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

[ronott1]

Lots of people just think I am joking. I am not. I really do leave them completely alone for a few days. I put them in the hatcher on day 18. They have yolks to last three days beyond hatching.

I do not open the hatcher until day 23. Unless I have to ship them, then I pull them out so they are in the mail before they are a day old.

I know when I pull some out to ship, I will kill some that would have hatched if I had no opened the door.

I do look at the temps and humidity. But I will not open the doors even if I see a chick that will die without help...

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" Spock.

Perfect way to hatch!

Too often helping kills them or they die anyway. Seems like letting them either hatch or not gets a better result.

 

[Faraday40]

I open mine about once a day to quickly remove dry chicks. (so once or twice) The temp is very stable & able to return to 99.5'F in less than 30 sec. A quick mist from a spray bottle gets the humidity right back up.

*Part of the temp stability is from the heat sinks as well as the door. Most incubators open from the top so all the heat rushes up & out. Mine can be opened a crack from the side, so less heat is lost.

 

[BullChick]

Okay. Dropped on your head as a baby, then.

Yes, I fractured my skull at 12 mos.

"What does the doggy say"?
Quack quack

Poor Duckling

I am disgusted by anyone calling a dog that word.
Duckling and Booger Butt were told the proper names and sounds until they knew the information by heart. Then all bets were off.
And everyone knows that a dog says, "oink!" What they don't know is what a dog is!

 

[MrsChicky55]

Lots of people just think I am joking. I am not. I really do leave them completely alone for a few days. I put them in the hatcher on day 18. They have yolks to last three days beyond hatching.

I do not open the hatcher until day 23. Unless I have to ship them, then I pull them out so they are in the mail before they are a day old.

I know when I pull some out to ship, I will kill some that would have hatched if I had no opened the door.

I do look at the temps and humidity. But I will not open the doors even if I see a chick that will die without help...

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" Spock.

This really sucks! I'm a NICU nurse so it's in my nature, no it's my job to intervene when some poor little creature with slim chances is in trouble. But I agree.... " The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Hopefully it can hang in there. But can anybody tell, does this look like a fatal malposition? What are the chances this chick will survive? My inquiring mind wants to know.

 

[MrsChicky55]

Go to bed...take something to sleep for two days..check them when you wake in two days...after making huge breakfast..give them hands off time....

Hmm, time to break

I open mine about once a day to quickly remove dry chicks. (so once or twice) The temp is very stable & able to return to 99.5'F in less than 30 sec. A quick mist from a spray bottle gets the humidity right back up.

*Part of the temp stability is from the heat sinks as well as the door. Most incubators open from the top so all the heat rushes up & out. Mine can be opened a crack from the side, so less heat is lost.

What I wouldn't give for a Giraffe baby incubator from the hospital. To be able to regulate the temp & humidity, open the port holes with the air shield on to prevent a draft. I could open the side ports whenever I felt the need to get in without loosing too much heat/humidity....Hey a girl can dream!

 

[ronott1]

This really sucks! I'm a NICU nurse so it's in my nature, no it's my job to intervene when some poor little creature with slim chances is in trouble. But I agree.... " The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Hopefully it can hang in there. But can anybody tell, does this look like a fatal malposition? What are the chances this chick will survive? My inquiring mind wants to know.

If you are going to help, then make sure there are none zipping or pipping when you open the incubator. You can open to remove chicks if you have three and I do not let chicks stay in the incubator more than one day after hatching. I wait until there is a group to move to the incubator.

Do resist the urge to help though. I have seen too many horror stories of people pealing out chicks that have not absorbed the yolk--intestines falling out or bleeding to death from ruptured vessels...Sorry to be graphic but that is what often happens

 

[Faraday40]

This really sucks! I'm a NICU nurse so it's in my nature, no it's my job to intervene when some poor little creature with slim chances is in trouble. But I agree.... " The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Hopefully it can hang in there. But can anybody tell, does this look like a fatal malposition? What are the chances this chick will survive? My inquiring mind wants to know.

It may not be mal-positioned. If it's peeping, then it's probably fine. If it's early in the hatch, then all the activity of the others hatching will move it along. IMO- Best to wait it out.

 

[MrsChicky55]

If you are going to help, then make sure there are none zipping or pipping when you open the incubator. You can open to remove chicks if you have three and I do not let chicks stay in the incubator more than one day after hatching. I wait until there is a group to move to the incubator.

Do resist the urge to help though. I have seen too many horror stories of people pealing out chicks that have not absorbed the yolk--intestines falling out or bleeding to death from ruptured vessels...Sorry to be graphic but that is what often happens

No worries about being too graphic (at least for me). And people need to know the risks they take when assisting a chick to hatch.

I'm used to helping little humans with their intestines & or organs not enclosed in the skin at birth (gastroschisis or omphalaceles). I'm all to familiar with the many short term & long term risks involved.

I'm just hoping this chick has time for all the others to hatch and then I could maybe carefully help without tearing the shell/membranes/yolk. As long as it can breathe then with the right temp & humidity maybe it has a chance. There's no liquid leaking so I'm hopeful the chick didn't rupture anything. Who knows, maybe it will work itself out. Only time will tell.

 

[duluthralphie]

I'm being a good little girl and sitting on my hands. I know it's still early. So my incubators humidity is at 60%. I purposely had it on the low side because some of my air cells didn't grow as much as I would have liked. Do I really need to add water? Since I can't see the membrane yet and some of the eggs are closish to hatching and increasing the humidity anyways can't I just leave the incubator closed?

I would 60% is not bad and like you said it will go up.

 

[duluthralphie]

Their coming to get us..the bad press has started!

https://www.statnews.com/2017/10/19/backyard-chicken-disease/

Now the cities and town have proof chickens should be outlawed!!

I knew it, they take our guns and now are chickens!

What are we to do?