Anyone up to set their eggs on Valentine's day with me?

[Chickenpoor]

I set my eggs valentines day around 6pm and right now I hear lots of peeping and can see that there are just a few left that have pipped and just have to zip. I set 6 dozen Cuckoo marans eggs and went into lock down with around 5 1/2 dozen. I will take pics and give an exact number when I pull them out either late tonight or early tomorrow.

 

[Chickenpoor]

Update: I took the chicks that had hatched out because the incubator temp was wanting to rise (my guess is because there were so many hatched chicks in it) and so far I have a total of 48 Cuckoo marans and 2 mutts and there are still eggs hatching.

 

[Pascal PicklePants]

I had to make the very difficult decision to cull a chick today. It was one of the salmon faverolles. It was born with crossed beak and was not eating or drinking effectively. He was being picked on by the other chicks, and was in a constant state of distress. I considered separating him and nursing him along, but in the end I decided that fighting against the natural order of things would be a cruelty in the long run. I've read too many stories about cases like this slowly starving to death over the course of months. As hard as it was and as much as I am second guessing myself, I feel I made the responsible and humane decision. I just wanted to get this off my chest. Thanks.

 

[pnp4kidz]

I feel for you Pascal... that must have been horrible, but you did the right thing.
It is our duty to help them pass as swiftly and humanely as possible when we know they will have no quality of life.
Take care, the chick if flying free now...

 

[Silkie Sue]

i'm sorry you had one that broke your heart....
you did the right thing.

congratulations on the your healthy fuzzy butts

 

[HathawayHens]

Quote:
Sorry... that is really hard to do.

I think it was very selfless and kind of you to make that decision, if it helps at all. I know it's tough to lose one like that, but so nice that it's not suffering.

 

[Pascal PicklePants]

Thanks everybody, it does help.
Now for more positivity, It sounds like most of us had (or are having) pretty successful hatches!
I can't wait to see pictures of all the little ones! And congrats to everybody that has new additions!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

You may hear stories from other folks about how they successfully raised or kept a cross-beaked chicken. But one that was like that from the start, and who was getting bullied already by the others, and who had such difficulty eating/drinking and was in such distress, that was one that just needed your help to Cross The Road. Chicks like that who hatch in the wild are like the taxes the hen pays to Mother Nature, it was born to be a snack food item. Pascal, you did a kindness for that chick.

I posted a photo of Q-Tip & her family in post #9 of this post : https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=451982

 

[HathawayHens]

sooooo... I had three eggs due tonight that still hadn't hatched... since the others were early, I figured something had gone wrong... no movement at all on candling, so carefully peeked in... all were dead.

I investigated... one had been dead a while and had some yucky fluid in with it, another was still all curled up in its shell but the beak had made a hole down low somehow (??) and a third was not pipped, looked like its head was turning up to do so, but there was blood all inside the membranes... maybe it hit its own veins? So that bums me out, but there are 8 chicks running around in the brooder, so that's something. One has a swollen eye... gonna watch that, hope it's nothing! Pics will be up later! It was great hatching with you all, even though I found you later...

 

[GoodKids]

I had to make the very difficult decision to cull a chick today.

Finally had 2 chickies hatch early this morning! Woot! One has a great pair of lungs, so I've been up since 3!

I have a chick pipping and one of the turkey eggs just pipped. Hoping to get some more wee ones today so I won't have to do too much guess work on intervening with the others.​