Adventures in Incubating Shipped Eggs

[Zinjifrah]

Thanks for being a great hatch-a-long pal, @Morrigan . I really do appreciate that link. It's sensible and practical.
I chipped away to get a better look, and used coconut oil on the exposed membrane.
Chick is not peeping, but is struggling very hard.
The veins are still active - on Day 23! - so I put the baby back in the incubator.

I so hope this baby can make it. Today's my birthday, so this will be my little birthday twin, if it can survive. (I was a twin, myself, but my sibling was stillborn, so I've been a lone twin all my life. Really don't want to lose this baby today. )

Happy Birthday!

 

[Cerise1924]

Checked on the last little Svart again. The veins are slowly receding, and the chick seems to be getting stronger, not weaker! It is moving with more vigor, and I heard it cheep for the first time! That was very reassuring. Back in the incubator with it, until it's ready to come out.

 

[Morrigan]

Checked on the last little Svart again. The veins are slowly receding, and the chick seems to be getting stronger, not weaker! It is moving with more vigor, and I heard it cheep for the first time! That was very reassuring. Back in the incubator with it, until it's ready to come out.

Great news! Vigorous and cheeping sound really promising.

I just got home with two peeping buff orpingtons and put them and the incubator orpington in the brooder. They all seem to be doing well. I have to tidy up the broody after lunch and then do a photo shoot.

Very happy with my brood right now.

 

[Cerise1924]

Great news! Vigorous and cheeping sound really promising.

I just got home with two peeping buff orpingtons and put them and the incubator orpington in the brooder. They all seem to be doing well. I have to tidy up the broody after lunch and then do a photo shoot.

Very happy with my brood right now.

Yay!! Have a good lunch, and get us those pics!

 

[Josefina]

I love my mama hens! I don't even own an incubator right now, I just rely on timing my egg arrivals with when the girls go broody. I have two girls raising the babies (I failed to mention that previously) because I was worried about putting seven eggs under one bantam Cochin, and I have oodles of broody hens right now. Marie has the 3 D'uccle chicks and Marian has the 3 Cochin chicks--all of which I have seen now! The babies are getting livelier and were willing to peek outside.

After one last candling, I went ahead and opened up the 4th D'uccle egg. I cracked the shell over the air sac and started peeling it away. It was really fascinating getting to see into the air sac (slightly saddled) and see the inner membrane separating it from the chick/yolk/innards. Then I pulled off the inner membrane and spilled the contents into a bowl. It turns out my day 10 quitter guess was off--the embryo looks like it was a day 4 or 5 quitter. Poor little thing! It was a dark pink crescent, complete with black eye spot, about the size of my pinkie finger nail. The yolk looked like it had gotten scrambled up with the egg white, but the yolk membrane may have only broken when I emptied it out of the egg. There wasn't a single vein to be seen in the yolk or any of the membranes. It smelled kind of weird, but not bad like a rotten egg. I'm still not sure why development stopped, but at least now my major curiosity is satisfied as I know what was inside.

Chickspam! I got pictures a couple days after the hatch, and am finally remembering to share the cuteness. All six chicks are doing wonderfully! This was the first hatch for both mama hens and they are doing an excellent job.

The mille fleur D'uccles! They're a week old now, and have fully feathered wings

The mottled Cochins! They are the sweetest little things.

 

[CSAchook]

Chickspam! I got pictures a couple days after the hatch, and am finally remembering to share the cuteness. All six chicks are doing wonderfully! This was the first hatch for both mama hens and they are doing an excellent job.

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The mille fleur D'uccles! They're a week old now, and have fully feathered wings
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The mottled Cochins! They are the sweetest little things.

Squeeee!!!! So much fluffy cuteness! Thank you for sharing

 

[Josefina]

I was going to move the rowdy chick into the brooder, but I have changed my mind about using the expensive heating plate I got (a Titan, from the UK - kind of like the Brinsea Ecoglow, but cheaper). If the chicks are under there, I won't be able to see them, and that worries me.

Since I'm off work for the next two days, I've decided to use a 75w red lizard light in the brooder while I'm home. I can switch out to the heat plate while I'm away.

What do you use for heat in your brooder? Do you feel it is effective? Safe?

Last year I used a Brinsea Ecoglow for the first time--it worked great! The chicks seemed to like having a dark place they could get under (maybe it psychologically simulates being under a mother hen for them?) and it kept them nice and warm. Before that I used a heat lamp, but those are a huge fire hazard and even with all the straps and cords to hold it in place, about seven years ago there was one unfortunate incident when the heat lamp fell. After using the Ecoglow, I don't think I'd go back to the heat lamp.

When I'm hatching eggs, not buying day-old chicks, I always use a broody hen. Between the buff Orpingtons and the bantam Cochins, I can only go a few months each year without having a broody. Or five broodies. Or half the flock broody! (I think some of my Cochin roosters have even considered brooding.)

 

[Morrigan]

Chickspam! I got pictures a couple days after the hatch, and am finally remembering to share the cuteness. All six chicks are doing wonderfully! This was the first hatch for both mama hens and they are doing an excellent job.

View attachment 1414646
View attachment 1414653
The mille fleur D'uccles! They're a week old now, and have fully feathered wings
View attachment 1414654
View attachment 1414656
The mottled Cochins! They are the sweetest little things.

They are all beautiful. What pretty momma hens too! I love the contrast in colors between Mom and brood. Very striking.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Just got home from work, and checked on the two incubators. The Yosoo that I ran at 99.5 doesn't even have a pip, I think.

All the action is in the HB, which I ran at 100.5.
-The noisy Appenzeller has quite the long legs on her, and is using them to kick the poor wrong-end Svart egg around like a soccer ball.
-Chick #2 (Sebright) was just joined by Chick #3 (another Sebright), who is wet and tired and getting stomped on by the Appenzeller.
-No more progress for the Svart that pipped at the wrong end.
-The 2nd Appenzeller egg has a nice pip and it looks like unzipping has started.

I was going to move the rowdy chick into the brooder, but I have changed my mind about using the expensive heating plate I got (a Titan, from the UK - kind of like the Brinsea Ecoglow, but cheaper). If the chicks are under there, I won't be able to see them, and that worries me.

Since I'm off work for the next two days, I've decided to use a 75w red lizard light in the brooder while I'm home. I can switch out to the heat plate while I'm away.

What do you use for heat in your brooder? Do you feel it is effective? Safe?

I'm also getting ready to put color colded velcro zip ties on chickie ankles. Do you use a method to tell your chicks apart?

I... actually use a reptile under-tank heat pad that I had laying around, with paper towels over it, and a black snake 'hide' box over the top. It's not the 'mhp' idea, since I keep the heat on the bottom for ease of set up, break down, and cleaning, but the chicks seem to love it and thrive on it. I start with a Medium box, and up-size as they grow. I also cut more exits into the ends. Notably, this is all stuff I already had in storage before I ever got chicks.



I should say - this works great for me, but I haven't tried it with a large number of chicks at one time. For more chicks, I might use a heat lamp or shelf, simply to avoid crowding inside and a chick potentially not being able to get out to cool off.

 

[Cerise1924]

I... actually use a reptile under-tank heat pad that I had laying around, with paper towels over it, and a black snake 'hide' box over the top. It's not the 'mhp' idea, since I keep the heat on the bottom for ease of set up, break down, and cleaning, but the chicks seem to love it and thrive on it. I start with a Medium box, and up-size as they grow. I also cut more exits into the ends. Notably, this is all stuff I already had in storage before I ever got chicks.

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I should say - this works great for me, but I haven't tried it with a large number of chicks at one time. For more chicks, I might use a heat lamp or shelf, simply to avoid crowding inside and a chick potentially not being able to get out to cool off.

I love that! I haven't seen anyone do that before, but then again, most people don't have 11 snakes. Your signature is wonderful, btw.
Q: If I'm looking at big waddles, does that mean it's a rooster?
A: If you're looking at waddles, it's a duck.