EDUCATIONAL INCUBATION & HATCHING CHAT THREAD, w/ Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs

[Pensmaster]

I wish to thank everyone (including Heather!) for proving my point!
KILL THE BEAST!!!

But he's cute. It was the first picture that was weird.

 

[meltel]

it passed looks like blood clot in yolk

http://www.melbournebirdvet.com/dead-in-shell-aviary.aspx
Embryonic Deaths At The End Of Incubation
Through incubation a membrane called the chorioallantois develops around the chick. The chorioallantois acts a bit like a human placenta, in that it delivers air to the embryo after it diffuses through the shell. At the end of incubation the chick must swap from a chorioallantoic respiration to breathing air. It does this in two stages. First it internally pips. This involves cutting a small hole into the air chamber at the end of the egg and starting to breath the air it contains. At this stage vibrations can be felt in the egg and chick will sometimes vocalize.

After another 12-36 hours the second stage begins, with the chick cracking the shell and breathing external air. While this is happening the last of the yolk sac which is the chicks nutrition during incubation, is drawn into the navel. This eventually ends up as a tiny sac in the wall of the small intestine called Merkels diverticulum and lasts the whole life of the bird. Interestingly, during this time, the chick also drinks the clear fluid around it called the amniotic fluid. This amniotic fluid, and also the yolk sac contain the antibodies that protect the chick from infection in the first few weeks of life.

While all this complex physiology is going on the chick is vulnerable to problems. Too high or low temperature or humidity during this time will adversely affect the chick. The usual problem is too high a temperature, or too low a humidity. This combination causes the shell and shell membrane to become hard and dry. This can lead to a healthy chick becoming exhausted. In addition to this, the chick quickly becomes dehydrated. I am sure many of you, myself included, have helped these chicks hatch only to find them dead later. These chicks often die because they are dehydrated. Such chicks if given small drops of water will often suck them down greedily and survive. These dehydrated chicks are called “sticky chicks” because of the way they stick to the dry shell membranes. They are often found dead after hatching ¼ to1/2 the way, emerging from the shell. If removed from the shell they often have unabsorbed yolk sacs and there is often dry, gluggy albumen still in the egg.

If you staggered your hatch, what was your humidity at? was it at what it should be for that type of bird? Or did you just leave it at 30-40% for the rest of the eggs? Or did you have it turning too long? Was your temp stable?

I have had a problem with chicks dying late in hatch but none have ever looked like this except for one that I thought was dead. I went to do an eggtopsy on it by putting a small hole by the air cell and I saw blood and heard chirping. Sadly it didn't hatch and looked similar to this one so I think I opened it prematurely because I thought it was dead when I should have left it alone for another couple days.

 

[meltel]

Hi All!!! Cute ducks!

Question for anyone that has shipped birds or had them shipped....I am sending three 3 month old chicks up state. It's a 7 hour drive, but I'm sure the Post Office will take a lot longer than that.

I got a 4 bird box. These birds have grown up together, they are all in the same pen. Is it better to ship them with separators between them, or send them loose in the box?

If they all have been raised together, I leave them together. Better on the stress level-misery loves company

also helps keep them warmer. I pack them with a heat pack if cold is expected, scratch, dried meal worms, and slices of orange, pineapple and cucumber.

 

[daxigait]

I hear lots of chirping in the incubator but don't see pips yet. They're due in 20 hours.

My daughter left this morning for a short 2 week vacation in Spain. Visiting Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and a couple other stops.
I failed to talk her into bringing Penedesenca and Empordanesa eggs back to me. I guess I'll have to make the trip myself.

Well, that was mean of her how hard could it be? Unless there are a bunch of regulations.

Good luck with your hatch!

 

[daxigait]

How old do chicks from a brooder need to be before you can put a cock in with them, or let them out with the cock and adult hens to be more precise? I have them in the second side of a divided coop and run setup (there is a door between the two coop sections and another in the run part). It can be one big or two smaller coops and runs. I built it for breeding groups in the future that are all together in the winter.

 

[Razadia]

Day 18 and I'm locked down. I only had to toss 3 at day 7 and I haven't had to toss out any more. No saddle-shaped air cells, which is blowing me away. Aside from a power outage, this hatch has gone incredibly well. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

 

[BantyChooks]

How old do chicks from a brooder need to be before you can put a cock in with them, or let them out with the cock and adult hens to be more precise? I have them in the second side of a divided coop and run setup (there is a door between the two coop sections and another in the run part). It can be one big or two smaller coops and runs. I built it for breeding groups in the future that are all together in the winter.

I start letting mine have supervised visitation at about 5 weeks, or 1-2 weeks after they've been moved outside.

 

[livhatcher]

Day 18 and I'm locked down. I only had to toss 3 at day 7 and I haven't had to toss out any more. No saddle-shaped air cells, which is blowing me away. Aside from a power outage, this hatch has gone incredibly well. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I'm right here with you!! I've lost 3 and have 15 going! It's now day 19. Good luck to you!!!

 

[Razadia]

Quote: Good luck!

 

[daxigait]

Never mind. Great topic of the week available on it.