Anyone hatching Dec 14th? Looking for hatching buddies for 1st hatch!

[Spinster_Sister]

Good Morning all!

This may sound foolish but, as the hatch day grow closer do the chicks slow down in movement? I know that my soon to be(s) have slowed down a lot .... but then the eggs look 95% black now....any thoughts??

 

[4CrazyGirlz]

Those sound about like mine. I guess it is because they are getting so big and it gets hard to move around as much. The dark eggs are pretty much impossible to see any movement now since they are bigger. I could see a little bit better if I moved the light to where it was coming in through the pointy end of the egg. Even then, about half of them were moving very little. Hopefully it was just nap time or something.

 

[MTtroutwithwings]

First, I like to thank everyone for their condolences regarding my hen, when your attached to your birds the way I tend to get, only a true BYC'er can understand.
Second, hatching is very secondary to me, I read all the concerns from the newbies and just giggle to myself because I started off like that. RELAX, it will all be fine! Spinster-sister, the babies are crammed pack in their eggs now, your not going to see any movement just all black. you may start to hear them peeping though! Mine will start before they even pip their eggs or shortly there after.
I've hatched chickens, guineas and ducks so just sit back and enjoy the experience! You may experience a fatality or two but if they too weak to hatch then they probably would have been to weak to survive. Nature has it's way of weeding out the sick ones. I knows these words may not make it any easier but once you've been through it a couple of times you become use to it.
Please feel free to PM me with other concerns, I'd be happy to help.

 

[Rin]

Quote:
Thank you and I'm sorry about your hen too.

I'm just not good with losses like that, especially with animals. I don't have human children so I get incredibly attached to my animals... They /are/ my children. My boss at work even jokes that I'm expecting babies - not chicks - because of how fondly and excited I speak of them. I guess a huge part of my fussing about possibly killing them all is that I'm afraid if i get too attached or.. start counting my chickens before they hatch... none will.

Hmm, I do have one question for you though. How long before actual hatch do you generally hear peeps? Their hatch date is meant to be tomorrow but they're completely quiet and still. Also, for some reason the temp in my bator is trying to plummet despite it actually getting warm in and outside of my house. I had to increase the heat a small nudge on the bator because I'm not making it hotter in here. I'll die of heat stroke XD But even with the increase the temp still lowered inside my incubator. i don;t get what might be causing this. Chicks moving? Preparing to hatch? I don't get it.

 

[sekinkead]

My eggs go into lockdown Wednesday evening!!! I only have two that made it to lockdown. That is ok since I only set 4. 1 was not fertile and one quit around day 5 or so. I am sooo excited. Can't wait!!!!

 

[larryj57]

MY 24 RIR eggs go on lock down in the morning, the problem is i go out of town in the morning and won't get back until late Saturday night, i should have chicks by then and I will have to set up the brooder Saturday nght after a full day of travel. Oh well the price you pay wish me luck.

 

[LovinMyPeeps]

Well I candled again

Looks like 0% fertility, but since I'm new to this I'm waiting until the last minute to give up hope. Oh well. No little Anna's.... guess I'll try the bator again in the spring when it's more reasonable up here for weather.

-Kristen

 

[Eggcellent]

Quote:
It is going to get more and more difficult to see anything as the eggs approach lockdown. Basically towards the end there is very little egg white left so you can't see movement very well. As long as its a big dark mass in there you are probably ok.

Now I gotta go candle my eggs

 

[4CrazyGirlz]

Checked mine tonight. They look AWESOME!!!!! I am getting so excited!!! I wish my camera would behave so I could share.

 

[MTtroutwithwings]

Quote:
Thank you and I'm sorry about your hen too.

I'm just not good with losses like that, especially with animals. I don't have human children so I get incredibly attached to my animals... They /are/ my children. My boss at work even jokes that I'm expecting babies - not chicks - because of how fondly and excited I speak of them. I guess a huge part of my fussing about possibly killing them all is that I'm afraid if i get too attached or.. start counting my chickens before they hatch... none will.

Hmm, I do have one question for you though. How long before actual hatch do you generally hear peeps? Their hatch date is meant to be tomorrow but they're completely quiet and still. Also, for some reason the temp in my bator is trying to plummet despite it actually getting warm in and outside of my house. I had to increase the heat a small nudge on the bator because I'm not making it hotter in here. I'll die of heat stroke XD But even with the increase the temp still lowered inside my incubator. i don;t get what might be causing this. Chicks moving? Preparing to hatch? I don't get it.

Hi Rin,
I usually will start to whistle to them after I've taken them off the turner or what everyone now refers to as LD. then they will respond. My DH thinks I'm nuts but then I'll find him doing too.

He can whistle in the same tone as a baby chick peeping, it's great! It's my way of letting them know someone is out there waiting for them.
Don't need to raise with you room temperature above 70-75, depending on your comfort level. The room my bator is in is around 64 deg but the bator stays between 98-102 with it's normal cycle. Be sure your humidity is up above 75%. The heat outside the bator may be effecting it's thermostat causing it to cool down, just a theory. When they do start to pip it can take up to 24 hrs before they emerge, it's a lot of work for them with so little space to work in. They have to gradually turn in the egg to complete what it call the zip.
Hope this information helps, good luck and take a deep breath!