A Beginners First Experience with Shipped Eggs (Picture Heavy!)

[venymae]

ANOTHER IS OUT! CHICK #4! (Another Blue Egg Mix!)

2 Legbars are pipped, and the wonky air cell Blue Egg Mix is pipped too! It's like popcorn now!

 

[venymae]

#5 Is OUT! My first Crested Cream Legbar! She must have pipped a vein because there is a fair bit of blood on the liner.
She seems to be doing well though! The other pipped CCL looks to be zipping...slowly...

please please please be out by the time I wake up tomorrow!
Because I am GOING TO BED! (to dream about baby chicks most likely!)

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

 

[Bridebeliever]

I've throughly enjoyed reading this so I'm commenting so I get the update!

 

[venymae]

-THE BLOODY BOTTOM CHICK-
(DAY 22 - Chick #7)

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This morning after helping last nights zipper (#6) get out (UGH! I hate sticky chicks!) I went downstairs, ate breakfast with my boys, and came back up to check on the other pipper (#7). That's when I saw it. The chick had hatched, but it's naval had not quite finished closing and it was bleeding, a lot. Unfortunately I has misplaced my phone, so I didn't get a picture, but I tried to find some similar ones on the internet for you guys. To be honest her naval looked (to me) like a mini flared vagina.

Our little Hen looked more like the first picture, but her bloody area was more the size of picture #2, however she did not have anything protruding like that picture.​

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Needless to say there was LOTS OF BLOOD! I quick popped her out of Uglybator and wrapped her in a warm washcloth and applied gentle pressure to try and stop the bleeding. It didn't work. Whenever I did manage to reduce the bleeding as soon as I tried to remove my finger or the washcloth, it would pull the clot off too. ARGH! So, online I went to ask for advice and try to research what to do. As I was reading and waiting for a reply, cornstarch was applied to the area, as it had been successful in the past at helping clot small bleeds. It didn't really help stop the bleeding that much on this one. I was flustered and nervous. This hatch has been quite the....experience. The breeder wrote back that I should stick her in a cup and leave her alone... and that cornstarch was a bad idea as it could increase the chance of infection.
Wat. No...UGH!
There was no way or removing the cornstarch now, and the bleeding HAD finally stopped. So we slathered over the scab with iodine ointment, stuck her in a cup and set her in the brooder. Hopefully she makes it, as she's a very pretty little Crested Cream Legbar hen. Much lighter than her sisters.
When we came home tonight she had managed to kick out of her cup. Her bottom is now a giant brown scab, but no one seems to be pecking it so that's good. She walks funny, but I'm guessing it's just the giant wad between her legs! Time will tell, but I hope she makes it!


Total we have had 7 hatch. 3 we think are little roos, and 4 are little hens Gotta love those autosexing breeds!

No more pips, and I have this sinking feeling that no more will, but I hope I'm wrong!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

You did well ven! It takes practice and even then with shipped eggs the variation between eggs can be hard to make decisions on your incubation procedures, again the more you incubate the better you become. You just have to make the best judgements you can! As always, the best eggs to incubate are NOT shipped eggs

and remember my rant? see below....in red oh and very well written ven

glad I could be a part of it! What we gonna hatch next?

REQUEST HOW TO GET SHIPPED EGGS PEOPLE!!!! post #1050

 

[venymae]

You did well ven! It takes practice and even then with shipped eggs the variation between eggs can be hard to make decisions on your incubation procedures, again the more you incubate the better you become. You just have to make the best judgements you can! As always, the best eggs to incubate are NOT shipped eggs

and remember my rant? see below....in red oh and very well written ven

glad I could be a part of it! What we gonna hatch next?

REQUEST HOW TO GET SHIPPED EGGS PEOPLE!!!! post #1050

Thanks Sally I think I am going to try out my pops' RIR/Auracauna eggs. He just got a new rooster from a fellow BYCer (pure bread Auracauna) because it had a tail... and apparently that makes him no good! But we don't care, haha.

 

[venymae]

The Hardest Part...​

(DAY 23)​

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Today was day 23. No more pips had come. My already hatched chicks were fluffy and running around in the brooder. Candling the eggs did not reveal any internal pips. Tapping the eggs while pressing them against my ear, did not bring forth any peeps. Floating them in a glass of warm water did not reveal any movement. Today I made the decision to explore the eggs and see if any were still alive. I followed the directions on the assisted hatching guide. Gently opening the eggs and revealing their contents.
...
...
Even though I expected the results, there is always that part of me that holds on to that last sliver of hope. That tiny voice that says,
"but maybe they're still alive".
The part of me that cries at the sight of a little chick, perfect, pretty, and still.
...
...
The remaining chicks were all deceased. Four had passed in the last days before hatching, one has passed a bit earlier.
I think they were not positioned correctly, but I'm not 100% sure.
Eggtopsies are messy. If you are not trying to potentially save a "might still be alive" chick, I suggest you do them inside a zip lock baggie. I was looking for survivors, so my kitchen towels took one for the team.
Click here if you would like to see the results of my Eggtopsy, but remember it's graphic.
During the exploration I was very calm, it was interesting to see the way they were packaged inside the egg, the veins on the inner membrane, the unabsorbed yolks. It wasn't until everything was over, after I had posted my pictures, wrapped up the little bodies, and cleaned off the counter, that the little sliver of hope inside me burst.
So I cried.
I was bummed, those little Serama broke my heart, and so I got it all out.
Grief is best dealt with completly and thoroughly so you can move on! Life has taught me this.
...
...
And then, I was done!
I am so thoroughly thrilled with my seven wonderful fuzz butts!!! In every hatch you probably will lose chicks. With shipped eggs you WILL lose chicks. That's just the nature of the beast!

But, you also GET chicks! WOOT!!!

I can't wait to see them grow up and collect their gorgeous blue eggs!
My experience hatching shipped eggs was AWESOME! I learned a lot and had lots of fun doing it. I am very thankful to @Sally Sunshine for shipping me my eggs, all the way from Pennsylvania! And also for giving me lots of advice as we went along.

And of course, I'm sterilizing my incubators in anticipation for "next time"!

THE END!
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[Bridebeliever]

That was seriously so awesome! Thanks for documenting everything! Congrats on the seven!

 

[Wickedchicken6]

That was seriously so awesome! Thanks for documenting everything! Congrats on the seven!

X2

That was excellent!

I appreciate all the time and effort you put into this thread.

 

[venymae]

Thanks Guys! I had lots of fun writing up this experience! In case anybody was curious, here were my hatching stats. Viable = obviously were fertilized/not clear

Serama
Hatch Rate: 0%
Viable Eggs: 30%

Crested Cream Legbar
Hatch Rate: 60%
Viable Eggs: 100%

Blue Egg Mix
Hatch Rate: 40%
Viable Eggs: 100%

TOTAL:
Hatch Rate (w/clears): 28%
Hatch Rate (w/o clears): 39%