Air sac determines sex.

[Ladybird CA]

yeah it surprised me about the McMurray event. I’m finding I’m getting more side air cells if the day is colder than the day before as well. Most of the refrigerated eggs with centered air cells didn’t develop. The ones that did include the largest eggs.

 

[Ladybird CA]

There’s a golden polish egg (but buff polish chick as the father is buff polish) that’s hatching breached.

I’ll have to search on what to do. I think I’m supposed to not help for 24 hours but not sure when it pipped as I wasn’t expecting them to hatch until Saturday.

Got these 3 week old silkie chicks today. Calmest chicks I’ve ever seen.

It was a high of 11, low -1 C. Only 3 eggs.

2 side air cells:

EE 54 g
GLP 48 g

The centered is buff laced polish, 46 g

I won’t be doing any more SI measurements til the caliper arrives.

Especially with all these eggs I have to hand turn due to their Turner not working. The seller suggested that it’s defective and to send it back. Of course being easter weekend that won’t happen until Tuesday.

I’m going to take that Turner out tomorrow and add more eggs. Can’t do it now because DS2 is sleeping nearby.

Still have about 2 dozen I couldn’t put in there due to space. So I put the older ones first and the rest will be when the incubator arrives on Tuesday.

Added to the incubator a dozen silkie eggs

Centered air cells:

1. SI 61, 37 g laid Apr 9
7. SI 69, 37 g Apr 10
9. SI 61, 40 g Apr 11
11. SI 71, 45 g, Apr 7
12. SI 66, 41 g, Apr 7

Off centered:
4. SI 67, 37 g, Apr 13
5. SI 72, 42 g, no date
10. SI 65, 43 g, no date

Side:
3. SI 67, 37 g, no date

No air cell seen:
2. SI 58, 42 g, Apr 10
6. SI 69, 42 g, Apr 9
8. SI 63, 42 g, Apr 14

7 cream legbar eggs:
1. 50 g, 4/11 centered air cell
2. 60 g, 4/11, c
6. 52 g 4/12, c

4. 57 g, 4/12, s

3. 59 g, 4/11, oc
5. 58 g, 4/11, off centered

7. 63 g, 4/12, no air cell

Eggs from my own chickens, all side air cells. Centered is in the fridge.
1. Buff polish SI 70, 38 g, Apr 10
2. Campine SI 75, 47 g, Apr 11
3. I didn’t write which hen this was except on the egg. If I figure out which one it is I’ll mention it. SI 62, 48 g, Apr 12
4. BLRW SI 76, 53 g, side Apr 11
5. BLRW SI 65, 58 g
6. Satin silkie SI 65, 36 g
7. Silkie SI 64, 39 g.

I’m going to sleep bye

 

[Ladybird CA]

When I took an economics class there was a discussion on ethics. Is it more ethical to save the starving dying people or to let them die so that more don’t die?

In this situation I have the chick that hatched on the wrong end. Mrs. Noda Fry said don’t try to save chicks because they will have problems and may produce chicks with similar problems. There’s 2 more chicks pipping and if I open the incubator I might kill 4 chicks to save one. And it might die if I save it anyway.

 

[Slothinc]

When I took an economics class there was a discussion on ethics. Is it more ethical to save the starving dying people or to let them die so that more don’t die?

In this situation I have the chick that hatched on the wrong end. Mrs. Noda Fry said don’t try to save chicks because they will have problems and may produce chicks with similar problems. There’s 2 more chicks pipping and if I open the incubator I might kill 4 chicks to save one. And it might die if I save it anyway.

Did it hatch? Or it’s just pipped on the wrong end? I always help. I can’t not help. And unless I help too late, and they have been deprived of oxygen for too long, they almost always make it and become regular healthy chickens with no issues. I would say 95% of the time they end up being totally normal (excepting the chicks that are already brain dead from lack of oxygen.)

And I haven’t ever had it affect other chicks in the incubator. Just be fast when taking them out and putting them back.

 

[Ladybird CA]

Thank you for sharing your story and encouragement. 4 chicks have hatched and the one that popped at the wrong end I’m trying to assist but each time I do there is blood so now it is back in there.

My son caught my cat messing with the incubator just in time. He had just knocked the lid off of it and thankfully did not get to the chicks yet. I put the chicks in with the silkies in their brooder. Normally I wouldn’t try with other breeds but these silkies just accepted them and they’re all napping together. I don’t have a broody hen. The one I bought the bunnies in the Omlet kicked her out of the nest so she isn’t broody anymore. The grey bunny made a nest of her fur in there and I don’t know if a wild bunny got her pregnant so I’m leaving it.

Left came from a golden polish (Pickles) egg, hatched around 1:15 pm today, egg was SI 70, egg was laid March 27. Middle is from an EE (Elsie)‘s egg, SI 72, egg was laid March 29, hatched at 2:37 pm. Right is from a campine egg (Belle), SI 77, laid March 26, hatched at 3 pm. She had an off centered air cell, the other two had side air cells.

I need a better pic but this is the 4th chick. Hatched around 6 pm, assisted- might have something to do with probably mom being related to the father. Came from a buff polish egg (Linh). Side air cell, SI 72, laid March 29.

 

[Ladybird CA]

The chick just hatched on its own!

This was the chick that pipped the wrong end, SI 68, egg laid March 30 from Pickles the golden polish. The lighter chick is from the buff polish. The challenge would be to tell apart this chick that hatched last from its sibling that hatched first as they are full siblings and are darker buff laced polish (buff polish dad, gold polish mom). Once the chicks dry I’ll consider either marker on toes or bellies.

All eggs had side air cells except the campine had an off centered air cell but was the roundest egg.

 

[StinkyAcres]

It works for me, but I use a different technique. I sexed Someone's Silkie chicks 100% accurately a few years back by my method. They had them DNA sexed afterwards to confirm it. It was a member here on BYC, but don't remember their Username.
I call it the Butterfly Method.

Hey, does your Butterfly Method work on chicks older than a week?

 

[Ladybird CA]

I hadn’t heard of that, interested to know more. Forgot to do the feet method on the chicks, maybe tomorrow or Sunday. Going to update on collected eggs tomorrow too. Too busy at the moment. It’s a high of 13 low -2 C, cloudy though.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Hey, does your Butterfly Method work on chicks older than a week?

No, 1 week max usually, why?

 

[StinkyAcres]

No, 1 week max usually, why?

Okay, thanks! My chicks are currently 2 1/2 weeks and wondered if I could use your method.