Christmas 2014 Hatch-a-Long (12-25-14)

[ChickenLady2014]

How is the hatching going Honey Bee? Anymore chicks out?

Any little chicks yet Lamancha?

Good luck Happy Dad and bantambury! Fingers crossed that you will have some pips soon yourself.

 

[TheChickenQueen]

7 are out, I had to assist one because he was all backwards and starting to get slightly shrink wrapped. I had one get out perfectly fine but they had spraddle leg. So I'm trying to get the humidity back up again before any others start to shrink wrap.

 

[wornoutmomto3]

Oh, all this excitement! I just love it. I am so glad that every ones chicks are making themselves known. Unfortunately our lull continues. No more pips and all is quiet in the incubator. So unless they all decided to pip and zip tonight I won't know how many more hatch until after Christmas. My neighbor is taking over the monitoring in the morning. So, I am will be off line until after the 26th. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and happy hatching!

 

[ChickenLady2014]

7 are out, I had to assist one because he was all backwards and starting to get slightly shrink wrapped. I had one get out perfectly fine but they had spraddle leg. So I'm trying to get the humidity back up again before any others start to shrink wrap.

Im glad you were able to help the one out. What causes spraddle leg do you know? I'm worried about 1 egg that goes into lockdown tomorrow night, it is a shipped egg & has a horrible saddle shaped aircell. Have read many post that people on here comment about those kind have a tendency to pip on the wrong end. The unfortunate thing is I will be going out of town tomorrow night until mid morning Christmas day. I feel so bad because I planned so poorly. I Didn't have the forsight when I ordered the eggs that the eggs would ship late because of the Thanksgiving holiday or that the shippers might of bottlenecked themselves with auctions ending too near Thankgiving. Most of my eggs did not ship out as stated on the auction. Thus backing up my hatch date into a Holiday that I wasn't even going to be home for. On top of it the weather man is calling for 6 inches of wet, heavy snow for our area just when we're leaving to head to our daughter & son-in-laws house for Christmas eve & Christmas morning. Those kind of storms usually cause power outages and we won't even be home to do anything about it. Just hoping and praying that all goes well and that the electric stays on.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

Oh, all this excitement! I just love it. I am so glad that every ones chicks are making themselves known. Unfortunately our lull continues. No more pips and all is quiet in the incubator. So unless they all decided to pip and zip tonight I won't know how many more hatch until after Christmas. My neighbor is taking over the monitoring in the morning. So, I am will be off line until after the 26th. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and happy hatching!

Here's to hoping you wake up to chicks in the morning. Have a safe and wonderful Christmas. I sure wish I had a neighbor to check on mine.

 

[TheChickenQueen]

Im glad you were able to help the one out. What causes spraddle leg do you know? I'm worried about 1 egg that goes into lockdown tomorrow night, it is a shipped egg & has a horrible saddle shaped aircell. Have read many post that people on here comment about those kind have a tendency to pip on the wrong end. The unfortunate thing is I will be going out of town tomorrow night until mid morning Christmas day. I feel so bad because I planned so poorly. I Didn't have the forsight when I ordered the eggs that the eggs would ship late because of the Thanksgiving holiday or that the shippers might of bottlenecked themselves with auctions ending too near Thankgiving. Most of my eggs did not ship out as stated on the auction. Thus backing up my hatch date into a Holiday that I wasn't even going to be home for. On top of it the weather man is calling for 6 inches of wet, heavy snow for our area just when we're leaving to head to our daughter & son-in-laws house for Christmas eve & Christmas morning. Those kind of storms usually cause power outages and we won't even be home to do anything about it. Just hoping and praying that all goes well and that the electric stays on.

I can't remember, although I remembered that one was heat. The one I helped is acting weak

Now I'm worried. And I've put a lot of water in there so they won't dry. Probably going to move them to the brooder.
Good luck, we will be getting snow over here but normally we don't get power outages normally.

 

[Lamancha]

Six out so far. One is not doing very well, he is huge and looks to have a little something still open in the back. Just a little though, so we will see...

The first four out have formed a gang and are giving all newbies a terrible pecking initiantion. Poor chicks.

Lots of pips still. I can't count anymore because they are all rolled over now (more gang activity).

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone who is leaving to go visit Family.

 

[TheChickenQueen]

We've got 9 out! 8 are in the brooder because they were making a terrible mess in the incubator. And I've spiked the humidity so they won't dry off. Oops.
The one that had to be assisted has a very bad case of spraddle leg and is now wearing a medical tape brace, and is acting more lively!
Most of the eggs have pipped, and the hatch date starts tomorrow night. Why, do they have to start today? I just want a few Christmas chicks

 

[gogetter]

I am so glad to hear about all the chicks! Great job everyone! I guess I'm the little caboose, because we just went into lockdown. Though with everyone's hatching early, maybe I'll be the one with the Christmas chicks! I don't care when they hatch... I just want some to make it out alive! My last blue egg quit since the last candling, but everybody else (14 remaining) looked good. I have a few eggs rocking around. I'm so excited, but trying hard to stay grounded. I have continued to struggle with fluctuating temps, and have a hard time keeping the humidity up. I've been weighing a few eggs periodically. They seem to have lost either the perfect amount, or slightly too much. I've really increased the humidity, and installed a tube so I can add water without opening the bator. Hopefully they won't lose too much more and end up shrink wrapped again. And hopefully they won't get too much and drown when pipping. Ah! So much to worry about! Fortunately, I'm hosting Christmas Eve for 24 people, and haven't even begun to wrap gifts for my 5 kids...So I should have plenty to keep me busy while I wait on pins and needles.

 

[Peep-Chicken]

Glad everyone's hatches are going well. It will be day 20 for me this afternoon.

A gold chick hatched with some yolk. Thinking to my last hatches gold chick expeirence, I put it on a cup until the yolk is absorbed so it doesn't get infection. I have two external pips, otherwise, all is quiet. But the hatched gold chick and another pip have not pipped in the air cell, they are kinda in the middle of the egg.

Wait, make three pips!