7th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2016 Hatch-A-Long

[chicknlove]

Woke up this am to 8 babys in my hatcher and more eggs pipped im so excited for baby chicks!

Any pictures?????

 

[chicknlove]

Okay... Another question. What if it actually starts zipping ( I think I am using the right word) and then stops? Is that normal? Maybe I need to go away and stop watching. Ha ha

Relax, go clean something... haha

 

[S5apiotrowski]

Boss sent me home from work a little early! Now up to 5 pips - chicks waited on me!!!

However - my first egg to pip has been pipped for 26 hours or so and no progress since... I know they can rest a while, but on my last hatch the chick died after pipping so now I am worried...but still hopeful

 

[Morigen]

The 4 hatched yesterday.

 

[Cynthia12]

Sorry, I have been gone so long. With Christmas (the day, plays, etc), the kids starting rec league soccer, and family visits I have been extremely busy; but I am back. The HAL chicken eggs were locked down a day late (I forgot to warm up the hatcher soon enough, oops). I hope the extra day rotating won't be to hard on them. Out of the 20 chicken eggs set, 7 were tossed as clearly being quitters. The BCM eggs don't look too good, but I can't be 100% certain they are quitters, so they locked down too. Of the 15 quail eggs only one was tossed for being clear. However, the quail won't lock down until Friday (due to hatch Jan 3).

One of my hens went seriously broody and I considered allowing her to finish the hatch. However, she is one of three hens going to a new home in January along with several older chicks. So, I gave her three fertile eggs (that can go with her) when they hatch.

We do have a new addition to the family. A couple weeks before Christmas someone abandoned a litter of 2 month old puppies in town. We ended up taking one while others took the remaining pups. The pup we took was in pretty bad shape: malnourished, sick, and flea infested. Thankfully she didn't have a major worm issue, but we dewormed her anyway. She is doing much better now, healthy, happy, and up-to-date on vaccines. It frustrates me to no end when people are so careless with their animals.

Her name is Angel! She is very sweet, not mouthy at all, loves to play fetch and follows us everywhere.

This is great! I used to rescue and foster. I just love hearing of stories like you folks. Thank you for rescuing this little one, that is now a very lucky pup!

 

[Cynthia12]

This is going to sound crazy..... I woke up this morning to a hatched chick, and several pips. But I can't find an empty shell. Where could it be?

lol..did you find it?

 

[Cynthia12]

Since 4 ducks hatched yesterday, I was hoping to wake up to find more in the bator.

No such luck. But 2 hours later, and I have another one zipping.

And I have one egg not showing any pip, but rocking like crazy..

And last night I did notice I had lost one. It had pipped, but apparently one of the early hatchers knocked the egg so the pip was against the bator wall and apparently it sufocated or something..

Sorry about you losing one..but congratulations on the others..waiting for those photos again.

 

[LocalYokel]

Me too. Boss says I can go home early. Yay!!!!

W
Wewt!

 

[Cynthia12]

Okay... Another question. What if it actually starts zipping ( I think I am using the right word) and then stops? Is that normal? Maybe I need to go away and stop watching. Ha ha

Yep, hard to stop watching, but it will be fine, if it hasn't already hatched! I'm catching up.

 

[RubyNala97]

I thought I would have woke up to pips. I set Thursday night. But I didn't and I got a little nervous. So I cracked the incubator and listened and I could hear peeping! I don't know how many have internally pipped. I only know one for sure and it's the oldest egg. It was 1 month old when I set it! I thought it would be behind the rest, but it's actually ahead!

lol... I have staggered hatches in multiple bators... welcome to the club...

I've started doing this! Trying to put all the info into hatchabatch but I forgot to write down 2 eggs I added a day later. I'm going to have to really get organized if I'm going to hatch all winter! I don't know how you do it! Plus, you have broodys and their eggs. Like that little surprise silkie that hatched!

So this am i had 3 pipped... now i have 1 black lavender cross orpington hatched and 6 pipped total excited to see what i have by morning!!
Now what is some of your guys protocols on chicks in the hatcher. Im affraid to move the chick out cause of ahrinkwrapping the others. How long do u wait till u move to the chick box? Today is day 20 for me

It's really a personal decision. I used to keep chicks in the incubator till hatch was over but now I move them fairly quickly. They are really rambunctious and knock into the other eggs and pips and seem to settle down when I move them to the brooder.

4 Calls externally pipped, 6 more internally pipped... more adorable poop machines are on the way!

Yay!!!