April 2021 Hatch - A - Long

[Honora]

I have not. Maybe dislocated hip? I would post a separate thread under "emergencies". Hope the little one recovers.

Thanks. I think the splint is helping; he is walking a lot better now. He still has one foot behind the other but he doesn’t seem to be struggling as much to get around.

 

[wolfwalker]

I have at least one pip. I've been outside working since 6 this morning and when I came in at 6:30 tonight I noticed a pip

 

[WallyG74]

I have 4 chicks hatched so far. Pips all over the place. I had to assist one. We were gone for several hours today. She had been probably 3/4 zipped and gave up. She was going to die so I gently opened the egg and loosened the shell with a q-tip and coconut oil. I wouldn’t have known to do that if it were not for all of you! Thanks so much! She’s moving around but very weak. She has siblings for encouragement and lots to come.

 

[SegiDream]

3 more just hatched for a grand total of 5 chicks out of 7 eggs. Looks like the "6th" is internally pipped, the last may be a quitter but will give them both more time. Not too bad I think for my first DIY incubator and hand turned hatch! It was awesome to watch these last 3 hatch out, once they started zipping they were done in less than 15mins. And glad my daughter got to watch it all too.

One seems a little weak with a little blood where the umbilical is. It pipped externally completely away from the air cell and was one of those that pipped at 1am when I first saw it, finally hatching out 22hrs later. I intervened with neosporin (no coconut oil on hand) to keep the membrane from drying out when I moved the other two to the brooder. Hopefully it just needs a little rest now.

 

[Melontine]

Overreacted a bit today with some mild panic. Things like to go wrong right before hatch, but I don't think any damage was done.

Someone in my family thought it'd be a great idea to close the vent (completely close it, not even just halfway) on the incubator so the eggs could get more humidity. They had plenty already (a little over 70%).
I noticed and wasn't sure how long they had been like that and was pretty upset since the silkies are just a mere 2 days from hatching and everything had been going perfectly up until this point.
I ended up candling a couple just to ease my anxiety a bit, no internal or external pips yet (wouldn't have even opened if I saw any external pips). But the chicks are still alive and moving, I think trying to get into hatching position.

I don't know what exactly would happen with less airflow, but I know it's not good. So in my mind, it jumped to "someone just killed my 19 fully-developed chicks". I'm really glad that's not the case. Vent probably wasn't even closed for an hour.
Definitely not as bad as when the power went out last year (also during lockdown), and even then we still got a decent hatch.

 

[AUChickenGal]

Just put my eggs into lockdown. I have at least one internal pip, because one was cheeping at me during the process; I guess it didn't appreciate being moved around.

 

[Paulsgirl12115]

I had two hatch this morning both doing greqt. 1 hatched about 30 mins ago in the incubator, I'm letting the little one dry for a bit before moving out to the brooder with the other 2 new additions and have several pips. I'll update later on the progress.... And I have 30 ends in the incubator total...... yikes lol

 

[WallyG74]

Morning of day 21. 7 hatched so far. “Little Bit” (the one we had to assist) is doing well. Several pips still in the incubator.

 

[wolfwalker]

I woke up to more pips and 2 had hatched overnight.

 

[Paulsgirl12115]

I have 9 hatched now since midnight and several more pips