Hands on hatching and help

[arr36]

Update. Squashed chick was looking really weak when Mama hen took them all out yesterday morning so I brought him in for the day to the brooder where he was joined by the last baby to hatch (egg was abandoned). By the evening they looked great so I put them back out in the coop. Unfortunately this morning one chick was dead, I am pretty sure it was the squashed one. I don't know if it was just weak because it's last day or two of incubation was compromised by the squashed egg, or what. Maybe I should've waited a couple more days and kept him in the brooder until he was totally fine though I thought I had done that. I guess you live and learn. I don't have the resources to look after every single weak hatchling unfortunately when they often need their own space so they're not picked on.

RIP squashy!

Baby turkey is still happy out in the coop with Mama and his three yellow fluffball siblings. So that's a success.

 

[RubyNala97]

That's so nice to read....I know it's a far cry from the accepted wisdom of chick keeping, but it's been working for broody hens since the chicken-or-the-egg question first came up! I imagine these little stinkers will be ready to go out by Tuesday or so. All are eating, drinking, and know where to get warm, and the others already out there aren't that much bigger yet. But I'll keep a close eye on them at first. Feel like I have so much invested in them (not financially, but time and the ups and downs) that I want them in here for a few more days. Katie was here with her face pressed to the brooder and she just fell in love with one little chick in particular. I'm not sure if it's the first one she held or what, but she's decided this one is named "Smudge" and it's going to be her special pet. That may change tomorrow. But guess what??? She's going to see about joining 4-H and use her special Silkie as her project! For a little girl with autism, this is HUGE!! Off hand, do you happen to know what color I might get (and I know that's subject to surprise endings, as Amy's white-turning-gray chick shows!) out of a yellow chick with bright orange smudges on her head? I've got one of those and she's adorable! There's another one like that but her orange isn't as pronounced. In this photo, Katie's Smudge is the one standing tall with her back to the camera, and Ruby is the one right in front.

The silkies would be a perfect 4-H project! I've had a few people buy eggs/chicks/adult silkies for 4-H. I honestly don't know what the colors might bring. I've been surprised by grow outs. I have one now that is black with a few white spots. Like a reverse paint! The genetics for paint have not been identified yet. It's still a project color and needs work. But if you don't mind I'll like to follow the one with the orange spot on its head. There is a color called red paint. And it's white with spots of a reddish color. If you got one like that, that would be pretty amazing and someone working on that color would be very excited to see it!

Forgot to quote the OP on that incubator, but there is a thread here on it. I saw one when I first started and considered it, but ended up going bigger. And Ruby, you are soooo right about looking at the funky air cells, I'm wondering how the chick is going to position, and how I'm even going to lay them down! Some have rounded out nicely, but the weird ones are perplexing. Happy you got more call eggs! And air cells in one spot, stuck there? Seems almost foreign, huh? I know you though, you will get more call babies, if you have to try a hundred to do it! Hopefully 3rd time is a charm!

Trust me, I know what you're going through! I'm pretty sure Friday keeps them in cartons during hatch. I've never done that yet. Hopefully the chicks are strong enough to figure it out. I never get upset with wrong end pippers because I think it takes a really strong chick to be able to break through that shell without getting to rest in the air cell and practice breathing. When is lockdown? Also, a lot of times when draw down happens it firms up any loose cells and almost evens out their shape.

Dog house with momma ducks at 30% humidity meat thermometer 90 in water temperature outside of dog house 80 f inside 82 f on front back one at 80 f temp 90f and 35 but just put back one in 10 minutes ago so it might have to adjust from outside air to in dog house air no lights or heating pad or vaporizer or humidifier going at these time tell I can get the part. To we connect circuit board . Warm air cool air heat. Plus momma ducks. Equal to what when eggs laid. To what is the promising hatch rate. Physics and math to equal to Heath and safety of chicks and hens to ducks and duckings.

For someone that likes to let nature take its course you are really trying to control it! This is all in respects to broody duck hens, right?

@Pyxis Did you get a response on your guinea eggs? Your post reminded me that I sold some sebright eggs a few weeks ago (locally thru FB), tried to contact the buyer to see how her incubation was going a couple weeks in. Didn't get a response. They should have hatched by now, so I sent her another message. Still no response. I sold her 19 eggs for the price of a dozen (because she "said" she wanted 3 dozen more later) and I even delivered the dang eggs to her. You'd think she would have the courtesy to reply.

Some people are great about keeping in touch and updating and then some you never hear from again! I was surprised on Mother's Day with lots of text messages with pictures of silkies. It was people that had hatched eggs and so nice to see them growing up! Right now I'm dealing with someone that contacted me locally through FB for chicks, she was supposed to pick them up 10 days ago and keeps giving me excuses. I'm beyond over brooding these chicks. When she wanted me to set eggs she was on top of me, sending lots of messages and calling, now that they are here I can't even get a response!

 

[RubyNala97]

Update. Squashed chick was looking really weak when Mama hen took them all out yesterday morning so I brought him in for the day to the brooder where he was joined by the last baby to hatch (egg was abandoned). By the evening they looked great so I put them back out in the coop. Unfortunately this morning one chick was dead, I am pretty sure it was the squashed one. I don't know if it was just weak because it's last day or two of incubation was compromised by the squashed egg, or what. Maybe I should've waited a couple more days and kept him in the brooder until he was totally fine though I thought I had done that. I guess you live and learn. I don't have the resources to look after every single weak hatchling unfortunately when they often need their own space so they're not picked on.

RIP squashy!

Baby turkey is still happy out in the coop with Mama and his three yellow fluffball siblings. So that's a success.

Sorry to hear that! You did a great job trying to take care of them. I know what you mean. I've got so many broodies and eggs and chicks right now that at some point it's going to have to just play out. I can't keep policing all these hens and eggs.

 

[WVduckchick]

The silkies would be a perfect 4-H project! I've had a few people buy eggs/chicks/adult silkies for 4-H. I honestly don't know what the colors might bring. I've been surprised by grow outs. I have one now that is black with a few white spots. Like a reverse paint! The genetics for paint have not been identified yet. It's still a project color and needs work. But if you don't mind I'll like to follow the one with the orange spot on its head. There is a color called red paint. And it's white with spots of a reddish color. If you got one like that, that would be pretty amazing and someone working on that color would be very excited to see it!
Trust me, I know what you're going through! I'm pretty sure Friday keeps them in cartons during hatch. I've never done that yet. Hopefully the chicks are strong enough to figure it out. I never get upset with wrong end pippers because I think it takes a really strong chick to be able to break through that shell without getting to rest in the air cell and practice breathing. When is lockdown? Also, a lot of times when draw down happens it firms up any loose cells and almost evens out their shape.
For someone that likes to let nature take its course you are really trying to control it!

This is all in respects to broody duck hens, right?
Some people are great about keeping in touch and updating and then some you never hear from again! I was surprised on Mother's Day with lots of text messages with pictures of silkies. It was people that had hatched eggs and so nice to see them growing up! Right now I'm dealing with someone that contacted me locally through FB for chicks, she was supposed to pick them up 10 days ago and keeps giving me excuses. I'm beyond over brooding these chicks. When she wanted me to set eggs she was on top of me, sending lots of messages and calling, now that they are here I can't even get a response!

Red Paint... interesting, and I bet that's going to be a beauty! And the Reverse Paint sounds very appealing to me!

I have never done the cartons for hatch time, and I think I prefer to lay these down. (might experiment with cartons on some of my own eggs). Lockdown Wednesday, probably do it in the morning, if they all look well, and I'm keeping them in the Brinsea. I've resisted adding any eggs for a whole 3 weeks!! LOL
Serama notoriously hatch early, so I might have some by Friday!

(And psssst, my next planned breed is dwarf chocolate orpingtons!)

That was sweet on Mother's Day! About the person not getting back to you -- she'd get one more message from me, letting her know that they are being listed for sale!

 

[Blooie]

Oooh, the idea of a red paint appeals to me, too. Although what I'd do with it I don't know - not exactly in the breeding end of chicken keeping. With her then, it might be kind of fun to take weekly photos and see how she changes as she grows up. Hmmmmm

 

[Pyxis]

@Pyxis
  Did you get a response on your guinea eggs? 

Your post reminded me that I sold some sebright eggs a few weeks ago (locally thru FB), tried to contact the buyer to see how her incubation was going a couple weeks in.  Didn't get a response.  They should have hatched by now, so I sent her another message.  Still no response.  I sold her 19 eggs for the price of a dozen (because she "said" she wanted 3 dozen more later) and I even delivered the dang eggs to her.  You'd think she would have the courtesy to reply. 

I just got a reply back - the seller said they accidentally put the wrong listing up and the eggs I got are a mix. She had put her pied birds in with all the others because there wasn't a lot of demand for pied ones. So I could still get some pied birds. BUT she has offered to send me a bunch of pinto eggs for free when her pintos start laying, so I'm going to take her up on that.

 

[WVduckchick]

I just got a reply back - the seller said they accidentally put the wrong listing up and the eggs I got are a mix. She had put her pied birds in with all the others because there wasn't a lot of demand for pied ones. So I could still get some pied birds. BUT she has offered to send me a bunch of pinto eggs for free when her pintos start laying, so I'm going to take her up on that.

Ah! Well at least you got a reply. Hopefully you will get some pieds in the mix.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

The silkies would be a perfect 4-H project! I've had a few people buy eggs/chicks/adult silkies for 4-H. I honestly don't know what the colors might bring. I've been surprised by grow outs. I have one now that is black with a few white spots. Like a reverse paint! The genetics for paint have not been identified yet. It's still a project color and needs work. But if you don't mind I'll like to follow the one with the orange spot on its head. There is a color called red paint. And it's white with spots of a reddish color. If you got one like that, that would be pretty amazing and someone working on that color would be very excited to see it!
Trust me, I know what you're going through! I'm pretty sure Friday keeps them in cartons during hatch. I've never done that yet. Hopefully the chicks are strong enough to figure it out. I never get upset with wrong end pippers because I think it takes a really strong chick to be able to break through that shell without getting to rest in the air cell and practice breathing. When is lockdown? Also, a lot of times when draw down happens it firms up any loose cells and almost evens out their shape.
For someone that likes to let nature take its course you are really trying to control it!

This is all in respects to broody duck hens, right?
Some people are great about keeping in touch and updating and then some you never hear from again! I was surprised on Mother's Day with lots of text messages with pictures of silkies. It was people that had hatched eggs and so nice to see them growing up! Right now I'm dealing with someone that contacted me locally through FB for chicks, she was supposed to pick them up 10 days ago and keeps giving me excuses. I'm beyond over brooding these chicks. When she wanted me to set eggs she was on top of me, sending lots of messages and calling, now that they are here I can't even get a response!

That's funny, remember me asking you if there was a such thing as a black paint with white spots?? lol Yeah, I'd be selling those babies! I hate people that do crap like that!

Ah! Well at least you got a reply. Hopefully you will get some pieds in the mix.

xs 2

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Home from vacation, now I need a rest!!!! My fluffies are getting so big. I need to get some new pics!!

 

[FridayYet]

That's funny, remember me asking you if there was a such thing as a black paint with white spots?? lol Yeah, I'd be selling those babies! I hate people that do crap like that!

xs 2

Wouldn't that be considered mottled instead of paint?