Anybody setting eggs this weekend? (4-25-15)

[NTBugtraq]

I've just realized, I think, that I had my eggs upside-down in the bator the whole time. I put them in round side down, which I think now is incorrect?? How much effect do you think doing this has on hatch-rate? I'm sitting at 50% atm (now beginning day 22).

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Yes you are right, I'm afraid they have been the wrong way. They should be set pointy end down and fat end up so the air sac is at the top of the egg. Do you have them on their sides now in the incubator? Incubating with them the wrong way can cause the chicks to be malpositioned in the egg. You may have pips in the wrong end of the egg. Some may not pip at all. Wrong end pippers take longer to hatch and you may have to assist as they miss out the internal pip part of hatching but still have yolk and blood vessels to absorb. Here is a link that has a section on malpositioned chicks > https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

Good luck with your eggs

 

[CrazyChickenCat]

I'm a nerd, hatch day was today for the bcms, not yesterday. I've got 6 babies and 1 pip so far. . Another amazing hatch of shipped eggs from survival seed sowers. Fingers crossed for my polish hatch tomorrow! Happy hatching everybody!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I'm on day 20 and have 7 hatched at the moment at least 5 pips I can see not sure on the ones I can't see though. 25 made it to lockdown, 4 Amber x polish and 21 polish.

Congrats on your hatchers CrazyChickenCat, happy hatching to you too and everyone else

 

[NTBugtraq]

Yes you are right, I'm afraid they have been the wrong way. They should be set pointy end down and fat end up so the air sac is at the top of the egg. Do you have them on their sides now in the incubator? Incubating with them the wrong way can cause the chicks to be malpositioned in the egg. You may have pips in the wrong end of the egg. Some may not pip at all. Wrong end pippers take longer to hatch and you may have to assist as they miss out the internal pip part of hatching but still have yolk and blood vessels to absorb. Here is a link that has a section on malpositioned chicks > https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

Good luck with your eggs

Yorkshire coop, thanks so much for that link, its a lot of good information. Today is day 22 for me, so I am definitely not doing anything until the beginning of day 23 (3:00pm tomorrow).

Meanwhile, my chicks are a mix of BCM (rooster) and Red Sexling (hens). I read another thread about crosses in the opposite direction, but nothing with the rooster as BCM. Can anyone suggest anything about my 2 distinctly different chick types?

 

[NTBugtraq]

Yes you are right, I'm afraid they have been the wrong way. They should be set pointy end down and fat end up so the air sac is at the top of the egg. Do you have them on their sides now in the incubator? Incubating with them the wrong way can cause the chicks to be malpositioned in the egg. You may have pips in the wrong end of the egg. Some may not pip at all. Wrong end pippers take longer to hatch and you may have to assist as they miss out the internal pip part of hatching but still have yolk and blood vessels to absorb. Here is a link that has a section on malpositioned chicks > https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

Good luck with your eggs

I forgot to answer your question. Yes, they are laying on their side now, have been since Thursday morning.

 

[ClarkesCluckers]

5 out of 6 eggs have hatched. Wahooo

 

[FoxyChicken]

Woo Hoo!! Looks like everybody is starting to get some chicks!

Well my broody answered my question about the remaining eggs today... she's had the babies out off the nest all day! I cracked them open and there were no fully developed chicks in them.
I am just in awe of my broody. She's got those babies eating, drinking, scratching, pecking, responding to different vocalizations... she was a hatchery chick so how does she know about all of this? Instincts are amazing!

 

[NTBugtraq]

5 out of 6 eggs have hatched. Wahooo

Gratz!! What day are you on?

 

[NTBugtraq]

....I am just in awe of my broody. She's got those babies eating, drinking, scratching, pecking, responding to different vocalizations... she was a hatchery chick so how does she know about all of this? Instincts are amazing!

They sure are. Not to take anything away from the great instructions your broody is giving those chicks, but its hilarious for me to watch chicks in my brooder for the first time. One chick pecks at something and 3 others come and peck at exactly the same thing, whether its wood chips, food, or water. My feeder has like 14 openings down each side...so one pecks in one hole, another comes and wants to peck in the same hole. Its like they're associating with the action, not the smell or sight.

Anyone else got chicks lying down with one leg stuck out behind them? Almost all of mine have done this at some point, and every time I see it they look like they've dropped dead mid-step...