 do.

hope the rest are better GL

 

[chicken pickin]

I need some advice!!! I think I need to move my broody and the babies out of the hen house/coop based on what I have read. I put pictures of my hen house/coop below. My coop also has 2 full grown turkeys (approx 50lbs) that live full time with the girls.

I have a few questions on what to do that those of you who have much more experience than I do can hopefully answer...

1. Is it too late to move my broody to a secluded area?
2. Is my brooding box ok to put her in - It is made of 2 french doors (6ft x 2ftx4ft) Pic below
3. What type of bedding material do I use? Sawdust, shredded paper, bath towels, hay, straw
4. Will she reject the babies with just days to go if I move her now? She already kicked 1 egg out of the nest yesterday =(

So many choices and I just want to do what is best for my babies!!!

Nesting Box - 8 in drop to floor

Hen House - approx 2 ft off the ground
Brooding Box (Used for baby Chicks last spring)


Thanks in advance for any advice!!

I would personally mover her out of the hen house now. The French door brooder is great and would be perfect for her and her chicks. I have personally seen what happens to peeping eggs and chicks if left in the main house, its not pretty to find pecked to death day old babies or babies pecked out of their shell before ready to hatch.

Shaving are my preference for all brooders and coops.

I hope you have a good hatch.

 

[SoManyHats]

wow wtg and i think i got a few grey hairs added from trying to hatch only 6 eggs .lol not even close to hatching 33 ~Good hatching~

Well, I didn't intend to have this many! I don't think I would have made it through the last couple weeks if I hadn't had Christmas stuff to keep me busy. I planned lots of New Year events for the next few days... But I really just want to sit by the incubator!

 

[ronott1]

Sorry to bug ya'll again, but I have a bunch of noob questions that may seem silly, or that have an obvious answer...

1. When hatching upright, does that prevent "drowning in the shell"?

2. What exactly IS drowning in the shell? Does that mean the air cell fills up with fluid and they drown?? I know that's probably a stupid question, but I've never done this before and that's why I'm asking.

3. I have read that you can hear peeps coming from the eggs. Does that happen when they pip internally? Or can you hear a peep before they pip internally?

4. Is there any way to tell if they've pipped internally besides candling?

5. What happens if an egg's air cell hasn't "dipped down" like the rest of them? (One of my eggs during today's candling session hadn't grown much, but some of them had already dipped down, others were in between. Just that one didn't look like it grew much at all since day 14 candling. Today is day 17 for me, I go into lockdown tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.)

6. Should I bump up humidity today? I know that it should be 65 tomorrow at lockdown, but since I've been incubating dry, should I boost it a bit now so it's doesn't go from 16% to 65% right away?

7. I know the average hatch for a chick is 21 days, but does that mean the chick is actually out of the shell? I'm guessing I should see a pip tomorrow after lockdown, or the day after that, since it takes time from pip to zip to hatch?

Ok that's all for now. SORRY!!!! Hope someone can answer, I'm so afraid I'm going to screw something up!

1. hatching upright helps them pip into the air sack. They suffocate usually not drown. If you see yellow goo coming out of the pip, then liquid from the yolk is coming out. It would need to be cleaned out. Sometimes the chick will pip into a vein and bleed to death. That is quite rare though.

2. Oh, I answered that one kind of. Too much humidity causes the O2 level to go down. They do not drown but do not get enough Oxygen and suffocate.

3. and 4. Hearing the peeping shows that they have internally peeped. Internal pipping is something we do not look for because we need to leave the eggs alone during hatching. We know they did internally peep when we see the external pip. That one we look for.

You should check for internal pipping when you egg topsy though.

5. Don't worry about the air cell now. A lot happens in the last three days.

6. increase the humidity at lockdown. Make sure you do not see condensation on the view windows of the incubator. If you do and the gauge is low, then the sensor is not reading correctly.

7. It is not like clock work for hatching. They do not hatch exactly 21 days later to the minute. First there will be a pip and then the chick often rests. After the first chick hatches, it is usually 24 hours later that the hatch is over. Some breeds take three days though.....

I hope this helps!

 

[chickengirl1193]

She will lay one soon for you.

Post a picture please!

I will!

 

[azgurl73]

awww mine hatched

today, and maybe some tomorrow...to bad it would have been fun

..rooting for everyone else...Good Luck everyone

 

[MontanaDolphin]

1. hatching upright helps them pip into the air sack. They suffocate usually not drown. If you see yellow goo coming out of the pip, then liquid from the yolk is coming out. It would need to be cleaned out. Sometimes the chick will pip into a vein and bleed to death. That is quite rare though.

2. Oh, I answered that one kind of. Too much humidity causes the O2 level to go down. They do not drown but do not get enough Oxygen and suffocate.

3. and 4. Hearing the peeping shows that they have internally peeped. Internal pipping is something we do not look for because we need to leave the eggs alone during hatching. We know they did internally peep when we see the external pip. That one we look for.

You should check for internal pipping when you egg topsy though.

5. Don't worry about the air cell now. A lot happens in the last three days.

6. increase the humidity at lockdown. Make sure you do not see condensation on the view windows of the incubator. If you do and the gauge is low, then the sensor is not reading correctly.

7. It is not like clock work for hatching. They do not hatch exactly 21 days later to the minute. First there will be a pip and then the chick often rests. After the first chick hatches, it is usually 24 hours later that the hatch is over. Some breeds take three days though.....

I hope this helps!

Helped tremendously! Thank you once again, ur a lifesaver!!

 

[cluckcluckluke]

My Eggs have all gone into shutdown today

!!!!

No peeking!!!

Sit on yer hands if ya have too!!!

But even by bum wants to have a look so it's not helping me

!!!