Hands on hatching and help

[tracyjg]

I think next time if I can cach the hatch in time put ducks in one incubator and chicks in another it got very complicated

 

[RubyNala97]

So I set 29 of my silkie eggs on Friday. I have them laying flat in the octagon 20 and am hand turning 5xday. I also squeezed in a little medicine cup with extra water, since my humidity does not go above 40% with both wells full. I shined the light on them this morning and every single egg has a beating heart!

From my first batch of eggs on, air cells have been the biggest and most frustrating issue.  The two eggs that hatched out of the first 28 had air cells that firmed up pretty well, just a little wonky on one side, and even that wasn't real bad.  The others were just bad..and stayed bad.

I do everything I can to help the reattaching process along, aside from opening them and using Gorilla Glue to anchor them.  I let them sit undisturbed.  I don't turn them the first few days in the incubator. I keep them upright in the incubator.  I maintain a steady humidity - not high but with minimal fluctuations.  When I candle them I keep them upright and candle from the top down.

Got new eggs coming from @RubyNala97
 and she said the air cells in the ones she sent are so small she can barely make them out.  That and the fact that they were gathered yesterday and today and then shipped right away today should help.  It's just a sad fact that here express mail means Pony Express!  But I have more confidence in this new batch of eggs - although what I'll do with a dozen Silkies in a rough cowboy kind of community I ain't sure!    Here kids ride their horses in town and stop at the convenience store for an ice cream or can of pop!  They just tie the horses to the bracket the tire air hose is wrapped around!  

I'll keep the three I'm most concerned about upright in carton cups, then.  I wonder how I'll know if they are pipping on the bottom if I can't see the bottom, but that's a small potato problem compared to just keeping them alive through hatch.  

I'm really hoping that since you have some batches of shipped under your belt and these eggs were super fresh that you will have a great hatch!

Yep, they were shipped.  I've had such horrible luck with shipped eggs.  I will NEVER buy shipped eggs again.  From here on out I will buy chicks and then wait til the following spring to hatch their eggs.  For the number that hatched out of my first 38 shipped eggs (4) I ended up paying 45 dollars a duck, and one of them died at 3 days of age.  I coulda just had ducklings shipped for ten bucks a piece from somewhere.  Absolutely ridiculous.  I will be shocked if I get 2 out of the 10 in the hatcher to hatch.  That makes the last batch of 20 eggs cost me 45 dollars a duck too.

I also found out that my hygrometer that I thought went haywire and caused my first 38 eggs to get the bacterial infection actually did not go haywire.  I've got 2 new ones in the Lyon bator that are both reading the exact same with the same amount of water I put in the first time around.  The 2nd batch of runner ducks that I had in the incubator did not get any bacterial infections nor do the 2.5 week old eggs out of my yard that were also in the Lyon incubator up until I moved them to my Brinsea when I converted the Lyon to my hatcher and locked down my runners (nor did the first batch of eggs from my yard get the bacteria).  I did not clean the Lyon out after removing the bacterial infected eggs since I still had the previously mentioned eggs inside of it.

All of this tells me that I did not cause the bacterial outbreak by getting the humidity too high.  It also tells me that the outbreak did not occur because the bator was not properly cleaned or disinfected before setting the eggs because if it was due to the incubator being unclean, then my 2 sets of eggs from the yard and this last batch of runners would also have the bacterial infections since they were in the same incubator.  It tells me that the bacteria was carried in on one of the 2, or both sets of shipped eggs that I first put in the incubator.  Yet another reason I don't want to mess with shipped eggs. 

Anyone agree or have any thoughts on this theory???

I'm never surprised when I hear of people dealing with strange things or things not going well when they say "yes, they were shipped". Shipping does quite a number on eggs! I received 18 shipped call eggs, which were packed terrible and only have 4 looking good, maybe 5. So I understand. Last year I was determined to get silkie eggs from a breeder in Florida. I ended up with two chicks that cost $100 each! I'm glad that you figured out that the bacteria was not the hygrometer or the incubator but the eggs themselves.

O, and I have not candled them since putting them in the hatcher.  I candled right before putting them in lockdown on Saturday afternoon but have not since.  No internal pips then although on Friday I did see one nibbling on the air sac when I candled.  It then ceased to move on Saturday.  Should I candle them again to check progress?  I am afraid I am gonna have to help these guys out again just like the other babies.  I've only had 2 out of all 8 of my ducks hatch on their own without help and had a bunch that I might have been able to help had I known they were struggling so hard to get into position.

Well you've got 1 pip now, right? It's your call if you want to candle. I'm sitting here thinking if I would candle or not. I would really want to know if the other eggs were internally pipped so I could monitor how long they were internally pipped for but it would also depend on how good my incubator was with humidity.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

So I set 29 of my silkie eggs on Friday. I have them laying flat in the octagon 20 and am hand turning 5xday. I also squeezed in a little medicine cup with extra water, since my humidity does not go above 40% with both wells full. I shined the light on them this morning and every single egg has a beating heart!

I'm really hoping that since you have some batches of shipped under your belt and these eggs were super fresh that you will have a great hatch!

I'm never surprised when I hear of people dealing with strange things or things not going well when they say "yes, they were shipped". Shipping does quite a number on eggs! I received 18 shipped call eggs, which were packed terrible and only have 4 looking good, maybe 5. So I understand. Last year I was determined to get silkie eggs from a breeder in Florida. I ended up with two chicks that cost $100 each! I'm glad that you figured out that the bacteria was not the hygrometer or the incubator but the eggs themselves.
Well you've got 1 pip now, right? It's your call if you want to candle. I'm sitting here thinking if I would candle or not. I would really want to know if the other eggs were internally pipped so I could monitor how long they were internally pipped for but it would also depend on how good my incubator was with humidity.

That's great Ruby!!! Are these to fill the orders you've gotten from Craigslist?

 

[BigWeenMachine]

I'm never surprised when I hear of people dealing with strange things or things not going well when they say "yes, they were shipped". Shipping does quite a number on eggs! I received 18 shipped call eggs, which were packed terrible and only have 4 looking good, maybe 5. So I understand. Last year I was determined to get silkie eggs from a breeder in Florida. I ended up with two chicks that cost $100 each! I'm glad that you figured out that the bacteria was not the hygrometer or the incubator but the eggs themselves.
Well you've got 1 pip now, right? It's your call if you want to candle. I'm sitting here thinking if I would candle or not. I would really want to know if the other eggs were internally pipped so I could monitor how long they were internally pipped for but it would also depend on how good my incubator was with humidity.

Yea, it is just so depressing to watch so many babies die in the egg because of air sac issues from shipping.

Turns out that now I have 6 pips! A couple of them will move when I talk to them or play them duckling videos so that's a good sign. None of them have made a hole completely through yet though so this makes me nervous that once again, they can't get out and I will need to assist them. I want to monitor their progress and make sure they aren't dying after pipping like I've heard happens to so many people on here, but I don't wanna lose my humidity. I have the entire bottom of that Lyon incubator full of water and my humidity is only 72%. It's just so dry here that I can't keep it up. If that first pipper doesn't start to zip by this evening I am going to start pulling them out to candle and see if there is something I can do to help. For now I'm just gonna ride it out......

 

[RubyNala97]

I couldn't resist posting. Look at this baby!!

That's great Ruby!!!  Are these to fill the orders you've gotten from Craigslist?

Yes! I'm still waiting on the hova bator. I have more eggs to set and I'm hoping the eggs that my friend gave me will still develop, as I have not set them yet.

Yea, it is just so depressing to watch so many babies die in the egg because of air sac issues from shipping. 

Turns out that now I have 6 pips!  A couple of them will move when I talk to them or play them duckling videos so that's a good sign.  None of them have made a hole completely through yet though so this makes me nervous that once again, they can't get out and I will need to assist them.  I want to monitor their progress and make sure they aren't dying after pipping like I've heard happens to so many people on here, but I don't wanna lose my humidity.  I have the entire bottom of that Lyon incubator full of water and my humidity is only 72%.  It's just so dry here that I can't keep it up.  If that first pipper doesn't start to zip by this evening I am going to start pulling them out to candle and see if there is something I can do to help.  For now I'm just gonna ride it out......

That's awesome!! And 72% is good. Let's just hope it holds. My eggs pip the same way. I mean barely a tiny crack in the shell that's hard to see. But it's enough for oxygen to get in. Then once they have tested a bit (many hours) they start making the crack into a hole.

 

[WVduckchick]

I couldn't resist posting. Look at this baby!!

Yes! I'm still waiting on the hova bator. I have more eggs to set and I'm hoping the eggs that my friend gave me will still develop, as I have not set them yet.
That's awesome!! And 72% is good. Let's just hope it holds. My eggs pip the same way. I mean barely a tiny crack in the shell that's hard to see. But it's enough for oxygen to get in. Then once they have tested a bit (many hours) they start making the crack into a hole.

Ruby that baby is too stinkin cute for words!

Have a missed a name for him/her somewhere?????

Good luck with the new set. I've been trying to hold off, but I think I'm going to throw in a few pure bantam cochin eggs tonight. Sex-links since she is cuckoo, so should make them easier to sell. Not to mention they are beautiful chicks.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I couldn't resist posting. Look at this baby!!

Yes! I'm still waiting on the hova bator. I have more eggs to set and I'm hoping the eggs that my friend gave me will still develop, as I have not set them yet.
That's awesome!! And 72% is good. Let's just hope it holds. My eggs pip the same way. I mean barely a tiny crack in the shell that's hard to see. But it's enough for oxygen to get in. Then once they have tested a bit (many hours) they start making the crack into a hole.

Love him/her!!!

 

[BigWeenMachine]

I couldn't resist posting. Look at this baby!!

Yes! I'm still waiting on the hova bator. I have more eggs to set and I'm hoping the eggs that my friend gave me will still develop, as I have not set them yet.
That's awesome!! And 72% is good. Let's just hope it holds. My eggs pip the same way. I mean barely a tiny crack in the shell that's hard to see. But it's enough for oxygen to get in. Then once they have tested a bit (many hours) they start making the crack into a hole.

Lol, he looks like he's grounded and longingly watching his friends play outside while he's in timeout. Sure is cute.

 

[RubyNala97]

Ruby that baby is too stinkin cute for words!    Have a missed a name for him/her somewhere????? 

Good luck with the new set.  I've been trying to hold off, but I think I'm going to throw in a few pure bantam cochin eggs tonight.  Sex-links since she is cuckoo, so should make them easier to sell.  Not to mention they are beautiful chicks. 

Thank you! I've never named anything I've hatched but this little one definitely needs a name. But it's hard without knowing boy or girl. I decided on Mavis. Could that be unisex? And Mavie for short. I think it's a boy, which means it will end up being a girl. But I'm fine with whatever it is. He* just wants to hang out with me, it's very cute.

Good luck to you too on the eggs. I'm doing a little experiment with this batch. My last 5 hatches with my own eggs in the mini were great. Mostly 100% or at the most only 1 DIS. But then when I used the same eggs in the 20 I had like 5 or 6 DIS. Only difference was the rails and cradle. Since I'm home anyway I'm laying these down flat and hand turning each one to see if it increases the hatch rate from the last. It's worth it monetarily speaking, so we'll see. So far 100% development. (And I've got two torpedo shaped eggs in there to see if they hatch).

Lol, he looks like he's grounded and longingly watching his friends play outside while he's in timeout.  Sure is cute.

You're right! he climbs right up the pillows to the window and looks out. He's such a funny baby!

 

[WVduckchick]

Thank you! I've never named anything I've hatched but this little one definitely needs a name. But it's hard without knowing boy or girl. I decided on Mavis. Could that be unisex? And Mavie for short. I think it's a boy, which means it will end up being a girl. But I'm fine with whatever it is. He* just wants to hang out with me, it's very cute.

Good luck to you too on the eggs. I'm doing a little experiment with this batch. My last 5 hatches with my own eggs in the mini were great. Mostly 100% or at the most only 1 DIS. But then when I used the same eggs in the 20 I had like 5 or 6 DIS. Only difference was the rails and cradle. Since I'm home anyway I'm laying these down flat and hand turning each one to see if it increases the hatch rate from the last. It's worth it monetarily speaking, so we'll see. So far 100% development. (And I've got two torpedo shaped eggs in there to see if they hatch).
You're right!

he climbs right up the pillows to the window and looks out. He's such a funny baby!

Mavis is a cute name. And unisex enough.
And sometimes you just have to experiment. Gotta find out what works best, even if you lose a few in the process.

I found this only an hour from me.

https://zanesville.craigslist.org/grd/5553252455.html

Somebody take my car keys!