Day 25: no pip, but water candling wobbles

[Sea Wolf]

When mine get halfway through the 22 day, I start checking and assisting. I pick open the large end carefully and take a look inside. I moisten the membrane with water to keep it flexible and make sure it stays soft. if the chick is moving at all, I will expose it's head and beak and let it be. If it seems dry, I will moisten it with warmed water. I will check again in a few hours. If it is not trying to move, I will gently peel small parts of the shell away. Moistening if need be. Sometimes, the chick seems stuck and wetting the membrane to soften it helps it to get loose. I have yet to lose a chick I have helped but you have to be very gentle and slow. I would rather try and help then have them die in the shell. I only have had issues with shipped eggs. Any of my own eggs all hatch on time with no issues.

 

[HollyDutton]

Beautiful Babies! See? It's worth it, even when you only get a few!

Yup! Got 12 eggs (4 of each), and only intended on keeping one of each kind anyhow, regardless of how many hatched). So if the BCM and OE are pullets... total success

Wish we could have Roos because then even if the BCM were a boy, we have 3 blue layers in the flock, which would mean home-grown Olive Eggers. Green is the only color missing from our egg rainbow right now.

 

[HollyDutton]

When mine get halfway through the 22 day, I start checking and assisting. I pick open the large end carefully and take a look inside. I moisten the membrane with water to keep it flexible and make sure it stays soft. if the chick is moving at all, I will expose it's head and beak and let it be. If it seems dry, I will moisten it with warmed water. I will check again in a few hours. If it is not trying to move, I will gently peel small parts of the shell away. Moistening if need be. Sometimes, the chick seems stuck and wetting the membrane to soften it helps it to get loose. I have yet to lose a chick I have helped but you have to be very gentle and slow. I would rather try and help then have them die in the shell. I only have had issues with shipped eggs. Any of my own eggs all hatch on time with no issues.

I thought about it, very seriously. Maybe next time.

 

[Sea Wolf]

All very

I gotta show them off. A black copper marans (never seen feathers on the middle toe before!), a Crele marans (blondie, confirmed girl) and an adorable puffball OE.
View attachment 1755412 View attachment 1755413 View attachment 1755414

All very cute. Middle toe feathering is not acceptable for show CMs so that is why you don't see it.

 

[MROO]

Yup! Got 12 eggs (4 of each), and only intended on keeping one of each kind anyhow, regardless of how many hatched). So if the BCM and OE are pullets... total success

Wish we could have Roos because then even if the BCM were a boy, we have 3 blue layers in the flock, which would mean home-grown Olive Eggers. Green is the only color missing from our egg rainbow right now.

If the BCM's a "he," I'd keep him until the neighbors complain, then let them know that you understand and are working on placing him ... then do it. If you have to, keep him indoors until he's "of age," then put him out with your girls for a bit before you rehome or "recycle" him. You may have him long enough to get some DIY Olive Eggers. Just be sure you have a plan in place for any extra cockerels you'll end up from that hatch. And Good Luck, regardless!

 

[MROO]

When mine get halfway through the 22 day, I start checking and assisting. I pick open the large end carefully and take a look inside. I moisten the membrane with water to keep it flexible and make sure it stays soft. if the chick is moving at all, I will expose it's head and beak and let it be. If it seems dry, I will moisten it with warmed water. I will check again in a few hours. If it is not trying to move, I will gently peel small parts of the shell away. Moistening if need be. Sometimes, the chick seems stuck and wetting the membrane to soften it helps it to get loose. I have yet to lose a chick I have helped but you have to be very gentle and slow. I would rather try and help then have them die in the shell. I only have had issues with shipped eggs. Any of my own eggs all hatch on time with no issues.

I had to do that with two of my most recent Nankin hatchlings. They were SO close that I had to help and I'd just lost the first four to a horrible heat lamp accident (never again!) If I hadn't, I would have lost them both, as well. Both are just as healthy and active as their unassisted sibling, so ... so far, so good!

 

[casportpony]

This article by @Pyxis has some good information on assisting.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Funny, we all have different ideas...

By the time MINE get halfway through day 22, I unplug the bator! No regrets. But I have my hatches dialed in and know what I want from my flock... I breed my birds, and genetic weakness not welcome here. That isn't to say I didn't try a couple times in the beginning with poor results. Now I cull hard... no splay legs fixed, no bent toes kept like my first power outage survivors, no wry necks and so on... though those don't usually happen in my own stock.

Okay, I will admit to dosing my first ever hatched stargazer (from a friends eggs) with vitamins... and it's currently happy and healthy looking as all others in the brooder. But it isn't going to mixed in with any of my stock as it's a different breed and I don't plan to keep them personally. So odd that I had it wrapped in a towel ready to cull but went for the vitamins instead... Guess I'm still a softee in reality... when it isn't going to mess with my true goals. Think I'm kinda happy to know that I'm not as hardened as feel!

Yes, I had to work hard to get the middle toe feathers out of my BCM stock.

Cute babies, congrats!