february hatch along

[aliciaplus3]

I am starting to get a little worried about the chicks that are due today that I didn't see any pips..... of course they are Big Dark eggs so???

 

[CABINHOLLOWNC]

lol they are ducks and today is day 27!

LOL...oops! What can I say...I'm in the chicken hatching zone

 

[CABINHOLLOWNC]

I am starting to get a little worried about the chicks that are due today that I didn't see any pips..... of course they are Big Dark eggs so???

Just give them time...they may just be late bloomers. But I do understand how you feel...it's stressful! I've decided to have a glass of wine while I wait...

 

[CABINHOLLOWNC]

...and she is out! Wow...she wasn't wasting any time! I'll get a picture when she is dry. She is in the back of the incubator...its hard to see her where she is right now!

Well, here is the afternoon update. I see pips on all but one egg and it may have one, I can't see it very well. I had two hatch, both from blue eggs. The second one got a little stuck, or I should say the top and bottom of the egg shell got stuck to her butt and head. I was like girl...just how did you manage that? I have a heating pad plugged in and warm with a pillowcase over it. So I took her out and got the two pieces off of her. She is back in the incubator snoozing and recovering from her ordeal

The one that hatched early this morning is in the brooder. I had to take her out because she was trying to "help" (at least that was her story) her sister that was hatching. She kept pecking her on the beak and head and rolling the egg...so she had to go.

I put a stuffed alligator in the brooder with her, that seemed to make her happy. It didn't make my Akita happy as it was his toy. But, he'll get over it. She has drank water and has eaten a little.

I'm going to sit here and sip this glass of wine while I wait for more action!

WAIT...I hear LOUD cheeping from the incubator...woo hoo...another chick has hatched! She is from a blue egg too! So, all of my blue eggs have now hatched!

 

[aliciaplus3]

Just give them time...they may just be late bloomers. But I do understand how you feel...it's stressful! I've decided to have a glass of wine while I wait...

its funny I didn't expect the ducks till tomorrow and the chicks today so??? lol I am hoping that because the eggs are Big its just taking them a little longer. thank you for the encouragement!

 

[gimmie birdies]

Husband blindness continues, I have my incubator set up in a spare bedroom with a shower, which he uses. So I know the incubator is not invisible, plus it is in the middle of the room, not up against a wall that gets cold, and it is not small. Well today he was up there switching heaters so I know he saw it, and the reason a heater was needed. But he didn't say anything. I guess our relationship is more important to him than a few hatching eggs...Maybe not blindness, but picking his battles.Day 4 by the way...

 

[gimmie birdies]

It is a bit early to candle (day 4)but I did anyway, I will candle again and pull clears on Friday. They seem to be all going, eggs to the left were from a friend 30 min. away, all seem to be doing something, if I were to guess, my friend's eggs are more advanced than the store eggs, one of the little white eggs may have a blood ring, (even if it died, at least it did something) and that means fertile anyhow. the health food eggs, I don't know anything about, or how old they were, but I see developing and that is why I candled, I wanted to hope for them!

 

[CABINHOLLOWNC]

Good morning everyone!

As of this morning I have 8 tiny babies! I started with 10 eggs, one wasn't fertile so it was removed. That left 9. There is still one olive egg in the incubator that hasn't pipped and I saw no movement when I candled it. Today is technically hatch day, so I'll leave that last egg in, but I don't think it will hatch.

I'll get you some pictures this evening!

 

[aliciaplus3]

Congratulations! I had 2 little chicks wake me up at midnight, something about wanting to go to the brooder, and Very loud so I gave em a ride to the warmed up brooder and went back to bed..... 2 more woke me up at 6, same story lol and 2 more hatched while I was getting ready for work so we now have 6 chicks in the brooder next to the 8 duckies that hatched yesterday. And it looked like we have 4 more external pips when I left! So hopefully more when I get home

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

View attachment 1277890 It is a bit early to candle (day 4)but I did anyway, I will candle again and pull clears on Friday. They seem to be all going, eggs to the left were from a friend 30 min. away, all seem to be doing something, if I were to guess, my friend's eggs are more advanced than the store eggs, one of the little white eggs may have a blood ring, (even if it died, at least it did something) and that means fertile anyhow. the health food eggs, I don't know anything about, or how old they were, but I see developing and that is why I candled, I wanted to hope for them!

I've had pretty good luck candling at days 3-4. I don't look for the embryo I look for changes to the yolk. First it darkens significantly then flattens out. In colored eggs its much easier to look for that. I'm still developing my skills in this area but my current batch of about 36 eggs I sorted into fertile, unfertile, and maybe at day 3. It was pretty darn accurate.