EDUCATIONAL INCUBATION & HATCHING CHAT THREAD, w/ Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs
- Thread starter Sally Sunshine
- Start date
Hi Guys! I'm Baaaaaack!
Just finished hatching three 'oops eggs in my Brinsea Mini Eco. I had two hens go broody about a week apart. The first broody was an old hat at it. I would open her pen after 3 pm when I THOUGHT all the other hens were done laying for the day so she could get out and do her thing. I'd go back at 6:30 and lock her up again. About a week into her incubation, DH had surgery he's fine but I got sloppy and didn't count the eggs under the first broody for a few days. OOPS. When I got around to counting it was 4-5-6-7, well crap. She was supposed to have 4 eggs under her I had no idea which egg was laid first, so I devised a plan that when her chicks hatched, I'd pull the 3 donated eggs from her and give them to the second broody to sit on for another week and when her eggs hatched, I'd take the three leftovers and toss em into the Brinsea to finish up.
I was pretty good on my candling and had them marked correctly as to which one would hatch first, second and third. When number one was overdue, I chanced doing a quick candling and much to my horror saw that the chick was indeed trying to hatch and for how long I couldn't tell but it was pipping near the pointy end of the egg. I enlarged it's pip and heard it peeping. One louder than the others. It sounded weak and didn't make an attempt to try to free itself when I chipped off more egg. The egg was thinner than I would have liked but the membrane was very thick. When I had a shell zip all the way around I set and watched. Still no attempt to free itself so in spite of seeing blood I tore the membrane and rescued the baby. The yolk sack was absorbed. It lost some blood but it was alive and very weak. I fully expected it to die overnight and was surprised the next morning when DH urged me out of bed at dawn to see my baby. There was a darling, slightly stunned looking Buff Orpington chick standing on wobbly legs in the incubator, all fluffed out and very much alive. It was a miracle hatching and chick, truly a tough little bird, so Burd, he became and he let me know he was a Boy Burd on his second day when he stood on his toes and let out a danger trill when he saw DH and I approach their little brooder wearing hats.
The other two chicks hatched right on schedule and right on time, the last one hatching today about 4:30 today.
I can's say enough about my Brinsea mini Eco. I have to turn the eggs but that gives me a chance to handle them and make sure everything is okay.
Here are my three little ones. Big Burd, BooBoo and BeBe.
Question, I have another broody sitting on 7 eggs. Did my first candling on them. All are developing one has the air cell off center at the pointed end of the egg. Should I take a wait and see posture with it or pull it now as a lost cause?
Just finished hatching three 'oops eggs in my Brinsea Mini Eco. I had two hens go broody about a week apart. The first broody was an old hat at it. I would open her pen after 3 pm when I THOUGHT all the other hens were done laying for the day so she could get out and do her thing. I'd go back at 6:30 and lock her up again. About a week into her incubation, DH had surgery he's fine but I got sloppy and didn't count the eggs under the first broody for a few days. OOPS. When I got around to counting it was 4-5-6-7, well crap. She was supposed to have 4 eggs under her I had no idea which egg was laid first, so I devised a plan that when her chicks hatched, I'd pull the 3 donated eggs from her and give them to the second broody to sit on for another week and when her eggs hatched, I'd take the three leftovers and toss em into the Brinsea to finish up.
I was pretty good on my candling and had them marked correctly as to which one would hatch first, second and third. When number one was overdue, I chanced doing a quick candling and much to my horror saw that the chick was indeed trying to hatch and for how long I couldn't tell but it was pipping near the pointy end of the egg. I enlarged it's pip and heard it peeping. One louder than the others. It sounded weak and didn't make an attempt to try to free itself when I chipped off more egg. The egg was thinner than I would have liked but the membrane was very thick. When I had a shell zip all the way around I set and watched. Still no attempt to free itself so in spite of seeing blood I tore the membrane and rescued the baby. The yolk sack was absorbed. It lost some blood but it was alive and very weak. I fully expected it to die overnight and was surprised the next morning when DH urged me out of bed at dawn to see my baby. There was a darling, slightly stunned looking Buff Orpington chick standing on wobbly legs in the incubator, all fluffed out and very much alive. It was a miracle hatching and chick, truly a tough little bird, so Burd, he became and he let me know he was a Boy Burd on his second day when he stood on his toes and let out a danger trill when he saw DH and I approach their little brooder wearing hats.
The other two chicks hatched right on schedule and right on time, the last one hatching today about 4:30 today.
I can's say enough about my Brinsea mini Eco. I have to turn the eggs but that gives me a chance to handle them and make sure everything is okay.
Here are my three little ones. Big Burd, BooBoo and BeBe.
Question, I have another broody sitting on 7 eggs. Did my first candling on them. All are developing one has the air cell off center at the pointed end of the egg. Should I take a wait and see posture with it or pull it now as a lost cause?
Hi micro 
Wait and see on that funny egg. Might surprise you.
Wait and see on that funny egg. Might surprise you.
Thanks Banty. I was leaning that way myself.
Let it go; nothing to lose.Hi Guys! I'm Baaaaaack!
Just finished hatching three 'oops eggs in my Brinsea Mini Eco. I had two hens go broody about a week apart. The first broody was an old hat at it. I would open her pen after 3 pm when I THOUGHT all the other hens were done laying for the day so she could get out and do her thing. I'd go back at 6:30 and lock her up again. About a week into her incubation, DH had surgery he's fine but I got sloppy and didn't count the eggs under the first broody for a few days. OOPS. When I got around to counting it was 4-5-6-7, well crap. She was supposed to have 4 eggs under her I had no idea which egg was laid first, so I devised a plan that when her chicks hatched, I'd pull the 3 donated eggs from her and give them to the second broody to sit on for another week and when her eggs hatched, I'd take the three leftovers and toss em into the Brinsea to finish up.
I was pretty good on my candling and had them marked correctly as to which one would hatch first, second and third. When number one was overdue, I chanced doing a quick candling and much to my horror saw that the chick was indeed trying to hatch and for how long I couldn't tell but it was pipping near the pointy end of the egg. I enlarged it's pip and heard it peeping. One louder than the others. It sounded weak and didn't make an attempt to try to free itself when I chipped off more egg. The egg was thinner than I would have liked but the membrane was very thick. When I had a shell zip all the way around I set and watched. Still no attempt to free itself so in spite of seeing blood I tore the membrane and rescued the baby. The yolk sack was absorbed. It lost some blood but it was alive and very weak. I fully expected it to die overnight and was surprised the next morning when DH urged me out of bed at dawn to see my baby. There was a darling, slightly stunned looking Buff Orpington chick standing on wobbly legs in the incubator, all fluffed out and very much alive. It was a miracle hatching and chick, truly a tough little bird, so Burd, he became and he let me know he was a Boy Burd on his second day when he stood on his toes and let out a danger trill when he saw DH and I approach their little brooder wearing hats.
The other two chicks hatched right on schedule and right on time, the last one hatching today about 4:30 today.
I can's say enough about my Brinsea mini Eco. I have to turn the eggs but that gives me a chance to handle them and make sure everything is okay.
Here are my three little ones. Big Burd, BooBoo and BeBe.
Question, I have another broody sitting on 7 eggs. Did my first candling on them. All are developing one has the air cell off center at the pointed end of the egg. Should I take a wait and see posture with it or pull it now as a lost cause?
Yeah, I recandled it tonight. The air cell is till off center, pointy end but it is growing and the embryo is moving.
Have faith and wait is my motto.
Momma hen doesn't seem too concerned so I'll try not to be.
Have faith and wait is my motto.
Momma hen doesn't seem too concerned so I'll try not to be.
Love that one....
Scan it and upload it as a file.
Someone make me some coffee.
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