Body hatching with Coturnix

[birdymama]

Ok so. My mother had one of her coturnix go broody and allowed her to sit on 4 eggs. She seperated her from the others after one of the babies hatched and was pecked to death. The mother squashed the other and stopped sitting on her eggs. So she asked me to hatch them. It's been over a year since i've done this. She did not record the date of when these began so i have two unknown hatch dates. I have one egg that appears close to hatching and another that looks red with a small dark shadow. cannot tell what day that one is on but it's not making any dangerous noises and does not small so i'm guessing all is good.

Can anyone give me an approximate date on the second?

Weights are 6.96 on the Alpha one and 8.42 on the Beta. If that helps. Not keen to float test as my previous attemps resulted in exploding eggs. (thankfully not on my person).

The air bubble is largish on the one close to hatching the dark fills the entire egg bar a cm between the chick and the air sack so i figure i have 2 days on that one. Should it be rocking or making noise? Don't know if they are still alive.

Don't have pics. Camera not working. Please keep comments mature and civil.

Thanx. Not urgent.

(Body hatching is an alternative method used before incubators originally by Chinese women to hatch eggs)

Coturnix incubation is 18 days to hatching


Alpha is alive. I heard it chirp when i took them out to weigh.

 

[Pontata]

I keep having them die around 10 days. Anything I'm doing wrong?

 

[birdymama]

Could be anything, strong vibrations of public transport, cold, or sweat, possibly deoderant or soaps? If you feel you are sweating too much place a single tissue between your skin and the egg. I use bi-carb as a deoderant because i don't feel safe using the brand types. And use coffee scrub and dove soap in the shower, aloe vera gel and limes for my skin out of the shower, but avoid using it near the area of contact with the egg. I am not sure if normal soaps and deodorants are too harsh. But i shouldn't imagine so.

 

[birdymama]

Had six of them hatch over the past month, had two quit in incubation due to going cold while i was asleep and had a third that hatched but fell from a height while i was preparing a lamp for it and died from internal injuries a day later. Here are some pics of my surviving babies.

 

[birdymama]

Mum gave me another 5 eggs not sure what day they were on, it is winter and the chicks never survive in good temperatures, so here i am again. Of those 5 two were viable. One had a break in it, i put a bandaid with silver in the bandage part and a bit of betadine and crossed my fingers. Seems to be doing ok. Here are my notes on their progress so far. It was helpful to have my previous data to compare to above. and the following link for candling pics was most useful.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...rogression-though-incubation/430#post_5923663

 

[stargazer1974]

Mum gave me another 5 eggs not sure what day they were on, it is winter and the chicks never survive in good temperatures, so here i am again. Of those 5 two were viable. One had a break in it, i put a bandaid with silver in the bandage part and a bit of betadine and crossed my fingers. Seems to be doing ok. Here are my notes on their progress so far. It was helpful to have my previous data to compare to above. and the following link for candling pics was most useful. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...rogression-though-incubation/430#post_5923663

Ok, I am completely intrigued. Where do you keep them while incubating? very interesting!

 

[birdymama]

I stuff them in my bra in a tissue during the day and put them in a small wooden box i clutch to my chest under covers at night. Human body temp is 36 degrees Celsius. Warm enough to hatch eggs, and better control than an incubator, no electricity, no humidity needed, in fact i would warn against adding humidity at all.

 

[birdymama]

My new babies... Healthy and kicking. (hint, feed banana in the first week to get them enough vitamins, heard that they can die from vitamin deficiency in the first week.poke at whatever you want them to eat, and keep in mind, one on it's own will bond more readily with you than two or more even if it only hatches earlier than the others.)


Still have one egg.