First Hatch Ever! - Set 2/4/2013

[TacomaFarms]

Is this a good hatch rate for a first timer: 1 egg died at around 5 days, 4 were infertile, and 8 chicks hatched with the 9th pipping right now?

So you started with 14? and 9 out of 9 are hatching that went into lockdown? Sounds good to me!!! Especially since 10 were fertile and 9 hatched. It's better than my hatch rate. I had about 7 out of 30 infertile and 1 that quit early leaving me with 22 in lockdown with. Three never hatched even though they looked fully developed when candled. It happens sometimes but 19/23 fertile is a good hatchrate to me what is it, about 83%? Could be better but not bad (didn't include infertile ones in the math). I have a B hatchrate lol but you have an A if we think of it in grades. I think I'm just rambling now trying to figure out hatch rate. Ah well.

That sounds good to me! I had 14 eggs, 3 weren't fertile, 8 chicks, 2 pipped but died shortly after, and 1 quit about halfway through.

 

[PoultryGirly]

9 chicks are out!

 

[PrairieRidge]

Actually I didn't plan it for Easter Sunday. I got eggs on Friday and set up bator on Saturday. Didn't realize the timing till I marked the calender. Hopefully it will be a fun Easter Sunday. This morning everything is going really well......

 

[PrairieRidge]

Cute pictures!

 

[SarahJaneB]

Actually I didn't plan it for Easter Sunday. I got eggs on Friday and set up bator on Saturday. Didn't realize the timing till I marked the calender. Hopefully it will be a fun Easter Sunday. This morning everything is going really well......

I should've waited to have them hatch out around easter lol but I was to impatient.

Cute pictures!

Thank you!!

9 chicks are out!

Sweet!!! Pictures?? Gotta love pics!

 

[PoultryGirly]

One chick out of 9 has something wrong with his leg but the others seem to be doing fine!

 

[SarahJaneB]

One chick out of 9 has something wrong with his leg but the others seem to be doing fine!

Mine stay in a tub similar to yours until they grow out of it and aww that sucks about the leg, how is it doing now??

 

[PoultryGirly]

Thanks. The chick that has an injured leg has a slipped tendon. We are thinking about taking him to the vet on Saturday, but not sure. He can get around, but lifts his leg way up and hops. He is around 4 days old and he has a 3 day old buddy with him keeping him company. They are still in the incubator because I don't want the injured chick getting even more injured. They also have food and water in there with them, but the water is so shallow they keep knocking the container over, so I refill it whenever I see it tipped and I also dip their beaks in the water to make sure they get some water in them. I'm not sure that they get dipping their beaks in water=not being thirsty any more. They mostly like jumping in it and making a mess of it.

We just made the tub the weekend before last. It has worked great so far. I don't snap the lid onto the tub because it's such a bother to pull off when you need to get into the tub; I just let the lid lay on it. I like how you can just lay the light on top of the wire on the lid, too. The most reason we made this lid for this tub, though, is because last year the heat lamp fell on my chickies and killed 2 of them. Luckily, we were able to save the others that got burned (except one got a broken leg from the light falling on it). After we saved them from the light, they got cocci and all of them but 4 (I think) died

 

[SarahJaneB]

Yikes, I haven't had any mishaps with my chicks yet except for a couple of pasty butts. One of my chicks from my first hatch ended up with a bumble foot but I think it may be a rooster. We didn't catch it in time to correct it but our extra roosters become chicken and dumplings when they are of age. We have our light sitting on top of the wire on our cage too. Pretty convenient My chicks from the first hatch are finally out in the grow out pen! Very nice to have them out of the room, but the new chicks are almost old enough to move into the big brooder in my room though ...