Dewlap Exhibition Toulouse-Incubation Diary with Pics! Hatch Day!!!

[debby730]

How adorable.. I can see owning some of these..

 

[pete55]

Which ones Debby??? There's such a lot on this thread!!! Sebastopols, Goslings, Toulouse, Macaws, Dogs, Rhea and lots of eggs

Pete

 

[gofasterstripe]

Quote:
Yes everything went well with my hatch. 4 Sebbies hatched over the weekend and the photos are onthe other thread back a couple of pages

 

[SarahIrl]

Can I jump on board? I am hatching geese for a friend, they are all mutt geese, I think, and am a total newbie at goose hatching. Bein in Ireland (but very close to the sea: salty air) I probably have around the same relative conditions as pete55. I have incubated seven this time, at around 55-60% humidity, 99.5F for the first 27 days and then up to 99.5F and 70% for the rest. Only misted the last few days due to large looking air cells. I am a newbie, totally, so I am only going by my gut. (I hatch chickens normally, but just had a 10/10 duck hatch this weekend, 2 died within 24 hours, but still, 10 out of 10) I had one pip Sunday pm, and was out this morning when I got up. I had another pip some time yesterday and one pip last night. They are pretty big holes, not just craks, and the membrane is clearly visible. It is now dark yellow/brown in colur, as it would be after being so exposed for so long. I am wondering if I don't see goslings in the morning is it time to step in? Have checked both, neither are making much in the way of noise, but I expected that, both are breathing, one I can see it's beak, the other not quite. I have been careful not to tip them once they pipped, and all are lying naturally (as in they are how they would settle on a table top) Is there anything more I should be doing for these? One I don't expect to pip for another 24 hours or so judging by it's air cell Saturday when I set the for hatching. However, I am worried about the two pipped since yesterday. I'm doing nothing tonight, that's for sure, I just ope I wake up to two hatched and more pips!

 

[star2525]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for the compliment, I do love my Geese!

I came home today and the one larger egg which still feels heavy has changed the angle just a tiny bit more giving it more of a slant than it had previously, before I took it out of the Incubator to look at it, it rolled by itself, when I candled it, I could see some small shadows just coming at the back of the aircell sort of a fluttering look in that area and only up into the aircell in that area just a fraction of an inch. The other smaller egg is still about the same on its angle, just a slight increase in the size of its aircell, it was already at a more of a slant than the bigger egg was to begin with, I am trying to figure out exactly what is meant by Internally Pipping, does the faint shadow I am seeing which I am calling fluttering in the back of the aircell, is that called Internally Pipped, or is it more progressed than that? I'm currently still running at 20 percent humidity, which is bone dry, and took the eggs out this morning and let them cool, and was getting ready to take them out again to let them cool, just didn't know if I should

I also saw the pictures you put of the Macaws egg hatching, and I saw where you mentioned making a safety hole for the egg after it Internally Pipped, the Macaws egg from the photographs is hard to tell which end is the big end and which is the small end of the egg, almost looks like a round egg, so I'm trying to figure out where you placed your safety hole in the egg. And how exactly you made your hole, if you tapped it with something and then peeled a small portion of the shell away, and if you pierced the membrane of the egg? And if I should consider doing this for these 2 eggs?

Victoria

 

[SarahIrl]

Quote:
Still no change this morniong. Heading for 48 hours pipped on one, and 36 on the other. Am going to check if they are still live, and if they are, am going to intervene. I can't see only 1/7 hatch, and I don't see pips on any of the other eggs yet, either. Very disappointing.

 

[pete55]

Hi

At work so have to be quick. Listen to the eggs and if they're making a regular clicking noise then they're breathing ok. No sound would be worrying. I would still wait till this evening as they can take 2 days between external pip and hatch. If you really feel you must assist then it's going to be tricky without experience but not impossible. The first step would be a safety air hole right in the centre at the top of the air cell. Only needs to be match head size and by entering there you cannot rupture any vessels. You'll need a fine drill bit and do it by hand for better control (practice on an infertile or chicken egg). Look at the picture of the macaw hatching that I posted yesterday.

I'll be back online this evening.

Pete

 

[SarahIrl]

Well the unpipped eggs are still in there, it's now day 31 and I am happy to leave them at least until to morrow night. Will candle tonight to check for movement. The two that were pipped for 36 hours, I enlarged the pip holes this mornign and dampened the membranes, they were very badly dried. I stopped when I saw a little blood, wrapped in warm wet towel and put back in the incubator, they will either be out when I get home, or I'll investigate more. One was repeatedly trying to push the shell off at the same point, so I imagine it is really ready to get out, but unable to turn. We'll play the long game and I want to do as little as possible. I can't forgive myself for letting anything expire when I could have helped, and when I do and it doesn't work, at least I know I tried. I hate to help, but will if I feel it necessary.

Edited to add: I have helped numerous chicken and I helped a few ducks this weekend also. I find I have trouble getting eggs for hatching with even shell thicknesses, so humidity is always an issue.

 

[pete55]

DEWLAP UPDATE DAY 27.5
The air cells are now of a good size and the eggs have lost approx just under 15% of their fresh laid weight. There is a 2mm line of faint moving shadow at the back of the air cell. The eggs are beginning to wiggle when observed!

Well here we go towards pipping!!!! Its time for you folks to start holding my hand as the nervous wait begins

Pete

 

[pete55]

SarahIr At the moment Im working so not on the forum as much and our Dewlaps are in a crucial phase. Your eggs sound ok still. The fact that bleeding has occured guarantees you that they are not yet ready so still time for the goslings to hatch unassisted. If the membranes are very try you can moisten the area 2 hourly using a cotton bud (Q-tip) moistened in boiled cooled water.

Pete