Anybody else on LOCKDOWN?? Hatch day Aug. 5th!

[ChooksChick]

I think I would still give Patience some time- It may be worthwhile givving some TLC- I think the times I've succeeded when it didn't look good, it was partly because of the physical affection- many scientific studies indicate it makes a ton of difference, and in nature, momma would be in constant physical contact and picking herself up to nudge with her beak and all- I paid a lot of attention to my broody to see how things were done when she had just hatched the chicks before. I advocate for loves!!!

I had one here that wasn't really active for nearly 2 days, and then she just sat up finally and has been sitting when her peers are all piling on and around her. I think she's just not able to, and if she's like my Polish was, she'll be able to eventually, but perhaps needs some extra care. Polish got baby parrot food and got stronger fast! She couldn't stand up for over a week before that, though.

I think I'm willing to go to much farther lengths than most to be sure I have don all I can- clearly if you've IV'd a chick, you're cut from the same cloth!!

Bless you for that- I know it's hard to be us, but it's rewarding to know you're doing something for another they can't do for themselves- it's a mixed blessing.

I'm going to stare at the hatcher for a half hour more, and then I'll walk away from 7 pips and this BCM zipper for 5 hours- going to my mom's an hour away! That's the longest I can be gone because of the roo and his needs...I hope all goes well!

I hope you get some more action, too- it's very frustrating to have to wait!

 

[2txmedics]

OMG!! Last night on the last checking of the hatch ...my small dog went with me. Today got up n saw my temp was at 88 and humidity 67. I just noticed at noon its un plugged!!!! I still have 16eggs to hatch n 2 babies in ICQ in there. Hope it didn't hurt. Patience still can't get up.

 

[chickiemomma4]

Hi Guys!

Sorry I have been gone for a while. My one little chickie with the splayed leg is really keeping me busy. Seh can't walk. Her right leg was sticking straight out to the side. I did research here and followed the instructions to hobble her with a 3/4 in bandaid. It is helping , but she can't eat of drink on her own, so I have been feeding her with an eye dropper and thin grule. She fights me, but she did her first poop today that I have seen and it almost sitting up straight. It's alot of work, but maybe she will make a great setter one day. She is a Blue Cochin. I had 4 of their eggs and the rest were Buff Orpingtons.

I know I said I was going to share my last hatch method with you when I came back. First let me say my first hatch was a diaster. My thermometer that came with my bator was off by 3 degrees which I didn't know, so the temp was way to low. I had a digital in there and thought it was wrong and the bulb was wrong, but it was the other way around. So my babies did not develop (didn't absorb their yolk sacs like they should have.) I didn't have but 8 eggs thank God. None of them made it. So I searched all over BYC and found a thread about humidity. It is an older thread and was as long as a novel, but I read the whole thing. I decide to follow the instructions of 3 or 4 folks that talked about the dry hatch method. One poster was Jamie821. She told of how many she had drown in the egg and never really had good hatchs until her sister in law I beleive it was went to work for a hatchery and she told Jamie how they did it. Also one poster said he used to hatch 5,000 eggs a week and alway had great success. He said if you don't get at least 85% hatch rate then you are doing somethink wrong. Seems that is the hudimity isn't low enough the moisture doesn't evaporate enough and the clicks drown in the egg after fully developing most times. So I tried it and I had a 100% hatch rate. I did have the last three get shrink wrapped because the hudimity dropped to 47% one night when I was so tired and I didn't wake up in the middle of the night. I'll tell you about that later.

So here is the directions they gave.
1)Temperature at 99.5
2) Days 1-18.....Humidity at as close to 35% as you can get it or 35-38%. Never below 25% or above 40% one said and the other said never above 50%. So I kept mine as close to 35% as I could get it. When I candled at day 10 there was a good sized air sac.
3)Last 3 days.....55-60% humidity.....target 58%

I was not sure about this method, but after all I read I knew they were on to something. Now, bear in mind that I live near the coast of NC with high humidity, so it may not work for somethat lives in the mountains where it is dry.

See if you can find that thread. It is worth its weight in gold. I'll be back later to share what I did with the shrink wrapped babies. WOW all that typing wore me out! LOL

 

[ChooksChick]

Well, we left after watching the last BCM finally exit the shell, and when we came home we had a couple of friends in there with him/her. Now all but 2 of the 8 RIR/BR eggs are done, and all are in the brooder.

I'm concerned about Tardy, the last BCM.

This baby had a very large yolk bloat- and a red, swollen vent. It almost appears as though it has diaper rash, as it pooed in the shell.

It also either is rumpless, or it has so much yolk it appears as though there is no tail bone! I'm definitely seeing it do the back-up-wanna-poo dance, but nothing is exiting. It may be too early for it to have poo, but it also seems like it's got some mix-up or something, vent-wise.

Has anyone experienced this? I think I'll start a new thread for it. Bummage.

 

[NashChic]

Quote:
I live in Nashville and I used this method too - with great success. I also weighed my eggs along the way to judge the weight-loss. Thanks for sharing!! It's great info!

And congrats on your last hatch!

 

[NashChic]

Oh! Get better Tardy! I love BCMs, but I can't find any around here and I didn't want to try to hatch any (since they cost some $) until I knew I had a method that worked. I don't have any advice for you, but lots of support and good thoughts

Give us an update or let us know where the new thread is... I wanna keep up

 

[2txmedics]

Ok, Question...baby chicks what is there poop suppose to be like? Fighter just did go and it was tar black!!! I found this very strange, he is drinking water out of the bator and in his own private brooder seperator in the brooder with the rest.

Due to Patience progress, he had to be put down, Im not happy at all with this...but he seemed to be not doing good, and his breathing was more on the labor side. I couldnt see him sufferring like he was, he was able to drink water, but DH said nope..has to be put down.

Im angry, tell you why tomm...when DH around....off line but can check my byc on my cell.

Im very sad at this outcome. Please let me know on Fighters Potty habit, thanks all.

 

[chickiemomma4]

Hey NashChic

Thanks for the thumbs up! What a relief it was to see all those Guff Orpingtons popping right out of their shells. I am still having to work hard on my little splay foot chickie. I have been having to force feed her almost with an eye dropper but she is getting stronger and starting to hop around. I was able to get her to peck just a little at some dry food and THEN! While ago I go in their room and she is trying to get in the food bowl. So I gave her a boost and a little while ago she was in there pecking. I'm really hoping she makes it. She keeps making baby steps forward. The rest are like jet propelled streakers. Boy they are fast on the take off.

So sorry to hear about Patience. This is so much fun, but so hard when we loss them. I need to het my pics loaded for your guys to see. Night all.

 

[2txmedics]

hello all, sorry Ive been gone....had to go to my mother in laws which is like 2hrs from us...for the day....On Patience I had to put him down, Im very upset with DH...I gave them web page to the humane way to put a baby down...read it, and then when I got out of the shower....I said well did you read it, and understand what we have to do...I was already having a hard time with this...yup.

Ive already put him down....how?...took a knife and just cut his little head off, I know this was the best thing, as he was suffering daily and I also know this is how you put any roo/hen down...but that baby all I could hear was him pipping and chirping. Fighter...still weak but drinks on his own, not really eating....

Has hsi right leg out...so I need to know how to hobble him!!!!! if at all possible...Now my other 17 eggs...NOT HATCHING, ZIPPING OR SOUNDS....today is day 25th...time to give it up, right????