HALLOWEEN Hatch-a-Long 2016 w/ Hosts, Mike, Sally & BantyChooks

[Cynthia12]

uPsIDE DoWN ChICk UPDATE:

After laying on his side all day and looking like he would die any minute; he got up and started to walk around. I now have guarded hope. The sad part is I almost pulled the plug three times. I hate watching them suffer; but I left him alone. We will see how determined he is. He was determined to ask for help by pipping his own breather hole on the wrong end. He was determined to rest until he could muster the strength to stand. He is very small compared to the others.

Aww, guessing he will do fine. I've had them like this. Most make it just fine when they get up like this.

 

[Cynthia12]

Love, love, love, all of the rooster photos. I love roosters! Wish I could keep
them. I can until they get to crowing...too often.


Here is my Bubba. He was only 4 and a half months here! Big boy!






Not very colorful, but have this boy up for sale right now.

 

[fireredcannon]

Yes I've seen a chick with 4 toes on one foot and 5 on the other

that's her, I'm not 100% sure but with the brownish stripe down the back do you think silkie x Rhode island red sounds right?

and she is 100% Black, black skin,comb,beak. My novice guess would be the silkie x black Australorp. Im also not 100% sure because I was quick to judge but I believe that there are some barred rock crosses, and if my knowledge serves me right the spot on the head would indicate males? Right?

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Quote: My post WAS a novel.

Sorry!!
I woke up this morning thinking "Gee, I didn't actually answer your concerns." Then it dawned on me that I have no answers to your situation. No right answers anyway. I go with my gut and hope for the best. I wouldn't normally extract a chick that's breech or shrink wrapped. Yet I chose to with Chick #2.

I've been combining today so I haven't gotten any farther than this. I'm hoping you there's positive updates further on.

The tweezers were brand new but meant for picking up gems for nail art. I was really lucky I didn't perforate the intestine with them. They weren't what I was looking for but they were the cleanest thing I had at hand. And I advocate sterilizing all tools BEFORE working on a chick. I was caught very much off guard in both cases.
I wrestled with the idea of cleaning off the gross mess from Chick #1 because that is what I would normally do. I was worried I'd introduce more things to the chick's internal contents by flushing than not. If you di it I'd like to hear how it turns out.

I'm learning too.
In fact, after reading my own post, I'd do a few things differently than what I did. Why didn't I moisten the paper towel in the container with Hibitane disinfectant so that chick #2 had less risk of infection while I let the chick sleep?

I was very, very lucky with both in my cases.

Quote: Hey...don't steal my notes!!

(joking!

)

Seriously though...thanks. This just happened in September. I had planned on posting about the two chicks when things calmed down. I had to email the pics from my phone to my comp so I could use them because I hadn't backed them up on the comp yet.

I copied them across tonight.

Sorry to hear you had heartbreak @BantyChooks

I hope it happened prior to my ill adventures. I'd feel badly if any of my info could've helped in any way.

AWESOME POST!!!

i wish i had ovates and could give you a bunch of them!

...thanks I appreciate the thought.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Quote: Is that an Elastoplast bandaid on that chicks foot? Does that work well?? My medical tape leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

On another note I'm having the damnedest time trying to keep humidity up. It dipped substantially after i put the new sponge in. Water trays in the hatcher are full, I have two sopping wet sponges in there and it's still only reading at barely 60% I believe it cause there is hardly any condensation on the viewing window. I had two external pips while I was outside and I really don't want them to get shrink wrapped. I have tubing to put water in but at this point everything is full and water is coming out the bottom pin hole vents.
I think at this time my only option is to open it up and put more sponges in then assist as need be if they still end up shrink wraped

Your hygrometer could be inaccurate...? I have two in mine and average between them... three in one of my incubators. I put a sponge in and that one says 94%...I highly doubt that lol

One of my hygrometers is out by 20!

For some reason I was intimidated to calibrate mine...and I it's one of the reasons I lost last December's hatch. I've been really surprised how much every hygrometer (and thermometer as well) is outside of the proper readings. I don't know what good they are if they don't read measure temps/humidity properly. Whether it's different outdoor, aquarium, keychain, you name it...I've only found one that's actually been accurate.

That being said I plugged one of the big holes and have a McCain cake pan (1200ml) and two pudding cups full of water in mine...and I'm having the darndest time keeping my humidity where I want it.

Maybe the relative humidity is down here.

Quote: Thank you. I think it's mostly luck in having a couple of very hardy chicks. I've definitely had chicks that didn't make it, some not as serious as these two.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

@Sally Sunshine
Lady I would be bombarding you with pics if I could my phone will not post and I don't know why.

Regardless it doesn't matter as my phone is being the stupidest most worthless piece of technology ever at the moment. Ugh.

Now for the 5:30 update. This chick is incredible I just want to say that first. I can't imagine another chick fighting so hard. We have one olive egger out and it has a head spot I'm think.

hopefully the other four eggs pip and hatch tonight. I want to say humidity ran about 22-24% the entire hatch and I was very pleased with that. At lockdown other than the one very odd looking air cell everyone else's looked more or less perfect even the seramas. One Marans has a bit smaller air cell than I would have liked but not bad.

Now I went to check on the chickie in the odd egg a bit ago and discovered that the egg was starting to smell. Worried and knowing that smell meant the build up of bacteria I quickly assessed the chick and the egg as beat I could. The chick has been slowly backing towards the open air cell since last night and this afternoon almost managed to get its butt out. Unfortunately this meant less of the membranes on the sides of the egg that could be seen. But I saw no blood in any veins. Proceeding with caution I began to wash away as much of the sickening yellow stuff (yolk left over white what have you I don't care it was gunna killy chick) very slowly and gently I washed with a warm wet paper towel wetting the membranes and peeling just shell away.

More and more and more. Then I began to peel the outer membrane away from the chick. It appeared to have its umbilical wrapped around its back by this point. Seeing very little blood I continued to gently wash and peel.

Is everyone on the edge of their seats yet?!

The smell is pretty bad I'm not going to lie. Last night there was no smell that my still slightly stuffy nose could discern at all.

Peeling and peeling. Washing and peeling. I took stock of what I was seeing and smelling and I made the decision, this baby was coming out now. There was little blood left in the umbilical and the veins were drying up. I decided that to wait would be more costly and further risk infection. I cut the umbilical or what I believe to be the umbilical everything was so convoluted and goopified. No bleeding. Good sign. I quickly but carefully began to peel the membranes down afraid of what I might find.

Knowing the only backup u have right now is God and praying the entire time.

(I might also add I got the hiccups in here somewhere- ever tried to assist a hatch with the hiccups?!) Lol

Finally I decided to slowly dump the chick on paper towels layed on the incubator with gentle iodine and sterile scissors nearby. The chick laid there and I know it was cold. I had the warm water running in the sink and I knew I had to make one more push to completely detach the baby and wash all this goop off. To give this baby the only chance I could see. The smell was worse at the bottom of the egg. It still feels my nostrils. yuck!

I've never had an egg that was dead for three days smell like this when eggtopsying.

I cut the baby free and started wiping chunks off. I can't be certain right now exactly what all I was seeing. There was something that seemed more than normal afterbirth that I had to cut free. The umbilical is not completely closed but thank God it's much more closed that I had feared. There are no visible dark skin that I've come to equate to yolk sac infections. However there does seem to be a small bulge in the stomach. Perhaps part of the yolk was absorbed?

I'm pretty much clueless and only time with tell if God saves this baby. It certainly didn't have the best start. The best part is that it seems to be a pullet.

If she survives little Miracle is one lucky chick.

I cradled her in my hands and gently ran warm water over her lower half hoping to wash away any infection or infection carrying goop. I then iodined her tummy and placed her in her strawberry box in the incubator for a rest. Time will tell but my fingers will be crossed for sure. Poor little thing is oh so tired and weaker than I had hoped but glad to he rid of the egg that entombed her. If nothing else I'm glad she made it out of the egg.

Miracle her name may change but I do believe that today she earned it. She pipped early and was still in the turner but pipped below the turner so I didn't see she had not yet been placed into a hatching box and I can not believe she didn't drown. I believe it's been two days since she pipped and it is not yet day 21. Thankfully somehow though the goop formed over and ran out of the pip hole it did not suffocate her.

Will try to post some pics later with DH2B's phone

I'm SO angry at your phone right now!

Darn it!

I'd love to see all this stuff you're explaining.

I hope your little chicky does well!! Go chicky!!

 

[caw555]

I'm getting blue,buff,and gold laced Wyandotte eggs.
Which will be going under a broody hen

 

[summerb123]

Lets have some color today!


POST your ROOSTERS!!


share some things you like or dislike about them! don't forget the breed too!

here is my 2nd generation sex link rooster he is very sweet with a catch he attacks other people besides me that enter the coop Oscar is a great guy!

 

[BantyChooks]

My post WAS a novel. Sorry!!
I woke up this morning thinking "Gee, I didn't actually answer your concerns." Then it dawned on me that I have no answers to your situation. No right answers anyway. I go with my gut and hope for the best. I wouldn't normally extract a chick that's breech or shrink wrapped. Yet I chose to with Chick #2.
I've been combining today so I haven't gotten any farther than this. I'm hoping you there's positive updates further on.
The tweezers were brand new but meant for picking up gems for nail art. I was really lucky I didn't perforate the intestine with them. They weren't what I was looking for but they were the cleanest thing I had at hand. And I advocate sterilizing all tools BEFORE working on a chick. I was caught very much off guard in both cases.
I wrestled with the idea of cleaning off the gross mess from Chick #1 because that is what I would normally do. I was worried I'd introduce more things to the chick's internal contents by flushing than not. If you di it I'd like to hear how it turns out. :yiipchick I'm learning too.
In fact, after reading my own post, I'd do a few things differently than what I did. Why didn't I moisten the paper towel in the container with Hibitane disinfectant so that chick #2 had less risk of infection while I let the chick sleep? :/
I was very, very lucky with both in my cases.


Hey...don't steal my notes!! (joking! )

Seriously though...thanks. This just happened in September. I had planned on posting about the two chicks when things calmed down. I had to email the pics from my phone to my comp so I could use them because I hadn't backed them up on the comp yet. I copied them across tonight.

Sorry to hear you had heartbreak @BantyChooks
I hope it happened prior to my ill adventures. I'd feel badly if any of my info could've helped in any way. :/

...thanks I appreciate the thought.

Oh, I'mma stealing them all right!!

It happened this spring... the 2/5 survivors are almost laying... One bad thing after another kept happening. The relevant bad thing was an unabsorbed yolk sac that split and caused intestines to prolapse..... It was a malpo that stopped mid zip. All blood was absorbed, but there was still yolk. So, I put it in a cup with a damp papertowel.

Somehow, it managed to backflip out of the cup taller than itself, (!?!??!) run around the bator dragging it the whole way, and eventually stop after it tore. By the time I got back the damage was done.... It prolapsed the next morning, and I had to put it down. Hardest thing I've ever done.

The other one was lethargic and had to be helped totally out of the shell. It never was quite right and passed 48 hours after hatching. The third one died in a brooder accident.

And, yep- these were all breeds I was incredibly excited to get. Bee-yootiful birds, every one of them... Just really, really bad luck I guess? Hadn't lost a bird prior, and haven't lost a bird since. Such is life, I suppose....

At least I have two survivors. They're both girls, too.
They're very sweet, and I'm glad I have them.