First week in June?

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Each of my broodies now have two babies. 1 each EE/brown leghorn cross and 1 each black silkie/buff silkie. One cochan/silkie pipped under the BO and one cochan/silkie partially zipped under the BR this morning. Final EE/leghorn under BR not pipped.

Light brown leghorn - Dad to the EE/leghorn crosses. He was keeping an eye on me this morning.

 

[chickee]

Quote:
How can you tell Pullet from Roo at this point? Please....teach me the art!!!

To tell the sex you need to be familiar with your breed. This is my second hatch of BLRW chicks and based on pictures of those chicks and now knowing which ones are pullets and which ones roos at 8 weeks helps. In my picture notice how much thinner the head and beak are on the pullet. Then look at the rooster chick how thick and wide his head, comb and beak are compared to the pullet chick. Also the pullets stand more upright than the roos. There is also a good comparison photo on feathersite.com of a male and female BLRW chick side by side.

 

[MelissaA]

well, I have 4 eggs with pips- one had the very very small pip at 7:15am- now it is a big pip, there are two that have made holes and have spent the last 2 1/2 to 3 hours trying to get out the hole with little progression- one is moving around a lot the other looks like it isn't trying as hard. The 4th is just a small pip. None of these have tried to zip- is this unusual? There are other eggs moving, but no pip. Humidity is holding around 70 degrees. UGH!!

 

[chickee]

Quote:
Very normal

The waiting is hard!

I know, I'm waiting on my last egg that pipped this morning. This hatch has been very nerve wracking

I almost had a heart attack this morning when just after I let the cat out (locked her in the bedroom so she wouldn't bother the hatching chicks) I heard a HUGE crash!! First thing I pictured was my incubator upsidedown with eggs and chicks splattered all over the floor!!

Luckily the cat knocked a metal decorator dish off the shower wall and not my incubator!

 

[MelissaA]

OH NO! I almost had the same thing happen with my dang dog! He can hear all the peeping and making him crazy! I hope your last egg hatches well!

 

[chickee]

Quote:
Thanks for the the good wishes for my last egg!

I forgot to say that after pipping the chicks sit and absorb the egg yoke, and the blood veins dry up before zipping. That is why you don't want to help them hatch!! I almost broke my own rules last night to help a chick hatch.

It looked too big to turn and zip, like the chick that died, so I was ready to jump in and help. I was waiting for another chick to hatch, and I figured I had a window of time to open the incubator since none of the other eggs had pipped yet. Then all of a sudden two more eggs pipped and I decided to wait until morning since the chick had a clear spot to breath. Well, when I woke up this morning at 4:00am I had 4 chicks that had hatched and one was the chick I was going to help!!

So once again I'm reminded~ Sit on your hands and don't be so quick to help

And watch that dog! I'm hoping my last egg hatches so all the chicks will be safely locked away in the bathroom tonight!! GOOD LUCK!

 

[MelissaA]

Quote:
First of all, what the heck are you doing up at 4am! LOL!

I was sitting for 3 hours last night waiting and waiting for the zips and hatch- had to go out to clean the horse stalls for an hour, came back and 2 were out! The really smashed into the other eggs. I will try the carton next time! No more at 2 am (dogs barked at something), when I woke up at 7 there were 3 more, then 2 hatched before I left for work! That is up to 7 with 2 more pipped. YAY!! I did break the no open rule! One had gotten its leg through the wire (I have the Genesis 1588) and was stuck. It was in the corner so I just lifted that corner for a second pulled it out and closed it- I only lost 2 degrees of humidity (which was at almost 75), so I hope everyone else is ok! I don't know if the little one will make it. It seems to be so tired, not moving around.

I will post pics later today.

 

[chickee]

Quote:
First of all, what the heck are you doing up at 4am! LOL!

I was sitting for 3 hours last night waiting and waiting for the zips and hatch- had to go out to clean the horse stalls for an hour, came back and 2 were out! The really smashed into the other eggs. I will try the carton next time! No more at 2 am (dogs barked at something), when I woke up at 7 there were 3 more, then 2 hatched before I left for work! That is up to 7 with 2 more pipped. YAY!! I did break the no open rule! One had gotten its leg through the wire (I have the Genesis 1588) and was stuck. It was in the corner so I just lifted that corner for a second pulled it out and closed it- I only lost 2 degrees of humidity (which was at almost 75), so I hope everyone else is ok! I don't know if the little one will make it. It seems to be so tired, not moving around.

I will post pics later today.

Sounds like you have a healthy bunch of chicks hatching so close together! I don't blame you for freeing the chick that had its leg caught! I put rubber shelving material over the wire when I put the eggs in lockdown, leaving a strip open where the water wells are so I can ad water when needed. You might like to try it next time you hatch so little legs don't get caught. Must be little legs! I'm surprised it got caught! All chicks act tired and lay out looking like they are dead, so I'm sure it will be ok!! Now your a chickie momma! Congratulations!!

PICTURES PLEASE!!

 

[MelissaA]

Hello! Well, now at the end of day 23, we had 14 chicks. I had to help one out- made a hole about the size of a dime and looked pretty wet- didn't do anything for about 26 hrs. I got it out, but the yoke was all over it. I got a bowl of warm water and washed the body- it laid there for about 1/2 the day and then got up and started walking around. Do I need to try to wash the head somehow? It is pretty caked and dried- I am sure it's uncomfortable. The one that I helped get his leg from being stuck we had to cull. It's feet were pointed toward it's rear.....how weird?! SO, we now have 13, all seem to be doing well. We decided to go again in about a month! ANYONE ELSE GAME???

Thanks for all your help everyone, especially chickee!

I will post some pics a little later tonight. I have to run out to do a few chores!

M.

 

[chickee]

Quote:
YAY!

Congratulations on your babies!

Wow, 13 chicks! In my three hatches I've never had more than 9! I don't see why you shouldn't wash the chicks head with cotten balls dipped in warm water. The chick that I had to help out of the egg was sticky and wouldn't fluff up, but today she/he is just starting to look like a chick should look!

I have only 2 possibly three eggs left (out of 15

) to put in lockdown tomorrow for a Wednesday hatch. I'm so nervous because they have such large, irregular air sacs from shipping, and these are from a top BLRW breeder and I REALLY want this bloodline. I put two of my own blk x bl Wyandotte eggs in the incubator to start and give to my broody. Both are fertile and growing and due June 21!

This is really addicting isn't it? I just might have to join you in a month! I'll be watching for your post