Anyone HATCHING?!?!? Newbie's and addicts WELCOME!!!! Hatch Calendar page 1!!!!

[silkymom1986]

Yes they should be fine if you have a heat lamp on them, I do the same thing. So do you have chicks today???

 

[CALI CHICK]

Yes they should be fine if you have a heat lamp on them, I do the same thing. So do you have chicks today???

Yes, all 5 eggs hatched...100%!

The first one at 10:30 pm and the last two around 6am this morning. Wow! I love having these HovaBators to hatch in. It was SO easy. And, like you said about "local eggs"...they seem so much stronger.

By the way, the silkies seemed to take to their new apartment. It is 3X as big as their brooder. I used the same lamp, feeder & waterer so some things were familiar It is literally right by my patio, so I can keep an eye on them without leaving the house.

I have 13 more silkie eggs in the circulating air HovaBator due next Friday......they'll probably come a day early too I'm thinking! The bator bug bit me hard. I am going to feel like "post-partum depression" after this next round hatches. My husband wants me to take a break because he feels we have enough chickens-

I know we'll have to sell some of them because of space, but I just don't know how I'll be able to let go of any.

 

[silkymom1986]

YAY Congrats!!!

I know it is so addicting!!! My DH has told me the same thing, that it's time to give the bator a break since I have had it full since before Christmas, lol. I haven't had a hard time selling them though. I've got 40 in now, started with 48, had 8 quitters for sure, a few others too maybe but I wasn't sure so I left them in till I candle right before lockdown just in case. I am going to have to sell most of these too, we are going to keep some welsummers and RIR's, but probably sell all the silkies. So happy for you!

 

[aaggjg]

Okay I need some advice..... I had to help 3 of my lavender Orps out .... they had been pipped for 24 hours and one was almost completely zipped.... so I knew they were stuck. I had one other egg that had a nice big hole in the shell and I could see the beak moving.... well this morning it was dead.... It looked like it had been shellacked over. Why is this happening?? I had the humidity around 40% for the 1st 18 days as one of the people I got eggs from said the shells were really hard and needed higher humidity.... Then I got it up to 65% for lockdown.... and it fell to 63%.... Seems like that should be good right??? I have tried "dry" incubation before with mixed results on shipped eggs.... on my own they hatch like popcorn..... ANybody have any advice??? It was HEARTBREAKING to see the little beak poking through the hole and not moving.....

In happier news I have 2 more trying to work their way out but am so worried they will get stuck in there too!!! and of course I am at work...... counting the minutes until I can go and check on them......

 

[silkymom1986]

Okay I need some advice..... I had to help 3 of my lavender Orps out .... they had been pipped for 24 hours and one was almost completely zipped.... so I knew they were stuck. I had one other egg that had a nice big hole in the shell and I could see the beak moving.... well this morning it was dead.... It looked like it had been shellacked over. Why is this happening?? I had the humidity around 40% for the 1st 18 days as one of the people I got eggs from said the shells were really hard and needed higher humidity.... Then I got it up to 65% for lockdown.... and it fell to 63%.... Seems like that should be good right??? I have tried "dry" incubation before with mixed results on shipped eggs.... on my own they hatch like popcorn..... ANybody have any advice??? It was HEARTBREAKING to see the little beak poking through the hole and not moving.....

In happier news I have 2 more trying to work their way out but am so worried they will get stuck in there too!!! and of course I am at work...... counting the minutes until I can go and check on them......

When you helped your 3 lav orps was the one you could see the beak movin on already pipped? It could have gotten shrink wrapped while you were helping the others. If I have to help mine I always try to mae sure none of my other eggs have pips as this has happened to me before. So sorry for your loss. Did the lav orps you halped make it?

 

[aaggjg]

Yes they all made it!!! Helped last one out this morning
That makes 7 out of 9 that went into lockdown and 7 out of 11 on shipped eggs!
All the way from NY to CA .... This was my 2 nd attempt at these as the 1st batch 0 out of 14 hatched. So I'm not complaining. I have never had such success with shipped eggs. I've been lucky to get 1 or 2.

So I'm thrilled despite the loss. . I'll post pictures later when I move them to the brooder.

 

[Melissa Rose]

With orps they tend to be big and fat chicklets to start and if the humidity is a little high during the first stages of incubation the chicklets will grow to large to zip properly. They can pip but not zip. I do a dry incubation and watch them like hawks when they are hatching. If they pip but don't zip within about 9 hours I usually intervene. I know you are not supposed to but I just can't bear to lose a healthy chicklet because it was just a little large for it's shell

 

[CALI CHICK]

Hi SilkieMom!
I wanted to share a picture with you of my silkies' first time on the grass. I thought they might be afraid and timid, but they LOVED it. I honestly think they were upset with me when I put them back into their coop. And, they crowd up to the door hoping for playtime again it looks like-LOL! Too bad it's raining today....They'll have to wait for a sunny day. Oh, my big girls came over to check out who was in their tractor. I can almost guess what they're saying..."What do you chicks think you are doing in OUR tractor, cluck, cluck!"

 

[aaggjg]

Thanks so much Melissa. I had a feeling that might have been what happened. I was incubating them with some other eggs and the seller told me that their eggs needs higher humidity .... So I ran it higher then I usually do. I actually helped 4 out..... And am kicking myself about the other one ... It got rolled over so I couldn't see the pip and as it was 4am I totally forgot

I had one egg a few days before have the same thing happen but I hadn't opened the incubator at all..... So I don't think it was "shrink wrapped" per se. It looked painted over a few times and the liquid had glued the egg to the carton.

I'm am back to running lower humidity in my bator and hopefully I won't have this problem again!!

 

[silkymom1986]

Hi SilkieMom!
I wanted to share a picture with you of my silkies' first time on the grass. I thought they might be afraid and timid, but they LOVED it. I honestly think they were upset with me when I put them back into their coop. And, they crowd up to the door hoping for playtime again it looks like-LOL! Too bad it's raining today....They'll have to wait for a sunny day. Oh, my big girls came over to check out who was in their tractor. I can almost guess what they're saying..."What do you chicks think you are doing in OUR tractor, cluck, cluck!"

Awww, how cute!!! My chickens start pacing the door everyday when they see my car drive up, lol. Because they know it's time to come out and play! People say chickens are stupid, but are actually pretty smart IMO!