DAY OLD PICS! post #225. 12 hatched!

[Mahonri]

Well I've spent some time in there staring at those eggs.

All 4 of the Ameraucanas are out.
1 speckled sussex, the first out
1 Leghorn out... but he isn't moving much... he is a goliath and is still sitting in the carton space next to the one where he hatched out of and apparently hasn't moved in 4 hours.

3 leghorns are pipped... one with a tiny amount of progress, I'm thinking, "Do I need to intervene?", I probably won't, but I really do want to.

1 Maran pipped but very little progress since 1PM yesterday. ETA: I can still see it's beak moving.

I realized that one of the favorolles that I thought we had dropped and done in was in reality a Speckled Sussex. We had an SS in pencil on the three that were still in there and upon inspection I just had the two remaining one has hatched, the other hasn't pipped.

So ALL 6 Faverolles are still in there!... but none of have pipped.

3 Leghorns have not pipped
2 marans have not pipped.

Temp is 100.8
Humidity is 69% but I'm thinking that's wrong...It just seems "dry" in there to me. The tube that I had going through the vent hole has been knocked down by one of the fluffy butts so now if I want to add moisture, I'll have to open the bator. ARG!

The leghorn that hatched and one of the ameraucanas still aren't "dry" and fluffy yet... they almost look dry plastered.

I suppose I can be happy with 6. But I do feel badly about the other 16 that apparently aren't going to make it. I know I'm only four hours into day 21, but I'm just thinking it looks too dry in there.

I'm not a good hatcher when you figure 6 of 41... that's 14%... even if you figure to 2nd candling... I'm only up to 27%.

Any suggestions from you hatching experts?

ETA: (an hour later) I added some warm water through the vent plug hole and it landed on the cardboard carton (no eggs near there) and it has raised the humidity to 73%... and I plugged the vent hole. I just have a gut feeling it needs to be there to help those who are struggling to zip. I really don't think it's too high, looking at the chicks that are now having races around the perimeter. Even Goliath (new name for the Leghorn that hatched) is out running the 'track'... the only one that's not moving much is the Ameraucana that had to have come out in the past hour or so.

Since I noticed that another leghorn has pipped, that gives me hope for the remaining favs and marans.

 

[Mahonri]

Melissa wrote:

The 'dark' feathers on the Fav would not be normal... they should be yellow

You were right! It was a Speckled Sussex that my son dropped! all 6 Faverolles are still in there, but no pips

 

[freshegg]

Yeah more than 1 lol.
I got 4 pips now so that beats the none I feared.

 

[Mahonri]

At this point, I figure the chicks in there have until Saturday afternoon until I have to take them out and put them in a brooder (as they started hatching on Thursday afternoon).

I'm not giving up on the others until then, I've got to think positive and pray that God will help them get out.

Saturday after I have the brooder cleaned and set up, I'm going to give shots to the little chicks and the rest of the gang and then Sunday I'll take out any of the remaining eggs and do eggtopsies to see if I can figure out why they didn't hatch...

Then I'll move on and stay happy and be grateful for what the good Lord has given me.

Have a great day y'all... I've got to get a couple hours more sleep so I can be ready for my patients today and tomorrow.

Thanks for all of your help.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Congratulations on your hatch, Mahonri

 

[pasofinofarm]

Hi M,

Although I have seen hatches that were only staggered by 5 hours (I know because EVERYBODY was out) I have also seen hatches staggered by 36 and even 48 hours and have heard of longer ones than that.

I believe the Faverolles will still hatch. Funny I got up in the middle of the night last night and had a peek at how your hatch was going and right under your post was one from someone who hatched 6 of 6 favs in Colorado after they traveled in single diget temps and were delayed a day. Right then I knew there was still hope for your little guys. Think of them as if they were in there all alone and not compared to what has gone on with the ohter breeds or eggs. I do that with each egg. Then if I get a healthy chick on day 18 I can celebrate and if I get one on day 22 I can celebrate.

Of course at some point you do have to get the hatched chicks out. Here is what I have done when a hatch was very important to me. Of course now I usualy sleep right through most of it and anything that has not pipped in 36 hours goes unopened into the trash can and the lid goes on so I never know if something happens after that. Do what you want (or don't) with the information below... we all have to go as far as we feel we should.

At 24 hours I quickly open the bator (in a warm room) remove chicks, remove empty shells, check on any long pipped but not hatched eggs for life and possibly assist (put them in the brooder under the light wrapped in a warm wet paper towel while you are doing the rest) rewet sponges, close up. Then go check on the one(s) that may need assistance. There is a whole page here somewhere about when to intervene. Then if it is only a dry membrane I help the chick out. Anything more than that (blood seen, etc.) and back in the bator.

At 36 hours I take out hatched chicks and candle remaining eggs. If they are alive they go back in the bator. This is really neat because you will often get to see chicks pipped into the air cell or pecking on the shell from the inside.

At 48 hours I open the remaining eggs carefully and immediately after removing from the bator.

Many a healthy chick has been saved this way but I do not ever use chicks that were helped from their shells as breeders as there is some thought that a chick that does not successfully pip on it's own may produce weak offspring that do not pip.. Of course in the case of dry membranes or being stuck to the shell I don't think it is a flaw on the chicks part but since I hatch hundereds of eggs every year it is just as easy to toss them in the 'sale' pile.

HTH

 

[Mahonri]

7 chicks now.

The maran hatched... it's a ROO!

Another maran pip and another leghorn pip.

humidity is 70%, plug is out so it can get back down to 65.

 

[gckiddhouse]

Quote:
How do you know it is a roo? Are Marans color sexed?

I wanted to tell you that our Leghorn (well, Cal White) chick dwarfed the others when they were little. We thought she was a roo because her comb was huge, she was huge, and she was very bold and outgoing. But, Speckles is one of my smallest hens now, and very timid.

 

[Mesa]

I bet more will hatch.... patience. I cant believe you were up all night again. I'd be a zombie in the mornings. Whats your trick?

 

[jossanne]

YAY for 7. Still crossing my fingers for the little faverolles. C'mon babies, get moving!

Hope you're staying awake and alert today, after so little sleep. Hang in there!