April Hatch Thread--Come Join Us!

[LBKS]

Chick #3 who was working on zipping this morning hasn't made much progress. Hoping it won't need an assist out - slightly worried I may have caused it by taking out the dry chicks when I swapped sponges.

 

[pogmobum]

Chick #3 who was working on zipping this morning hasn't made much progress. Hoping it won't need an assist out - slightly worried I may have caused it by taking out the dry chicks when I swapped sponges.

If it hasn't made any progress by next morning it may have dryed and stuck to the shell you will just have to use a cue tip with some warm water to moisten the membrane and it should come off if you see any bleeding while your doing it put some pressure on it with dry kitchen paper until it stops then put it back in the bator until it absorbs the veins and yolk

 

[Arkansas81]

Howdy Friends!!!
All eggs are doing very well. I am at day 14 on some so another candling again tonight. I've had to take out some but i still have around 40 and i think i'm going to set even more tonight...the first round will start hatching next week.

geez who knew that having a chicken business would take so much time-and be so much fun! i've been able to stop working outside of the house, so this bizzy is my one and only!!! i'm having soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much fun and making more money than i was killing myself making a smidge above minimum wage. i mean who could beat that??? NOT ME.

so i'm rotating incubators like they were on fire! i am doing round robin everyday and loving it!!! well thought i would pop in and say hi!

 

[hokankai]

Chick #3 who was working on zipping this morning hasn't made much progress. Hoping it won't need an assist out - slightly worried I may have caused it by taking out the dry chicks when I swapped sponges.

Is it trying to push out? I tend to assist mine when they have trouble zipping (if they are taking longer than 1-2 hours to zip and pop the cap). It's possible they can get dried to the membrane, are in a strange position, or other reasons and just exhaust themselves to death. It's also possible it has a defect of some sort which is preventing it from progressing.

 

[LBKS]

Is it trying to push out? I tend to assist mine when they have trouble zipping (if they are taking longer than 1-2 hours to zip and pop the cap). It's possible they can get dried to the membrane, are in a strange position, or other reasons and just exhaust themselves to death. It's also possible it has a defect of some sort which is preventing it from progressing.

It looks like it might be a combo of drying membrane and bad position - the chick keeps trying to push out but doesn't seem to get anywhere. I'm going to add a second sponge to up the humidity even more and then wait. If it doesn't make progress tomorrow I'll qtip it. Poor chick though, having a rough first day.

 

[hokankai]

If it is trying to push out I would take it out and assist if it were me. What kind of incubator are you using? I move mine into a steamy bathroom and assist in there. Sometimes the fan in an incubator can dry out the extra fluid in the egg and cement them to the shell.

I tend to assist if they are trying to push out for over an hour and making no progress. Chances are it is done zipping since it is now pushing, and if it's not getting anywhere it can easily exhaust itself.

 

[LBKS]

If it is trying to push out I would take it out and assist if it were me. What kind of incubator are you using? I move mine into a steamy bathroom and assist in there. Sometimes the fan in an incubator can dry out the extra fluid in the egg and cement them to the shell. 

I tend to assist if they are trying to push out for over an hour and making no progress. Chances are it is done zipping since it is now pushing, and if it's not getting anywhere it can easily exhaust itself.

That's a good point. I am using an incubator with a fan which is why I worried about the drying to the membrane. I just worry about being too quick to try and help and then make things worse somehow. I may just check in an hour and reconsider then - especially if it looks tired out.

 

[hokankai]

At this point there's not much to worry about unless you have pips in other eggs. Most problems with assisting happen when people assist before they are ready to come out, usually when they've pipped and not made any progress in awhile. However this little guy is ready and trying to come out, but it sounds like he didn't zip all the way, or didn't zip in a clean line and is having trouble pushing off the top. The longer you wait the harder it will be for the little one to recover, just something to consider.

If you are worried about any other pipped eggs, you can do the steamy bathroom trick, or you can raise the humidity shortly before you open the bator by sticking in a wet paper towel via a vent hole, or you can just toss in a moist sponge when you take out the egg. I have never had trouble with shrink wrapping and I have had a few that had problems zipping. Most of the time I just reach in and gently peel the cap off enough to where all the chick has to do is give one big push to come out. Very fast.

In fact, here's a video of one of my eggs that I needed to assist. He was stuck in an odd position, and this is how I helped him: I assist him around 27:00 http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/29891623

 

[chickydee64]

If it is trying to push out I would take it out and assist if it were me. What kind of incubator are you using? I move mine into a steamy bathroom and assist in there. Sometimes the fan in an incubator can dry out the extra fluid in the egg and cement them to the shell.

I tend to assist if they are trying to push out for over an hour and making no progress. Chances are it is done zipping since it is now pushing, and if it's not getting anywhere it can easily exhaust itself.

X2..............I use a warm wet wash cloth if I have to take one out while zipping...........
The extra moisture seems to make the membrane moist again...
Good Luck.........

 

[oldcaptainrusty]

This cute little fuzz ball was hatched on 4/17. My only hen went broody on just one egg, beig new to this chicken thing I didn't know to add more eggs to her nest.I have raised 5 other chicks in a brooder, they are about 2 1/2 months old now and are in the pen with my one roo and the momma hen. I'm having a ball and my great grand daughters are too. I'm anxious to see how the baby does and if it is going to be a roo or hen. So far the momma is doing a real good job of taking care of the baby.