December Hatch:Who is going to have Christmas babies?

[Tanichca]

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This happened to me 3 days ago...except i dont have a generator. 12 eggs died.

but

to you for savin' those chickees!!!!

 

[emvickrey]

Quote:
This happened to me 3 days ago...except i dont have a generator. 12 eggs died.

but

to you for savin' those chickees!!!!

Last week we got a call that the power was going to be shut off starting at 10 pm and last for up to 4 hours. It was suppose to get down to 7 degrees that night and we didn't have any back up plan. We had 3 hours to prepare and I have an incubator and a hatcher and 19 chicks in the house. We borrowed a kerosene heater and had it going and bought candles and batteries for the flash lights and by 9:30 I covered up the incubator and hatcher and the chicks and was ready. I would have put the chicks in my shirt if I had to but midnight rolled around and the power was still on. Meanwhile we are srangeling on the smell of kerosene because it needed a new wick and it was really stinking u the place. I feared for the chicks. I had them covered up but that smell lingers. They all made it but 1 and it was struggling before the incident and I ended up ending it's struggle a few days later. There was just no hope. It couldn't walk good and stayed away from the others which where under the heat lamp so it would get cold and weak. It spent more time in the hatcher getting warmed up than it did in the brooder.

Anyway, When I heard they where shutting off the power to 2 counties I panicked. I wasn't worried for myself. I was worried for the eggs and chicks. We lost power back 2 years ago for 5 days due to an ice storm and we stayed home. I kept the chihuahua in my coat which I wore all the time till we had heat again. The chicken coop was frozen shut with tree limbs frozen to it. They where fine. A bit shook up from all the noise of the cracking and faling trees and limbs and the loss of their light but the cold didn't affect them.

 

[Nodaksnakelover]

Going into lock down tommorow.... I'm sure going to be unhappy if NOTHING hatches...I have a six year old who's been on edge since the beginning. I'd hate to dissapoint her! Fifteen eggs are in there, but I know not all were fertile when I did a check a week ago. But I couldn't pull them out or risk not having enough eggs to hold up the remaining good eggs. As they are all in upright rows with little rails holding them upright. Is it safe to open the bator on day 18 to remove the infertile ones. Or is my thinking correct to just leave em all in there and wait it out? Techinically these should all hatch out on the 24. But since I put them in on Friday and they took time to warm up I'm hoping they won't technically hatch till early Christmas morning. We'll see...

 

[dwegg]

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I also had the power go out last Sunday night for four hours...had no plan for that...wrapped it in a blanket and managed to keep temps above 90F but humidity was out of control...I go into lockdown tomorrow and am soooo nervous...first time and will be so disappointed if nothing happens...after all the worry, constant checking in the middle of the night ect...

I am looking forward to seeing everyone's hatch come Christmas...this thread is going to be eggciting by Friday/Saturday....good luck everyone...my thoughts are with you all.

 

[IdealisticRoo]

Well, I think my Christmas babies are down to 2 from 62! Most were shipped eggs, and there were a couple power outages, and a couple of temp spikes and a air compressor-caused breaker flip! There are some of the E.E. eggs that I cannot see through, but they still have too much space at the little end, so I am beginning to think they are not growing. :-(

Does anybody else draw a happy face on the eggs (I use a soft pencil) to mark the ones that are for sure growing and moving?

Happy hatch vibes for all!

I go into lockdown tomorrow with my 2 lonely eggs, and any others that survive tonight's final candling cut...

Of course, I do still have 30 or so eggs in my incubator that are due on January 5th!

 

[daze333]

You only have 2 left? Oh that is too bad!

Hugs to you!

 

[Tiramisu]

One of the eggs pipped today

 

[Tanichca]

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[Tiramisu]

another is zipping now

 

[shellyga]

very happy for you...

Shelly