February 2017 Hatch-a-long

[supersymmetry]

Batch #2 is out of the incubator! I think I have a little more then half hatched so far... Lots of pip holes left, so we shall see what Sunday brings...

 

[Jessimom]

Batch #2 is out of the incubator! I think I have a little more then half hatched so far... Lots of pip holes left, so we shall see what Sunday brings...

Wow!!! That's a LOT of adorable chicks!! Good luck with the rest. I have 14 hatched, 13 to go. Still have pips!!

 

[lexielou623]

How long can a chick stay zipped before it needs help. Is there a reason why a chick pips but can't finish hatching by its self. It always happens to me. I just need some advice please.

I've noticed that it happens more to me when I struggle with humidity during lockdown

 

[lexielou623]

10 out 2 pipped and 5 more making me wait!!

 

[yeye5]

Well, hatching friends, here's just about the time I freak out screaming! (Well I'm not screaming but...).
Day 21, just after midday (which is when I usually count as the exact time bcs I place the last egg/s under my broody). I just went into the coop. I panicked bcs it seemed Mima (hen) had Vanished!!! I kid you not! Nest was empty, besides the eggs...daddy roo was standing in front of it as he usually does--he is Such a great husband and nest protector!
I look on the ground floor, nope, she's not there. Nothing appears disturbed so I prayerfully discount an attack by predator.
Then I hear her familiar clucking. I believe she's saying to me, "Hey! You featherless mom! Look, I'm right here!".
And she was.
When I had created the dividing temporary 1/2 floor I made sure to block off the ramp so little peeps couldn't stumble down by accident and have no way to get back up to the nest.
Mima has always been used to that set up, but I must have surprised her this time. She must've hopped down to ground level to do her usual stretch and romp, (plus any "other" she needed to do) then got confused and was standing on the ramp looking at the place where she should have been able to take one more step to get to the 2nd floor where her nest is.
I felt so bad! I picked her up, put her back in the nest and gave her (way too many) special delicious foods, added a tiny water bowl (made from the top of a protein powder tub. Even though I usually wait til peeps are hatched to do that, I wanted her little nest/den to have everything she would need to stay put til the eggs become chickens.
The eggs were still warm
The olive egg I've been obsessing about, even though it was in the center of her clutch, was cooler to the touch (?)
And, seeing the pile of eggs without her obstructing the view, I really think her daughter Peaches may have laid a surprise egg in there that I didn't know about.
This hatch is looking crazy. But I have to remember that now is the time I doubt what I've done, second guess the viability of the eggs, etc.
I see no pips, hear no peeps--Yet.

 

[Cerise1924]

Well, hatching friends, here's just about the time I freak out screaming! (Well I'm not screaming but...).
Day 21, just after midday (which is when I usually count as the exact time bcs I place the last egg/s under my broody). I just went into the coop. I panicked bcs it seemed Mima (hen) had Vanished!!! I kid you not! Nest was empty, besides the eggs...daddy roo was standing in front of it as he usually does--he is Such a great husband and nest protector!
I look on the ground floor, nope, she's not there. Nothing appears disturbed so I prayerfully discount an attack by predator.
Then I hear her familiar clucking. I believe she's saying to me, "Hey! You featherless mom! Look, I'm right here!".
And she was.
When I had created the dividing temporary 1/2 floor I made sure to block off the ramp so little peeps couldn't stumble down by accident and have no way to get back up to the nest.
Mima has always been used to that set up, but I must have surprised her this time. She must've hopped down to ground level to do her usual stretch and romp, (plus any "other" she needed to do) then got confused and was standing on the ramp looking at the place where she should have been able to take one more step to get to the 2nd floor where her nest is.
I felt so bad! I picked her up, put her back in the nest and gave her (way too many) special delicious foods, added a tiny water bowl (made from the top of a protein powder tub. Even though I usually wait til peeps are hatched to do that, I wanted her little nest/den to have everything she would need to stay put til the eggs become chickens.
The eggs were still warm
The olive egg I've been obsessing about, even though it was in the center of her clutch, was cooler to the touch (?)
And, seeing the pile of eggs without her obstructing the view, I really think her daughter Peaches may have laid a surprise egg in there that I didn't know about.
This hatch is looking crazy. But I have to remember that now is the time I doubt what I've done, second guess the viability of the eggs, etc.
I see no pips, hear no peeps--Yet.

"Hey! You featherless mom! Look, I'm right here!".

Lol, that is very cute.

Hang in there. Remember that the internal egg temperature is what counts, and that is going to be higher than the outside temps, which was still warm to the touch. It sounds like you have a good mother hen there, and a good daddy roo on watch. Keeping looking and listening - I'm cheering for your chicks!

 

[HenLeia]

the ones I just hatched incubated at 16%

I only added water to get it to 20% at the beginning and nothing until day 18. My first hatching and I got 18 out of 19 from my own eggs.

 

[lilwildrabbit]

My humidity has went from 30 to 40% no water added room humidity here has been about 65% I live in south west GA. Always humid here tomorrow evening will mark lockdown I'm hoping some will hatch I'll raise the humidity to around 70-80% if it don't work then should the humidity have been lower and how could I get it lower than I have now

 

[Jim121898]

How long can a chick stay zipped before it needs help. Is there a reason why a chick pips but can't finish hatching by its self. It always happens to me. I just need some advice please.

My last EE had a similar issue. It had piped Sunday night, and Monday morning it had zipped 1/4 of the way and its beak was sticking out. I ended up reaching in and pulling the end of the shell off and allowing it to push itself out of the egg. I'm not sure if the humidity dropped to low or what. It's doing great now so I'm glad I assisted it.

 

[EggGrl]

Today and tomorrow are hatch day here! I've got 6 bielefelder eggs, 12 delaware, and 12 dorking

About 12 have started to break out so far. I cant hear pips very well through the door.

So excited. I've hatched weekly for 4 weeks with every hatch getting better results. I just hate sewing any unhatched on Sunday night (they've never hatched if they aren't out by then).

I helped one chick finish hatching last week. He piped the wrong end of the shell and was set in an egg carton. I only caught it hours later. Well, I should have left it alone! He hasn't grown a bit since last week. Should have let nature take its course....but I just couldnt!