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

[Phoenix Farms]

I've made sure to try and not drown them. He was weak when he first started hatching. Tacking hour long breaks after he broke the membrane. But on a happier note, one more Phoenix just hatched and is doing percectly fine. We have another Ameracauna and another barnyard mix on the way. There are now 30 eggs left to hatch. Hoping all make it since I candled them on day 18 right before lockdown and all had good movement.

 

[Cynthia12]

Just a quick update. I have had 3 of the 5 eggs hatch!!

And... all the hatched chicks seem healthy!!

Good legs! It must have been the rubber mat in the incubator!

The other 2 eggs (#1 and #7) have not progressed. Egg #1 we had thought was possibly a double yolk a week ago because of the sludge area. Egg #7 is the one that had the tiny chick and lots of clear on lockdown day. Since both were still alive and moving, I left them for lockdown. Neither egg has pipped internally or anything. However, on a couple small occasions I've seen movement in both eggs with my light. It was only slight movement, nothing major... so I guess we'll see. Saw movement in
#1 last night yet, and #7 this afternoon.

I have my 3 chicks in the brooder and have put the incubator back into lockdown. I'll see if there's any progress in those eggs tomorrow. Maybe they were just developing a little slower than the others and need a tad bit more time... ? No idea, but I don't have a ton of hope for either of them.

In the meantime, I got 3 cutie chickie-doodles!!

This is a picture of the first chick that hatched mostly all puffed up. They all look the same... LOL, little triplets. I'll try to get a better picture of them tomorrow once they're all up and puffy.

adorable..!

 

[Cynthia12]

I hear a cheep cheep in my bator that I lock down yesterday. Due on Tues. Worries me when the little stinks pip internally when I have some eggs with such high air cells..huge air cells up the side. I worry they won't be able to reach the shell.
I will be watching those eggs until I go to bed, then straight to the bator in the morning! Come on external pip! Or pips. A day early is ok.

 

[PugBug]

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's lockdown day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I woke up early and got right to work!

Eggs out of turner, new water pads in bottom of incubator, grate, papertowels, then non slip stuff. jar of water with sponge "wick"....shaking I numbered my eggies and wished them all luck and placed them in trying to give a little room between them. Got my therm/hydrom in place so I can see it, attached tubes from jar of water to outside syringe for easy filling of hot water from the outside. Shaking and nervous I closed the lid and now at 7:15am, my eggs are officially on LOCK DOWN!!!!


Seriously, I may still faint!!! I am so so so nervous!!!

omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ETA:




my last 25 eggies!!!

Peachy's in lockdown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Phoenix Farms]

The mix just hatched and it is blue with the same pattern as the other who is blue and white(white patches hatch yellow but dry white), all black legs with orange toes and yellow "mascara" only the newly hatched one has feathered legs! We are guessing maybe a silkie as dad. Could be a light brahma or buff Cochin.

 

[PugBug]

YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!

I stayed up until 3am this morning waiting for my egg #4 to hatch! Once she started zipping, it only took 20 minutes. Wow! Good job chickie doodle.

Here are a couple of pictures! The first one it just popped out & looked at the camera like "wow, you are not what I had momma pictured as." Anyways, I looked at it for about 5 minutes, figured the other chickies weren't going to start zipping anytime soon, so I went to bed. I got 4 hours of sleep and then had to get up!



Once the rest of the shell was off, I snapped another picture (looking for healthy babies... healthy legs & feet, strong necks!). This chickie looks PERFECT so far!! So happy... I sure hope it has to do with the kitchen rubber grip liner and the rest of the chickies will do so well!


Anyways, I looked at it for about 5 minutes, figured the other chickies weren't going to start zipping anytime soon, so I went to bed. I got 4 hours of sleep and then had to get up! This morning I quick added a couple drops of water through the syringe, waiting for the humidity to bump up a little and quick pulled my first chickie out and put into the brooder. The red heat lamps doesn't make for nice pictures darn it. But anyways... Yes, no slipped tendon, or splayed legs!! Very cute baby. She likes to curl up in my hand to snuggle. Awwe...


I have 4 more eggs in the incubator yet. 2 are doing really well, both with external pips now!! The third egg is still showing movement inside, but hasn't pipped yet... it just needs more time. The fourth egg (that funky #7) is doing nothing.

Come on babies!!!

sooooo happy for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And look how cute!

 

[PugBug]

I love Polish Chicks. Here is one of my new babies.

OMG how cute is that!

 

[PugBug]

ok, I read these responses, jumped up, took the top off the incubator, all the eggs out onto my bed, threw away the now wet paper towels and chucked the mat, added back the jar with fresh warm water and put the tube in the jar from the outside. I loaded everything back up the way I had it but dry now, loaded the eggs back in (I SWEAR number 7 moved on its own....husband thinks i am crazy) and closed it back up....now we wait....I threw my hands up in the air and said "DONE!" and my husband who is laying in bed playing PS3 while I am flipping out laughs and says, "it's like you were a rodeo person tying up a calf...AND DONE!"....I said yeah, more like a rodeo clown at this point.....

I feel like I could throw up I am so nervous!!!

Thanks guys!!!

Calm down, you're gonna give yourself & me a stroke! LOL it's gonna be fine- I actually run my humidity kind of high during lockdown b/c I had issues in the past hatches w/ shrink wrap chicks- but you are doing great, just take a deep breath & sit on your hands

 

[PugBug]

Just a quick update. I have had 3 of the 5 eggs hatch!!

And... all the hatched chicks seem healthy!!

Good legs! It must have been the rubber mat in the incubator!

The other 2 eggs (#1 and #7) have not progressed. Egg #1 we had thought was possibly a double yolk a week ago because of the sludge area. Egg #7 is the one that had the tiny chick and lots of clear on lockdown day. Since both were still alive and moving, I left them for lockdown. Neither egg has pipped internally or anything. However, on a couple small occasions I've seen movement in both eggs with my light. It was only slight movement, nothing major... so I guess we'll see. Saw movement in
#1 last night yet, and #7 this afternoon.

I have my 3 chicks in the brooder and have put the incubator back into lockdown. I'll see if there's any progress in those eggs tomorrow. Maybe they were just developing a little slower than the others and need a tad bit more time... ? No idea, but I don't have a ton of hope for either of them.

In the meantime, I got 3 cutie chickie-doodles!!

This is a picture of the first chick that hatched mostly all puffed up. They all look the same... LOL, little triplets. I'll try to get a better picture of them tomorrow once they're all up and puffy.

looks like my Peeps when she hatched!

 

[PugBug]

The rule of thumb is that if a chick cannot make it out of the shell on it's own, it is not going to live anyway or it is defective in some way. That said, if mistakes were made during incubation, such as too much humidity (or too little), then it may be okay to help them because their inability to hatch is not their fault. When I first got my GQF Genesis 1588, I followed the instructions to a T, 30% for 18 days and 65% during lockdown. I drowned $300 worth of shipped eggs (about 60 eggs) following those stupid instruction. The only chicks that survived, I saved by pulling them out of the shell before they drowned (once I figured out what was going on). They were cover with goo that instantly started to harden and I had to wash them all off in warm water to save them. My avatar is one of the chick I saved like this. So, sometimes it is okay to intervene. If I see a chick that has not hatched 24 after piping, I will go ahead and open the shell up enough for them to get out. They usually die anyway, but sometimes they make. The way I figure it, if they are going to die anyway, you might as well give it a try, you have nothing to lose. But wait at least 24 hours before helping..

I agree, I have no prob helping my chicks- after a while you have an instinct as to 'when' to help and 'how much' to help. and let's face it, most of the time it's not genetic with these chicks- it's something during incubation- temps & humidity...