Anyone setting eggs tomorrow (13th March, EDD Apr 3rd)

[christytrav]

Well guys-
I watched the one that pipped low and I could see her beak poking out and it wasn't moving and didn't appear to be breathing so I pulled it and was going help it but it had already passed. Poor thing must have suffocated in the carton. This will probably be the last time I use the carton method. I think I will try the coffee filters next time. What a rotten way to end a very long day. But I so far have 10 healthy babies so I have to be greatful for that I guess. I'm going to go to bed and try to get some sleep. Night All!!

 

[clothdiaperingmom]

Christy- sorry to hear

. Lost 1 of mine too

 

[KybraBoss]

We're brand new to this forum but set eggs on the same day and are now waiting for the first signs of 12 Silver laced Wyndottes, hopefully for Easter Sunday morning. The tension is worse than waiting for the kids to be born

 

[MIgourdgirl]

Anyone out there who can offer encouragement or advice? I bought eight silkie eggs for my broody gal to set on. I believe they were gathered on 3/9 and I rcd. on 3/10. I had two little sweethearts arrive on 3/31, but nada after that. Haven't seen any pips, etc. Any hope at this point of getting any more? This would be around day 25. Is it getting too late for anyone else to hatch? My friend said usually if the hens are setting on eggs that are no good, they'll start pushing em out of their nesting area? True??? Should I candle at this point to see if anythings going on inside? The eggs feel pretty light to me compared to an egg that is freshly laid. Does that mean anything at all?

 

[loopy12]

JJ, welcome. I don't know. I wouldn't give up hope yet. You could candle them...
My broodies have always known when to give up on a nest, but they've always had a few hatch first, I'm not sure what they would've done if none had hatched - probably sat there indefinitely

Have you candle them at any stage? Either way I think if it was me I'd wait until tomorrow, then if still nothing candle them.

LLsprings: as above, I would think your broody will abandon the nest shortly. If she can't feel movement in them and its been a few days since the others hatched her mothering hormones will kick in and she'll leave the remaining eggs in favor of raising the chicks she already has.

Re grit for chicks, I think they don't need it because chick crumbs are already ground up. When they start eating proper feed and treats then they need grit.
I remember my broodie teaching her chicks to eat grit last year. They kept picking up chunks of gravel and dropping them trying them for size.

Awww. She was a great mom. Hope she goes broody again this year.

As for impacted crops...no...not unless they are eating something other than chick crumb.
When I first got chickens 7 years ago (in england, not here) I got an eglu and 3 point of lay pullets. Nutmeg was so excited by her first experience of grass she ate a huge amount of long grass that balled up in her crop. She got all lethargic, stopped eating and was sleepy all the time, looked sad - you know tail down etc. We'd only had them 2 weeks. I took her to a vet who said she'd never done anything on a chicken before but that her crop was impacted and it would be kinder to put her to sleep. I signed the papers and left sobbing.
An hour later the vet rang and said she'd decided to operate after all - mainly for the experience and out of curiousity, and that Nutmeg had come around now and to come and pick her up! Anyway, she lived to a good old age in the end. But thats how I know all about crops...

Sorry about the two losses last night

Last night chick 3 took ages to zip so I stayed up to cheerlead it. I was worried it was getting stuck to the membrane, so stayed to make sure it was ok - until 3.30am
As soon as it was out chicks 1&2 went for it, pecing its feet, eyes and stuff and I coudn't bare to watch so I quickly whipped out chick 1&2.

There are 5 other pips. There were the same 5 when I went to bed. I got up an hour ago expecting zipping...but nothing

More than that chick 3 has rolled them over so I can;t even see the membrane over the pips going up and down to see if they're ok. Temp was way down this morning too.

We're just into day 22, so

for zipping soon and some more pips.

Not sure whether to sit there and fret or just go back to bed...

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

ok so this morning around 12am i saw the silkies little beak. its now 830 am and still no more progress. still peeping and stuff but no progress. im going to the vet today with a duckling i rescued so hopefully when i get back around 1-2pm it will be out

i am not so worried because it took my duckling a full 30 hours to finally break out so im just going to let nature take its course.... unless it stops cherping LOL

 

[raimnel]

Holy 4 pages since my last post..........

I woke up at 2:30 am and for the next hour watched my EE hatch, chick count 2!! 1 EE and brahma X?
and 6 pips, 3 brahma X? and 3 EE

11 are doing nothing yet but 9 are just starting there 20th day

 

[raimnel]

Here is my 1st hatched welcoming the 2nd hatched to the world. The brahma (#1) can all the way across the bator to see it
Gotta nother hatching gotta run, enjoy the pic

 

[Happy Chooks]

Raimnel......adorable. Congrats!

And congrats to everyone else hatching. And good luck to those of you still waiting.

 

[JJchiknshak]

HI! It's exciting reading all your hatching stories. I have 2 runner ducklings coming next week, so even if I don't have chickies, I'll have something to occupy me.

But I'm really hoping to get a couple. My sebright has been such a good momma.

Does anyone know if broodies are supposed to go into like a lock down mode where they don't leave the nest towards the end?

My girl has been going out once a day.


I have candled, I swear I saw development... I could never see veining though. I figured maybe my light wasn't bright enough?
I did have one bad egg for sure. The other day while my broody was out, my barred rock decided she wanted to sit on the bantam nest. She kicked all the eggs out of the nest and was sitting on them. I reassembled the nest and banty mom took over again. Boy was she upset.

Later in the evening I went to check the nest and 2 of the eggs are cracked. The one has a hole and all I can see is yolk...
I figured it had to be a dud. It was. I opened it and the yolk had lost it's form and just ran out.

So I'm wondering if when I candled the eggs if the shadow I'm seeing isn't a chick, but bad eggs.

This is my first time so I really have no idea what I'm looking at.

Good luck to the rest of you waiting on babies!

I'm going to go out now and let my ducks out. I'll check on the eggs too. I'll let you know if anything changed.