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

[MontanaDolphin]

It is a good thing I have a strong stomach. Likely from watching the 5 o'clock news growing up during The Vietnam war.

Good job on the Egg Topsy!

This one died right at lockdown like you thought. Shipping stress, flock health, low temps or heat spikes are likely causes.

You know, I thought about queasy stomachs before I posted the pic, but I figured we could here because I have seen pics of eggtopsies here. Should I remove the pic??

Sorry if I did something wrong!

 

[ronott1]

You know, I thought about queasy stomachs before I posted the pic, but I figured we could here because I have seen pics of eggtopsies here. Should I remove the pic??

Sorry if I did something wrong!

that is a great photo so please leave it. We all need to know what is going on with the chicks.

I just went back and gave you an Ovation!

 

[bantambury]

I tend to soapbox as well. The myths, old wives' tales and misinformation are annoying. I've had cats a couple times in my life and I think they're amazing animals so I'm not completely in the anti-cat camp. On the flip side, as an invasive species, I don't think they belong outdoors for their safety and the safety of all the small native animals.
I REALLY don't understand people that dump cats they no longer want or those that feed feral cats.


I wonder how dominant the 5 toe gene is. I know someone who raises Black Penedesencas and gets a lot of 5 toed birds (a real no-no). He is known for mixing breeds but I can't imagine what he could have crossed to get 5 toes on a big black bird.
Well, they'll only be mating 14/7 or thereabouts but I understand your point. Keeping them separate and offering occasional conjugal visits works well to keep them from overbreeding. Also, adding more hens helps.
As far as cooping the roosters/cockerels together, it is highly dependent on the breed. With some breeds, there is no way to house roosters together. I've had mixed success with mixed flocks. As long as there are no pullets/hens in the same building/pen it can work OK. Most of my birds know each other as I move them around occasionally and sometimes free range them together. I also have only one breed of roosters now so they are on a more even plane as far as aggressiveness.
I pull all the hens out of the building and move the roosters in at night and put them on various roosts. I let them out early in the morning. There's some chest bumping and pecking the first couple days but is more pecking order than anything. Pecking order among roosters is just a little more tense than with hens.

That would be half sibling so can be OK. When doing line breeding and inbreeding it is very important to select birds with as few flaws as possible.

As for your crossbeak issue, it is often genetic so you may not want to use that one and be careful about using the hen it came from.

AWESOME INFO! thanks for sharing with me! I WILL surely use it!

Mine had a much worse beak than that. There is a good chance yours will be fine!

Ok! I hope! thanks!

LOL..I have done this to so many of my poor little babies, I've come to remember, watch them, because that flash is going to startle them. I has to be scary don't ya know!

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Wanted to get expert opinions on this little baby.

As I said before, when I pipped the egg of this late one, I saw blood, veins, and yolk.

I took a couple of pictures so you could see what I see.

Am I right, that the veins are big? The yellow is yolk?

How long do you think until it absorbs the yolk and will be able to zip? Does it even have a chance??

Thanks ya'll.


The veins are over the yolk...it's kinda pink in the picture, but I can tell it's dark yellow.

 

[bantambury]

I just did!

Post cute baby chick pictures from this hatch here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/846149/fifth-annual-byc-nyd-hatch-a-long-cutest-chick-contest

AWESOME! thanks so much! you've been a HUGE help for all of us!

im sending over my final count pictures to you in a PM. I still have one chick drying off today....hatched at 11.
tonight she should be dry enough to send you final pics

 

[ronott1]

Wanted to get expert opinions on this little baby.

As I said before, when I pipped the egg of this late one, I saw blood, veins, and yolk.

I took a couple of pictures so you could see what I see.

Am I right, that the veins are big? The yellow is yolk?

How long do you think until it absorbs the yolk and will be able to zip? Does it even have a chance??

Thanks ya'll.


The veins are over the yolk...it's kinda pink in the picture, but I can tell it's dark yellow.

The chick is\will be shrink wrapped because of the size of the hole. Humidity does not matter. It looks like you could slowly remove the top half of the shell and then set the shell into and egg carton in the incubator. The chick will try to come out when it is ready. If you find that the egg yolk is not completely absorbed, put it into a tea cup when it is out of the shell.

Check for crooked toes and watch for Pasty butt. Stress in hatching leads to past butt.

 

[gryeyes]

You know, I thought about queasy stomachs before I posted the pic, but I figured we could here because I have seen pics of eggtopsies here. Should I remove the pic??

Sorry if I did something wrong!

I am just one member but my opinion is "Real life incidents related to incubation and hatching are appropriate, even if grisly." With that said, when I first perused the hatch along/incubation threads, the stuff that scared ME away from incubating was all the angst and disappointment at eggs not developing or ever hatching - the verbal part. I thought NO WAY am I gonna set myself up for that disappointment!

So..... I only candle ONCE during incubation, and just until I find one or two eggs developing at about Day 14. That's it. That way I am only disappointed once, or maybe twice when some eggs don't hatch.

But folks attempting incubation kinda need real life evidence so they don't feel like they are the "only screw-ups," so to speak, when something doesn't go well.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

The chick is\will be shrink wrapped because of the size of the hole. Humidity does not matter. It looks like you could slowly remove the top half of the shell and then set the shell into and egg carton in the incubator. The chick will try to come out when it is ready. If you find that the egg yolk is not completely absorbed, put it into a tea cup when it is out of the shell.

Check for crooked toes and watch for Pasty butt. Stress in hatching leads to past butt.

I've been trying to avoid "shrink wrap" by moistening the inner membrane with warm water and a q-tip. I take it that won't help?

 

[bantambury]

QUESTION for all you peeps who fix crooked toes....

I realized my baby silkie, I want to show if it has potential, has a curled toe.

PROBLEM: the toe is one of the toes that is on another toe f this makes sense....how do I tape this toe straight without hurting her?



HOW THE HECK DO YOU TAPE A TOE LIKE THIS? lol





bad toe....(sorry its the blurry one)the other toe opposite...good toe.


standing

walking

 

[bantambury]

can any of you also tell me if im right?

Girl?

Boy?

Girl?