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

[Sally Sunshine]

What a busy day on this thread!

Okay, so sometimes I can get the quotes to work, and sometimes it just turns out to be a big confusing mess. The joys of technology. So, sorry about that!

Congratulations everyone on the new babies! Still loving the pictures and all the conversations.

My heart goes out to everyone dealing with issues and losses. And the broken shipped eggs even brought tears to my eyes. I am so sorry for you all.

Here's an update on us. As of last time I checked, there were still only 5 chicks. 2 are not really doing great. I still have a lot of hope though. However, hope takes a hit every time this silly Australorp poops in her nest. Yep, she did it AGAIN! Last time I went back out, I was going to prepare for bloody arms and clean out the nest box, but while I was gone she cleaned it out herself. I didn't know chickens did that!? I was sure surprised! No more checking in tonight.

Here is a picture of the freezing chick I warmed in my hand. So tiny!


Our other broody momma (Buff Orpington) is doing well. Today, I am going to have Duke (my hubby) put his gloves on and move her so I can get a look at her eggs and just make sure she is not fouling up her nest. I am pretty sure she isn't. She gets up and moves around every 2 days. Day 21 for her is next Saturday.

AND... collecting eggs tonight, we now have 3 Buff Brahmas in the "Broody Hens Club"!! What in the world?! LOL! Duke said we are not giving her any eggs because it is too late in the year. I went right inside and started getting her eggs ready. He did not object (as I said, he loves the new chicks too!). I have the eggs ready for all three hens, but am giving them time to show me how serious they are.



I wonder if any more will join the club tomorrow...

awwww good luck with the rest!!

 

[AlilSassy]

...

Running around her strawberry box cheeping excitedly was my little Miracle. Oh gosh how can I hope? The ups and downs are just about killing me. Still I fight. This afternoon I was questioning if she was suffering. Tonight I feel a little hopeful again. I hope this chick never ceases to amaze me.

She seems in good spirits and as she ran here and there and everywhere tonight when I too her out I couldn't help but smile! She's a silly little thing as she cheeps and bounds here and there. Finally as she cheeped and cheeped she ran over to my hand clambered into it as I held it up slightly cupped to block her from careening towards the kitcen floor. She literally pushed into it pushing the cup sideways where she clambered into it snuggled up and promptly made super happy chick noises and fell asleep.

This is awesome! Love that's when that happens. I still feel giddy coming in to see Houdini running around yelling at me to refill the food or water I agree about the scrambled egg n water... if she gets how to do water but doesn't seem to be doing food, then liquified would be the way to go. I also had to do an injured in deaths door step chicken this way. She told me to do that because she was trying to drink the scrambled egg...so I had the "aha" moment and added the vitamin water and really minced it up, she went at it... (she was grabbed by a cat at 4 wks old and taken 2 yards over for 2 days!) She was eating normal in 24hrs...

 

[AlilSassy]

Btw, here's Houdini now...

also a cute pic of my Buff Polish (currently just called Buff) and my Araucana boy, (Ginger, but that does t sound manly, and recently realized he's a boy...likely will be renamed) These two and Silver(Splash Maran) love love love! sitting top of their brooder heh...

 

[Mak24456]

I candled the eggs I have in the bator on Day 7, which was yesterday. 4/12 EEs and 3/6 SLWs developing. 2 blood rings, both EEs. One of the developing SLWs is cracked and covered with clear nail polish, really hoping that one makes it! Rest of them seem to be clears. Any ideas why? They were shipped, but well packaged. Temperature is controlled by the STC 1000, humidity hovering between 30-40%. I let them sit 18 hours before setting. They are turned 3-5 times a day.

Could it be because it's the time of year for molting? A breeder I talked to said she had no hatching eggs available simply because they aren't fertile now.

These guys are due the Saturday right before Halloween

 

[AlilSassy]

I candled the eggs I have in the bator on Day 7, which was yesterday. 4/12 EEs and 3/6 SLWs developing. 2 blood rings, both EEs. One of the developing SLWs is cracked and covered with clear nail polish, really hoping that one makes it! Rest of them seem to be clears. Any ideas why? They were shipped, but well packaged. Temperature is controlled by the STC 1000, humidity hovering between 30-40%. I let them sit 18 hours before setting. They are turned 3-5 times a day. 

Could it be because it's the time of year for molting? A breeder I talked to said she had no hatching eggs available simply because they aren't fertile now. 

These guys are due the Saturday right before Halloween e  

All I have been doing is shipped eggs, 100's of them and I've gotten maybe 10 chicks total out of them... I am learning still mind you, but the clears could be many things including(but not limited to) shaking during transit, falls, drops, flips, egg being spun during bubble wrapping or after, hot or cold during shipment, bacteria, or not fertilized or bad gene combo...same goes for the blood rings... blood rings can also happen from spikes up or down in temp or abrupt handling while candling... those eggs have a huge gamut of things they need to get past to give you a viable chick... not to mention once in lock down they still need to turn and pip into right place! I have so many make it to that day then die! THATS THE WORST! Or hatch but be deformed, organs exposed or die in 24hrs... this has been the roughest learning curve ever to master outside of parenting...

 

[Mak24456]

All I have been doing is shipped eggs, 100's of them and I've gotten maybe 10 chicks total out of them... I am learning still mind you, but the clears could be many things including(but not limited to) shaking during transit, falls, drops, flips, egg being spun during bubble wrapping or after, hot or cold during shipment, bacteria, or not fertilized or bad gene combo...same goes for the blood rings... blood rings can also happen from spikes up or down in temp or abrupt handling while candling... those eggs have a huge gamut of things they need to get past to give you a viable chick... not to mention once in lock down they still need to turn and pip into right place! I have so many make it to that day then die! THATS THE WORST! Or hatch but be deformed, organs exposed or die in 24hrs... this has been the roughest learning curve ever to master outside of parenting...

Now I have to hope most of the 7 make it to lockdown. With my luck, any that hatch will be cockerels.

 

[AlilSassy]

Now I have to hope most of the 7 make it to lockdown. With my luck, any that hatch will be cockerels. 

That's my luck currently

 

[kajira]

All I have been doing is shipped eggs, 100's of them and I've gotten maybe 10 chicks total out of them... I am learning still mind you, but the clears could be many things including(but not limited to) shaking during transit, falls, drops, flips, egg being spun during bubble wrapping or after, hot or cold during shipment, bacteria, or not fertilized or bad gene combo...same goes for the blood rings... blood rings can also happen from spikes up or down in temp or abrupt handling while candling... those eggs have a huge gamut of things they need to get past to give you a viable chick... not to mention once in lock down they still need to turn and pip into right place! I have so many make it to that day then die! THATS THE WORST! Or hatch but be deformed, organs exposed or die in 24hrs... this has been the roughest learning curve ever to master outside of parenting...

I've just started doing shipped eggs.

my first batch, 4 had blood rings between day 3-10. 2 were infertile from the get go. out of the 2 that made it to lock down, one had slow development, and it was on day 24+ and it was still alive but not coming out. when we took off the top of the egg to try to help it be born, it had the air sac glued around it, there was no chance of it being born on it's own. we tried. and then it died. When we took it apart, it's intestines were on the outside of it's body and it was not a full sized chick... I don't know HOW it was still alive on day 24, but it was clear that it was going to die no matter what we did... so I don't feel guilty.

My second batch of shipped eggs, they sent 30. 4 were cracked upon arrival. I tried to save the 2 that were the least cracked. Neither made it. One started to bubble and the other got a blood ring by day 3.

I lost a few more to blood rings or no development (all my eggs marked buffs were infertile) - out of that, I have 13 eggs in there, and lock down in 2 days. I don't know if all them are still viable, but I know at least 12ish eggs were alive when I candled yesterday.

Now, I just have to wait and see what happens on hatch day. I'd be shocked if I got a dozen eggs to hatch... but I'd be sure happy with 6-8. LOL

 

[Saris]

Quote:
I feel the same way. I think they are just infertile, I'll leave them in a few more days, but really I'm pretty happy, I was only expecting a dozen eggs and got 2 instead, so if I think of it like it's 10/12 eggs I feel much better, haha. Let's just hope they all get to hatch.

 

[junebuggena]

I'm sorry

kids get so excited over this stuff and want to see. Thankfully, my kids haven't done it yet (or haven't gotten caught yet) but then, I hatch so often anymore that I don't think they care anymore. My daughter likes to look when I candle though. Do you still have many others that are still good in there? Can you maybe move the incubator somewhere that won't be tempting, like a bedroom?

The incubator is in the downstairs bedroom. It's the most out of the way place in the house. 11 still look alright. I'm pretty sure I know which kid did it. But none of them will admit to knowing anything. And they are old enough to know better. The youngest is almost 5.