Crazy hatching attempt

[gimmie birdies]

everyone is right. <---- not a naysayer.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

1 of the BCM eggs has hatched!!! I only have one that is not pipping now, but I can hear chirping. Another has it's head in the wrong end of the egg and had to be assisted a bit so it can breathe. It's now back in the incubator. Using this article for assisting: http://backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

 

[LikeTurkeys]

I keep it enclosed in Styrofoam it was shipped in. it minimizes the temperature differences within incubator and makes heater work less.



I have a slightly different panel version of the same 56-egg Chinese incubator and don't have an instruction for my exact version either, but this was helpful (some settings will be different or non-existent)

PS: don't mess with the settings if you already hatching

My friend keeps it in the styrofoam it was shipped in too, unfortunately I don't have that though.

Hi there,

Why be such a nay sayer... You have tons of hatching experience??

Doesn't matter what all the books and studies say... the fact is... chicks are hardier than we are lead to believe AND sometimes life finds a way even when WE don't think it's possible!


Definitely NOT always true. In fact, some that pip and hatch completely on their own STILL might not make it.


Can't wait for pics!

Will post pics as soon as they all hatch!

 

[Ted_Harrell]

I got mine from a guy who had 2. A newer one, and and older one like yours. He sold me the newer one, but said the older one still worked but not the fan and that is why he bought the newer one. (should have been a hint there) but he said if I wanted to play with the one with the broken fan I could just have it. I cannot fix the fan because all wires are glued to the inside of the upper part that is sealed. I like the on off switch of your incubator though. mine is sort of a button that you cannot even tell if it is in or not, so I don't wreck mine I am just unplugging it. (DON'T get excited about the numbers below, I was heating it up, )
View attachment 2018416
Any how, I had some eggs coming at the end of the month, but the nice thing about having 2 was even though the fan does work on one(and I cannot still incubate in it because with out the fan it is too hot) I still had 2 bottoms, and I thought, well I will just switch out the bottoms and keep hatching, ...then on my new one, I was thinking my turner was not working, so I switched out the turner, and the older turner seemed better, so I am using my newer HHD with an older turner. It was helpful to have the extra parts.
...day 4 and spider veins.

I have them same one, in lockdown with two Barnevelder eggs in it. I have my fingers crossed ...

 

[EggSighted4Life]

make sure you don't open incubator while there are any pipped eggs (to look, take out empty shells or fluffed up chicks, or whatever). I have read the new chicks can survive without food and water for 48 hours, while opening the incubator with peeped eggs in it causes rapid humidity loss and shrink wrapped unhatched chicks at the end. Of cause I only read it after my first hatch (which was less than 50%).

Actually new chicks can survive 72 hours (+/-) without food and water due to the yolk they absorb at hatch supplying their need. But shorter is better.

Shrink wrapping can happen, but also lots of things get fear mongered. I use towels draped over the lid and my arms IF I NEED to open it.

Lots of good tips, thanks for sharing!

 

[LikeTurkeys]

@EggSighted4Life, @gimmie birdies, @Fluffyflufffluff the chicks are all out! One lingered to early this morning, which would make day 24. Late hatch, but I have 7 chicks, 6 French BCMs and my EE mix. A 50% hatch rate and given the circumstances pretty good I think! 2 required a full assist, and one a partial assist. The others hatched on their own. Time for pics!
This is one of the BCM chicks (by the way, they all have feathered legs).

Dominique x EE mix. This was my control egg

All of them together:

 

[sourland]

Well done !

 

[LikeTurkeys]

Well done !

Thanks . Will probably be back in around 6 weeks or so to see who's male and who's female.

 

[hysop]

Wow this was a nice story of how even refrigerated week old eggs can still hatch! I had heard they could, but hadn’t seen an entire thread doing updates of the entire incubation. So happy for you!!

 

[LikeTurkeys]

Wow this was a nice story of how even refrigerated week old eggs can still hatch! I had heard they could, but hadn’t seen an entire thread doing updates of the entire incubation. So happy for you!!

Thank you. Yes, it was quite an experience.

Well, apparently they're not French, at least not on purpose. My friend says all of her birds are clean-legged, so I'm not sure where the feathered feet are from.