FEB HATCH-ALONG THREAD ...COME JOIN US.... EVERYONE!

[Roxannemc]

I'll join! I'm planning to set black oegb (splash too if they lay anything) and serama eggs under a broody on the 6th! I've collected three black oegb and five serama eggs so far over the past three days and I'll also set whatever else I get between now and the set day. At the moment I have a small clutch of 6 serama eggs with one pip this morning! The first chick should be hatched by the end of today and I'd love to share pictures!

PLEASE DO SHARE PICS!!!..........and Hello!!!

 

[MyNameIs86]

I am hoping to get eggs on monday to start...

 

[Roxannemc]

Hi everyone,

This is also my first hatching and raising chickens! I have about 10 eggs due to hatch Feb.6/7. I Just candled the first time last night, and I saw that a couple of the eggs were dark and appeared to be floating to the top of the egg. Is it a bad egg? Thanks for any feedback.

Well dark usually is a chick in there. Due pretty soon .but could be a bad egg. Still I would keep it in it in and see since you are new. Bettrsaf thansorry
5 days t o go Your lockdown is tonorrow most of the egg will be dark with a white or clear area on one end or not. alldark
SHOULD be the big end but might not .Clear Thats the air cell Look really closely for about 60 seconds at where the air cell and the dark area meet you may see slight movement but someitmes not
GOOD LUCK! Are they shipped eggs or local or your own?
.

 

[Roxannemc]

First little hatch...d'uccle/serama cross. I keep sticking in eggs every few days, so I'll be hatching all month long,all d'uccle/serama cross, with a occassional silkie thrown in.

AWWE little fluff ball... I have hatches all month too ....see you there! 4 so far one each week.

 

[Roxannemc]

And here we go again, lock down today for the other lav orp egg. 4 look good, 2 I'm not sure about.

sounds pretty good!

 

[Roxannemc]

I am hoping to get eggs on monday to start...

JOIn the club...haha( No real club just us) What kind?

 

[Roxannemc]

wHaTS THE SCORE BROOK ANYONE OUT?

CAN YOU PM ME THAT LINK TO THE HYDROMETER.? IM FED UP
ORDERED THE THERMS YOU POSTED THE LINK TOO ON HERE BUT CANT FIND THE HYDROMETER LINK
THANKS
wELL DANG POSTED IT ON MY own POST...duh..

EDIT; found it post #121

 

[Maah]

Well 12 hours..they usually pip and often wait for some hours... is it thru do they have an air hole? Is he making it any bigger at all? If it gets toward 20 hours or so you might have to make a little move and helpo ut i would wait right now .. If you open them up on your own they veins may not have dried up insdie the memebrnae and they can bleed to death so its imperative that you go slow even when you want to help If time goes by and yo u do ..pick off chips of shell but not the membrane See how the other zipped around the egg.? chip the shell off around it from the air hole if you can and then wet the membrane with a wet rag dont get water by the hole where his nose is...
Then put it back in there wet rag around it loosly and wait see if he can get out now on its own. if not later get out and tear a tiny bit of membrane back if it looks dry and no blood no yellow yolk... then do a little more butt his you go SLOW...
if its not thru the membrane to air ..then make a tiny hole by the star crack . look for movement put back and wait ..see what happens. later you may have to chip a bit more off and seeif its alive by then,
Sometimes they are too weak t o survive coming out and die in there . Some inner malady usually heart lungs etc. Cracking out themself shows a strong healthy chick
If they dont often not alwaays its a foot or leg problem or sometimes heart lungs other problem
f i it died in the egg. its sad but probably wouldnt make it outside either too weak
GOOD LUCK!
Aftet they FIRST pip thru to air they HAVe to stop and wait a bit to get their lungs use to breathing air before they go farther. wh yit takes a while sometimes. ..

Well, it has now been 33 hours since that first pip in the shell. When it first pipped, the membrane on it was broke through, but barely, and it pretty much had closed back over. However I am much more hopeful now & glad I managed to take a 2 hour nap sometime over night & leave it alone. Over the last couple hours I'm seeing much more action. The chick is not zipping, yet, but I think it will be soon. It has punched through the shell again & now there is a tiny but definate hole & lots more missing shell. All my other eggs have hatched (was only hatching 4). This was one of the first to pip, but it's going to be the last to hatch. I'm ok with that. It's been a rough ride, but I'd rather the chickie take it's time & do it right.

On to my next questions though. So, since my 4 chicks have all decided to space their hatchings like 16 hours apart from each other (yes, they were all collected & set the same day... but yesterday was day 20. I had a couple early birds). They say it's ok to leave the hatchling in the incubator while the other eggs hatch. Well, I did that with the first 2 chicks. I had paper towel lining the bottom of the bator (brinsea mini advance)... but now those 2 chicks are having leg issues. 1 chick won't put much weight on one of the legs and hobbles around (it used to not put any, but now it does put it down). The other chick sticks it's legs out to the sides. I figured it was because they weren't getting enough traction in the incubator and moved them into the brooder this morning (pine shavings lined with that foam grippy kitchen shelf paper stuff). I also lined the incubator with it. My 2 early chicks seem to be getting around a little better... but are still having issues. My newly hatched chick in the incubator seems to be doing just fine keeping it's legs underneath it on the grippy stuff. My question though... First, I thought paper towel was supposed to be ok to line it with? This didn't seem to work so well. Is it possible that my 2 early chicks leg issues will correct now that they are able to get their legs to stay under them (though they still lay around & don't care if their leg is sticking out)... or is it likely I will have to band their legs? How long after hatch are chickies supposed to be up & running around? These chickies didn't fully dry in the incubator, but are pretty puffy after being under the heat lamp for about 5 hours now. (these are silkie chicks).

I have learned a ton and I'm glad I listen to you BYC friends... but I know some things can only be learned by hands on experience. I sure hope these chickies aren't going to try to test me on everything I've read about. Please chickies... 1 test at a time. LOL.

 

[Roxannemc]

Well, it has now been 33 hours since that first pip in the shell. When it first pipped, the membrane on it was broke through, but barely, and it pretty much had closed back over. However I am much more hopeful now & glad I managed to take a 2 hour nap sometime over night & leave it alone. Over the last couple hours I'm seeing much more action. The chick is not zipping, yet, but I think it will be soon. It has punched through the shell again & now there is a tiny but definate hole & lots more missing shell. All my other eggs have hatched (was only hatching 4). This was one of the first to pip, but it's going to be the last to hatch. I'm ok with that. It's been a rough ride, but I'd rather the chickie take it's time & do it right.

On to my next questions though. So, since my 4 chicks have all decided to space their hatchings like 16 hours apart from each other (yes, they were all collected & set the same day... but yesterday was day 20. I had a couple early birds). They say it's ok to leave the hatchling in the incubator while the other eggs hatch. Well, I did that with the first 2 chicks. I had paper towel lining the bottom of the bator (brinsea mini advance)... but now those 2 chicks are having leg issues. 1 chick won't put much weight on one of the legs and hobbles around (it used to not put any, but now it does put it down). The other chick sticks it's legs out to the sides. I figured it was because they weren't getting enough traction in the incubator and moved them into the brooder this morning (pine shavings lined with that foam grippy kitchen shelf paper stuff). I also lined the incubator with it. My 2 early chicks seem to be getting around a little better... but are still having issues. My newly hatched chick in the incubator seems to be doing just fine keeping it's legs underneath it on the grippy stuff. My question though... First, I thought paper towel was supposed to be ok to line it with? This didn't seem to work so well. Is it possible that my 2 early chicks leg issues will correct now that they are able to get their legs to stay under them (though they still lay around & don't care if their leg is sticking out)... or is it likely I will have to band their legs? How long after hatch are chickies supposed to be up & running around? These chickies didn't fully dry in the incubator, but are pretty puffy after being under the heat lamp for about 5 hours now. (these are silkie chicks).

I have learned a ton and I'm glad I listen to you BYC friends... but I know some things can only be learned by hands on experience. I sure hope these chickies aren't going to try to test me on everything I've read about. Please chickies... 1 test at a time. LOL.

YOuve done itlright and yes i find the paper towels which seem to be what to use do cause them issues too.
Dotnt know why . A terry rag or what you used that rubber lining is good.
If they stil have legs sticking out to the sides after 24 -36 hours or so think you will have to band them .They say if it isnt done within 3 day they wont go on to be normal later

I thintk they all have to learn to walk at first or many do and they clear up i n 24 hours if they are messed up but after that ...not sure
I had one last hatch was curled on its side and couldnt even stand scooted on its back or side everyplace.
Toes still up by his face.. .Thought he had wry neck but next day he was standing and normal walked fine etc. Suprised me.

 

[Aschenfire]

CUTER THAN CUTE

LOVE THE COLORS TOO!

Thanks I will get new pics of them soon... they are feathering in black and white...gonna be little exchequers which is wonderful!