Australorps breed Thread

[DesertChic]

I know there is wisdom in this. I've often wondered if harm is being done by letting the chick run around and play "soccer" with his siblings. If one as pipped and it gets rolled over on the pip, well.... I worry about these things.

Usually, they are in the incubator until they are nice and dry and moving around. Then off to the brooder they go! I feel the time they do spend out of the shell in the brooder still "activates" the other eggs to get them going.

MrsB

I've never managed to leave a chick in the incubator for longer than an hour...and that's actually a massive improvement for me. My first hatch, I broke at twenty minutes. Now I observe the remaining eggs more closely and guess as to whether they will hatch sooner rather than later. I know I'm acting in defiance of wisdom, but it's a personality flaw.

 

[ronott1]

I've never managed to leave a chick in the incubator for longer than an hour...and that's actually a massive improvement for me. My first hatch, I broke at twenty minutes. Now I observe the remaining eggs more closely and guess as to whether they will hatch sooner rather than later. I know I'm acting in defiance of wisdom, but it's a personality flaw.

The chicks need to stay in long enough to fluff up. Unless you are drying them off with a blow dryer?

Otherwise they can get too cold as the moisture dries--Gives them pasty butt or sometimes kill them.

 

[jbkirk]

I know there is wisdom in this. I've often wondered if harm is being done by letting the chick run around and play "soccer" with his siblings. If one as pipped and it gets rolled over on the pip, well.... I worry about these things.

Usually, they are in the incubator until they are nice and dry and moving around. Then off to the brooder they go! I feel the time they do spend out of the shell in the brooder still "activates" the other eggs to get them going.

MrsB

If you use a egg carton to hatch them in it keeps them from playing soccer.

 

[ronott1]

If you use a egg carton to hatch them in it keeps them from playing soccer.

Yes! I really like hatching in cartons or plastic hatching trays.

Sorry, they are not Australorps. They are Arkansas blue egg layers and Penedesencas:

 

[ThatFarmerChick]

Yeah...once mine start pipping, peeping, chirping, rocking and finally hatching I tend to lose hours each day standing over the hatching eggs and willing those little chicks out into the world, cheering them on, bribing them...whatever works. I've seen first-hand how having at least one hatched chick in that incubator encourages others to become more active....usually. They definitely communicate with one another, but even when I've removed a lone hatchling while the rest of the eggs seemed to remain "asleep", that hatched chick would hear and communicate with the ones chirping within their eggs. I watched my little "Bosch" Bielefelder chick run to the edge of the brooder and begin chirping loudly and excitedly whenever he heard one of the chicks still in their egg begin chirping. 

Speaking of Bielefelders....if I had them first I may have never had as many breeds chicken breed. I will be finding more hatching eggs, just for a few Bielefelders. I seriously would sell Everything except My Black birds and Sulmtalers for them.

 

[orumpoultry]

I'm dying here. That chick is the only one out. He's so LOUD. I am so unprepared for a botch hatch. I'm praying... Candled, still life. Pleeeease just be late.

 

[ronott1]

I'm dying here. That chick is the only one out. He's so LOUD. I am so unprepared for a botch hatch. I'm praying... Candled, still life. Pleeeease just be late.

If you cannot find a couple of chicks for the lone chick, try putting a mirror in the brooder--along with a little stuffed animal.

 

[orumpoultry]

It's got a feather duster to cuddle with, problem is it's imprinted on me. The feather duster does not compare. Here's more pictures!!

 

[jbkirk]

It's got a feather duster to cuddle with, problem is it's imprinted on me. The feather duster does not compare. Here's more pictures!!

It looks like it has nothing better to do than "eat drink and be merry". Hope others hatch.

 

[jbkirk]

We have a pip, we have a pip, we have a pip, we have a pip, YAY