California - Northern

[Audio51]

This is a long hatch drama post so feel free to skip it!

Okay, this was a frustrating hatch and I do not want a repeat. I was determined to keep my hands off and not intervene in hatching but I broke my rule last night. I set 8 Pita Pinta eggs, 7 Pita Pinta/Cream Legbar mix eggs, and 10 black Langshan eggs from my new trio. 6 of the PP mix eggs and 6 of the PP eggs hatched on days 20 and 21. Finally, a few of the Langshan eggs had pips on day 22. I quickly took out the hatched chicks that had been in there for around 24 hours climbing all over all the other eggs. I added warm, wet paper towels when I took them out in order to keep the humidity up. By yesterday morning, some of the Langshan eggs had started zipping. I was gone all day so that kept me from intervening. When I came home 8 hours later, they had not made any progress and the membranes around the pips/zips was turning brown. Two of them happened to be under the vent hole on the top of my Genesis. I was able to use a skewer with a Q-tip taped to the end to put some moisture on the membranes and also to break the shell a little around the opening. Five hours later, there was still no progress. I made the opening a little bigger and made sure that they were still breathing and went to bed. This morning, a different chick had zipped and hatched. Also, one more mix chick pipped last night and hatched this morning. One at a time, I took the ones out who were shrink wrapped, broke the shell a little more, wrapped them in warm, wet paper towels and laid them back in the incubator on their sides. 6 Langshan chicks have now hatched and are running around the incubator but I don't know if they will end up having problems because I assisted them. How stressful! I still have one that pipped yesterday but has made no progress (still breathing) and 3 that have not pipped at all.

I have two more sets of eggs incubating that are a mix of chicks including more Langshans. Ron, would you hatch the Langshan eggs in a separate incubator or just leave all the chicks in there for 48 hours while the Langshans are hopefully hatching? I'm also wondering if I need to supplement my Langshans diet at the farm. They are in a breeding pen and are eating King Freedom feed with access to oyster shell. Their egg shells are nice and hard and the membranes seem very strong. My birds here in town free range my backyard, are fed sprouted grain daily, and I supplement their morning Freedom mash with cayenne pepper, kelp powder, alfalfa powder, and milk thistle powder.

One more question. I am getting 3 doz eggs for the Easter Hatch Along. 1 doz each BBS Langshan, FBCM, and Cream Legbars. I'm starting to worry about hatching those 3 breeds together. What happened to my stress free hatching?!!!

I would never skip a long hatch drama post! Those are the ones I like to read most! It sounds like most of them have gotten out IK (with or without help). I had one that pipped and sat for quite a while with that last hatch, so I wouldn't be too discouraged by that. It may be saving up it's energy for a burst and end up zipping/hatching in a very short time. That is what mine did.

If the Langshans are fairly consistent about hatching later, maybe you could just set them a day or so after the others so they are ready to hatch around the same time.

 

[fortyfivefarm]

I would never skip a long hatch drama post! Those are the ones I like to read most!

I agree! This is how we all learn from and help each other.

 

[chiqita]

I can't figure out how to do this on my phone... Power & water here isn't working... don't know why. No heat in the brooder, temp is down to 70 but they seem fine. Debi, sorry about your trouble. Ron I sent you an email.

Kim! Sorry your water and power are out! Hope they get back soon, and glad chicks are unphased!

 

[ronott1]

I can't figure out how to do this on my phone... Power & water here isn't working... don't know why. No heat in the brooder, temp is down to 70 but they seem fine. Debi, sorry about your trouble. Ron I sent you an email.

I replied to the email!

Sorry about the water and power. I hope it is back on soon for you.

 

[Audio51]

Answered my question, lol. It does have an air cell, but it's in the wrong place!



-Kathy

Well...that's something I have not seen before!

 

[Audio51]

Quote:
Ron.......Could this one be turned at this point if it were in a 'bator?

 

[tommysgirl]

I can't figure out how to do this on my phone... Power & water here isn't working... don't know why. No heat in the brooder, temp is down to 70 but they seem fine. Debi, sorry about your trouble. Ron I sent you an email.

Yikes! is there power anywhere on your place? Glad it is a bit warmer today hoping along with everyone else that your power is back soon.


I have my first batch of fermented feed bubbling away in the feed shed. Am seeing conflicting reports on whether or not I should keep it covered. It is in the bottom 3rd of a 5 gallon bucket. Would hate to have it explode

What do you all do?

 

[Audio51]

x2.

Only that would require some of us to name a favorite breed. I have mine narrowed down to 4

Imagine the voice of Count on Sesame Street. Four! Four Favorite breeds!

Mario has been getting back into drawing doing a picture a day as practice.
This mornings conversation went like this
Honey I need you to draw something for me!
Oh what?
Well I need someone in a chicken suit in cuckoo with a soft bat.
Erm...
And then someone else in a p@@@@ costume but with a silkie puff on top. And its gotta be a family friendly p $$$$.
?
And then I need a banner on top that says favored breed fight!
????
And then I need fans on the side carrying different breeds of chickens with banners waving them around!!
????????
Can you have your picture guy make that the picture of the day? It would be cool to have 300 of those!!

Needless to say I did not get the drawing this morning

Why not??? That seems like such a reasonable request....

 

[ronott1]

Ron.......Could this one be turned at this point if it were in a 'bator?

Detached Air cells can move back to the big end, but they are usually on the side of the egg. Shipping detaches the air cell. That egg formed wrong so if you were incubating it, you would need to put it in the turner with the smaller end up.

 

[chiqita]

Yikes! is there power anywhere on your place? Glad it is a bit warmer today hoping along with everyone else that your power is back soon.


I have my first batch of fermented feed bubbling away in the feed shed. Am seeing conflicting reports on whether or not I should keep it covered. It is in the bottom 3rd of a 5 gallon bucket. Would hate to have it explode

What do you all do?

The light is not good for it, so keep it dark, but you don't have to seal it if you are worried about spontanious combustion or explosion. How fermented IS this stuff?? lol. Your gonna have drunk chickens.

Why not??? That seems like such a reasonable request....

I may still get it this weekend! we will all look very muscle bound and manly, most of his training was in comic book style art. he went to an art school for highschool, but his family moved his last year, or I bet he would have ended up a 3d designer for an animation studio. He had that specific set of skills and was in the right place. Of course, 70% of those people got layd off in the last 10 years, lol.