Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

guys need an opinion. Have duck eggs in styrofoam incubator, the last time when it came time to hatch they pipped one small hole but never got any farther, I eventually helped them out but lost 4 out of 6. These eggs were pipping and sounding pretty loud at 7 this morning. I see no zipper just the origanal little hole in shell How long do I wait before I help these little guyspot? thanks

Milomac you need the humidity up high to hatch ducks. Best bet at this point is to soak a hand towel or wash rag in hot faucet water and wring it out just enough so it doesn't drip every where. Lay that under those duck eggs. Be sure the pipped part stays on top. Or if you can spray them without letting any enter the pip you can carefully spritz the shells with warm clean water.
Only help if for over 24 hours they make no progress. Wash your hands really well and wet a finger with clean warm water. Dampen the inner membrane with your finger and see if it appears there is still blood flowing in the membrane. If not, then you can proceed slowly with the tweezers. Gently use a pair of tweezers and only remove a tiny bit of the inner membrane at a time. If there is any evidence of blood at all -STOP!
If you end up with Sticky ducks you can put them under warm faucet water and gently work some of the gook off of them. But then use a towel and rub them to get them as dry as you can. Then from a distance so it doesn't get too hot you can use a hair dryer on them as you fluff up their fuzz. Then put them back in the incubator to finish drying DO NOT let them get chilled at all or they will die.
Michelleml you are more than welcome to vent here. Even though most of us have never met you many of us have been on board as things happened with your husband. We do care and personally you could write me every day to vent.
I too am worried about my finances for the next couple months...another government related problem that threatens my ability to pay my bills and feed my birds. But thank God I don't have a husband with cancer on top of it. I'm scared of loosing everything I have worked for my whole life.
I know this doesn't help, but I went through some really really tough times many years ago. I had my utilities shut off in the dead of winter and I had 4 small kids at home that I was trying to feed and keep warm. I went without food myself just so my kids could eat. They didn't have much of a Christmas that year and it just broke my heart. I had my full right arm including my fingers and thumb in a cast for over three years and it was during that time all this was happening so I was pretty helpless myself. I was also a recently singled mom with no child support. My point in all this is to let you know when things seem like they couldn't get worse you can get by. Things will work out.
And then when it is all over it makes you so much stronger. It makes you appreciate everything in life. And believe it or not those times become special times for you and your children in the future.I'll pray for you and yoru family.
It's been really miserable here again today. I moved some more birds around today. I got some I had in a small pen moved to the larger grow out pen and put what few guineas I have in the small pen. That made a tiny bit more room in the brooder.
I need to get some peepers put on some male pheasants and move some older pheasant together as well. Then I would have a place to put some young ones I have hatched that don't need the heat any more.
I hatched some chicks for a neighbor and they came and got them today and ended up taking home 5 little ducks I had just hatched and didn't really have a place to keep. I think DH was disappointed cause he loves the babies but I have to do the cleaning up.

 

[HEChicken]

Michelle, I am so sorry about all of your worries, and as Danz said, you are welcome to vent here any time. We all care about you and that is what online forums are for - that and sharing of information.

Our fencing is largely in - the guys have been here the past two days working in the heat. I felt so bad for them and kept offering they could take the day off and come back when its cooler but I guess they didn't want to get behind schedule and have other jobs after this one. It is looking really good and I'm so excited to be able to turn the sheep out on the pasture at long last.

I had a duck hatch 3 ducklings about a week ago but she wouldn't get off the nest. I chided her yesterday because her ducklings are raising themselves, getting around the hoop coop and finding food and water, while all she does is sit on that darned nest. I took most of the eggs away but left her with [I thought] one egg, since it wasn't stinky and she was getting so upset. I planned to take that last egg away today. I went out this morning and she had a new duckling that hatched overnight! So glad I didn't take that egg away! But, it turns out she still has another egg under her - she kept it well hidden yesterday - and she's STILL sitting so now I'm afraid to take that one away in case it is still viable too. I just can't believe a 4th duckling hatched a week after the other 3. Unfortunately, it somehow got out of the hoop coop today. When I went down there at midday, there were only 3 ducklings and I thought I dreamt the whole thing and then I heard peeping and there it was on the outside of the hoop coop. It is still new enough it let me just come right up and pick it up and reunite it with Mama Duck and siblings. But, however it got out, it scraped up one eye pretty well and it looks like it may be blind in that eye. Its not a big deal since I am raising them for meat anyway, but I feel bad to think of it suffering.

 

[sharol]

And then there were 2.





I candled the remaining eggs (it is day 24) and it look like there may still be a couple moving around. I'm not dumping them for several more days in any case.

They don't get names until I'm sure they are going to make it.

Both were pipped at the wrong end, and both needed help after 36 hours of struggle. There are still 10 eggs in there, but I don't have much hope for most of them. I culled one that was obviously clear. Several appear to have stopped developing at about 2 weeks.

This watching life happen could become addictive.

 

[Trish44]

And then there were 2.





I candled the remaining eggs (it is day 24) and it look like there may still be a couple moving around. I'm not dumping them for several more days in any case.

They don't get names until I'm sure they are going to make it.

Both were pipped at the wrong end, and both needed help after 36 hours of struggle. There are still 10 eggs in there, but I don't have much hope for most of them. I culled one that was obviously clear. Several appear to have stopped developing at about 2 weeks.

This watching life happen could become addictive.

Cute babies Sharol, that's something you just don't get tired of looking at is little fuzzy butts. I have hatched a lot of chicks this year & I still like seeing them right after they hatch & afterwards. I'm hatching chicks for someone right now who has waited till summer to decide they want chicks, so I have some of theirs hatched from broody hens & more eggs in the incubator. I will get pics of my two little peachicks when they start walking better. The one that hatched first was in the hatcher for about 24 hours before the 2nd one hatched & when you would walk over to the window it would perk up & look out. I put the full glass window on the front of my hatcher so I can see what all is going on in there & I'm glad I did. Danz that 2nd peachick didn't take nearly as long to hatch as the first, it had pipped already when I left this morning & by the time I came back it was already out. The first one took about 24 hours to hatch. I had read that their shells are so hard that you have to have higher humidity to soften the shell so they can get out.

 

[sharol]

No, it isn't dead.



I woke up at 3 a.m. this morning and checked on the chicks. I about had a heart attack. I opened the window in the incubator and the squeak of the styro woke her up and she jumped up and started running around. This morning, she was sleeping on her back again and I took the picture before she woke up. This can't be a good sign, is it? Though in all other ways, this chick is quite active.

I have to admit it was really cute, and she looked really comfortable.

 

[HEChicken]

Sharol, it is perfectly normal at this age! Isn't that funny? I know what you mean about thinking the worst but chicks will sleep in any position - even on their backs - and within a week or two, they will only sleep upright.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Hi guys and gals, haven't been posting for almost a week due to busy work schedule. Looks like the heat wave is finally over, thank goodness. But my work schedule is getting more hectic and will be worst next month all the way till September due to some newly added features to the software. Lots of milestones and deliverable deadlines.... argh...

Michelle - So sorry to hear that your DH is in pain. Sending you lots of prayers and hugs. Hopefully things will turn around for the better for you.

Danz - Sorry you lost some birds to the heat. I just can't stand the heat and high humidity.

Trish44 - Congrats on the new peachicks. I still want to try my hand on a couple of peafowl eggs one of these days. But my kids want some geese so I'll be looking for some babies come October or at least some Sebie eggs to hatch.

Sharol - Love those babies chicks, especially the one sleeps on the back. Hopefully you will get a few more soon. I never get tired of seeing the babies hatch. They do grow up fast though and they are dusty!!!

I'm sure I've left out quite a few people and their posts since I've had a chance to go back through the 10 some pages of posts.

So I'm here to vent a little so please bear with me. I took yesterday off even though my work schedule is just way too busy to do so plus quite a few people are taking extra days off leading up to the 4th. I had the Securenet guy out to the farm house to map out where they want to put fire alarm, motion detectors, etc. After lots of paper work, he is now going back to get the technician schedueld out. So that went well. Now comes the AT&T U-verse install. So these 2 guys showed up in 2 differect big AT&T vans on my property. They told me they would check out the line, see where to put the digital router, etc. So after about 15 - 20 minutes later, they came back in and told me they couldn't do it. Apparently the main line from the street up to my property is not working. They couldn't get a signal. Oh crud! I so don't need to hear that. One of the guys said he had called to put a ticket in to get it fixed. I asked him how long? He said it could be done as soon as end of day or early tomorrow. So I said OK. He then gave me his cell # to call him back once the line is fixed. This was 10:00am. Came 6:30pm and I still haven't heard diddly squat from AT&T so I called the support line. After all the run around because I don't have an account with them yet since U-verse wasn't installed, I ended up talking to someone who was able to tell me that the line was, indeed, fixed. She proceeded to tell me she couldn't get the technician out to install U-verse untill 7/9!!! I was livid. I took a day off to get it installed and to no fault of my own, now I've to take another day off on 7/9!?!? At that point I told her she needed to go talk to her supervisor or she could transfer me to talk to him/her. She put me on hold and came back later saying that they could "squeeze" me into their install schedule on Monday 7/1. At this point, I was tired and the wind outside was just horrible and apparently the storm just same through us. I told her I'll take the 7/1 install date and then hung up. This morning, I decided to give the U-verse guy a call since he gave me his cell # voluntarily but I had to leave him a message. I doubt that I'll hear back from him. At any rate, Pixius has already been cancelled so, once again, I have no internet.

Thanks for letting me vent... I hope to be up and running soon in the house.

I feel like I'm neglecting my birds even though I still feed and take good care of them. The 2 chicks are growing fast. 1 of the mamas already abandoned them some what, leaving them alone for a long period of time. The other one is still taking good care of them. They did get wet from the storm last night, well, all the birds did. I hope mama will be able to keep them warm.

Later everyone. Stay cool.

Kuan

 

[sharol]

Thanks for the reassurance. I've only had 2 groups of chicks, and they started out at 3 day olds or so.

I started with 19, 7 were clear at 7 days. I have several more that look infertile, and I culled 2 this morning that were undeveloped -- one was clear, one had a quitter at about a week maybe. I did the float test on the others and they were all low floaters (10% above water) so that was pretty inconclusive.

I will just leave them in the incubator for another day or two. Don't want to kill anybody.

Sharol

Sharol, it is perfectly normal at this age! Isn't that funny? I know what you mean about thinking the worst but chicks will sleep in any position - even on their backs - and within a week or two, they will only sleep upright.

 

[chicken danz]

Even now when I see a chick laying all sprawled out I assume it has died until I touch it. Of course with all I hatch I have casualties every day. I still hate loosing any just the same. I haven't been out to check birds yet this morning. I needed a morning to chill. So far all I've done is get new food and water for the peachicks and take a couple of baby ducks out of the incubator. These were scavenged from nests where the duck had disappeared.
I still have a predator of some kind. I am now down to one cayuga and she is a sitting duck...pun intended. She is sitting on a nest outside of my orpington pen in the weeds. I am thinking this fall I will probably order some bushes from the state to plant around. The ducks like to hide in bushes and weeds to lay so at least I could plant some where they might do some good. Not to mention maybe a little more shade here and there. My newest tree has been damaged by the ducks or geese nibbling at the bark. I need to find some way to protect it before they kill it. I have a small wire cage around it but they are going through the cage.
I still have a ton of baby ducks to choose breeders from. It's just a matter of finding time to pick what I want to keep. I do want to try my hand at butchering some but I don't want to do it in hot weather.
Sharol I am so happy for your hatch.

 

[Trish44]

Danz, you might want to check & see what kind of bushes will grow in your soil, I had clay soil when I lived outside of Derby & it was the pits. I worked on areas there for 23 years until I moved breaking down that junk. You have to add a lot of organic matter to the soil to break down that clay. I don't know if it would make it there, but my chickens love this huge spirea bush I have over by the driveway beside the garage. It has grown just huge & it drapes all the way down to the ground so they can all get under it if they're scared or in the heat. It blooms white flowers in the spring. I usually spray it with water in the heat of the day so that it drops water droplets down on the chickens to cool them & I also spray some under the bush so they have cool ground to lay on in there. It's their favorite place to hang out when it's hot.

Yesterday was so darned hot & miserable. I got out the frozen bottles again for my rabbits since they're stuck in their cages. At least they can lay on them & cool off. I'm missing my one turkey hen again, she took off yesterday & didn't come back last night. I guess if she comes back I'm just going to have to make her stay in until she gets over this stubborn streak she's in. I hate to do that, but I also hate to lose her. I sure hope she comes back today. Usually she comes back & is really hungry. The last time she came back her sister was just furious with her. I have never seen her so angry with her before. She got up on the roost & she scolded her & then pecked her. I think she was telling her off for going off & leaving her here all night by herself.

I need to get out & take some pics of the little turkeys I got from HEChicken & the ducklings, they're really growing. I found an old sled that my son left in the garage & filled it with water for the ducks & they have a great time splashing around in there. It's not too deep that they can't stand up, but has enough water for them to play in. I also need to take some pics of my two new peachicks that are in the brooder. All the chicks are back in the house again because it's too darned hot in the garage for them. It got to 105 in there yesterday, so that was it, they all came back in. It's a good thing I hadn't carried that brooder out yet I guess.

tweetybaby, I hope they get your internet done soon, I know that's really frustrating, especially when you work from home a lot.

HEChicken, do they have your fence done yet? I know you said they were working on it. That will be so nice to have all of that fenced so you don't have to worry about it.