Hands on hatching and help

[Lilmissesmom]

Good morning all. My Trader joes egg's are on day 21, yeah but i need to ask if it is actually day 21 or actually 20. When i set them it was a friday morning at 6 AM so i counted that as day 1. Well i read last night that the egg's need to have 24 Hrs be counted as day 1. Are my egg's on day 20 or is it hatch day and could it hurt the chick's if they went into lockdown a day early?

 

[ShanandGem]

Can anyone tell me if I can incubate eggs from hens who are on antibiotics? I know I can't eat them but I'm having trouble just throwing them away....
They are on a five day course of erythromycin since I brought some chickens home from the auction who ended up having some kind of respiratory chicken plague. Two of the three died.

 

[Pyxis]

Can anyone tell me if I can incubate eggs from hens who are on antibiotics?  I know I can't eat them but I'm having trouble just throwing them away....
They are on a five day course of erythromycin since I brought some chickens home from the auction who ended up having some kind of respiratory chicken plague.  Two of the three died.

You should be able to set them. I'm not sure what disease those hens had but most of them are highly contagious, can't actually be cured, and make hens carriers for life so before you sell or give away any birds you should really find out for sure what they have. Some even pass right through the eggs and the chicks end up infected with it, either dying in the shell or hatching as carries, so before you hatch any more make sure you're prepared to keep all of them and never sell or give them away because you don't want to spread the disease.

 

[ShanandGem]

You should be able to set them. I'm not sure what disease those hens had but most of them are highly contagious, can't actually be cured, and make hens carriers for life so before you sell or give away any birds you should really find out for sure what they have. Some even pass right through the eggs and the chicks end up infected with it, either dying in the shell or hatching as carries, so before you hatch any more make sure you're prepared to keep all of them and never sell or give them away because you don't want to spread the disease.

I would be hatching just for myself, replacement layers and meat cockerels. I just wondered if the antibiotics would somehow make them not viable.
I had the new birds quarantined and none of my existing flocks are sick; this is more of a prophylactic treatment. For all I know my flock carries something and the new birds caught it when I brought them home. There really isn't any way of knowing.

 

[dcba flock]

My little scramble is on its way out... It's sleeping seperately on a heating pad but it doesn't have long. It doesn't seem to be in any pain I just don't have the heart I feel awful Ik I should just get it over w/... It hasn't eaten or drank at all since it hatched Monday night idk if it's internal organs were even formed right. I tried everything hand feeding droppering water. Ugh

 

[Pyxis]

​I would be hatching just for myself, replacement layers and meat cockerels.  I just wondered if the antibiotics would somehow make them not viable.
I had the new birds quarantined and none of my existing flocks are sick;  this is more of a prophylactic treatment.  For all I know my flock carries something and the new birds caught it when I brought them home.  There really isn't any way of knowing.

Ugh, that always sucks when you do quarantine and then the birds are sick after. I once had respiratory illness come into my flock from someone who sold me eggs from their infected birds, still not sure which chicks it was that had it. Had to cull all the chicks from that year, including goslings and ducklings, and my entire marans flock before I got it contained. It was NOT fun. I hope your flock doesn't get sick or it was something not serious and not contagious

 

[Pyxis]

My little scramble is on its way out... It's sleeping seperately on a heating pad but it doesn't have long. It doesn't seem to be in any pain I just don't have the heart I feel awful Ik I should just get it over w/... It hasn't eaten or drank at all since it hatched Monday night idk if it's internal organs were even formed right. I tried everything hand feeding droppering water. Ugh

So sorry

 

[ShanandGem]

My little scramble is on its way out... It's sleeping seperately on a heating pad but it doesn't have long. It doesn't seem to be in any pain I just don't have the heart I feel awful Ik I should just get it over w/... It hasn't eaten or drank at all since it hatched Monday night idk if it's internal organs were even formed right. I tried everything hand feeding droppering water. Ugh

That's so hard, I feel for you. You always hope they are going to pull off a miracle though.

 

[ShanandGem]

Ugh, that always sucks when you do quarantine and then the birds are sick after. I once had respiratory illness come into my flock from someone who sold me eggs from their infected birds, still not sure which chicks it was that had it. Had to cull all the chicks from that year, including goslings and ducklings, and my entire marans flock before I got it contained. It was NOT fun. I hope your flock doesn't get sick or it was something not serious and not contagious

I learned my lesson to give new birds (especially auction/mystery chickens) a round of antibiotics upon arrival. I feel like they may have had a fighting chance had I done that.
The only one I have left is a little Polish cross pullet who is now living alone. She's the sweetest little thing.

 

[WVduckchick]

Good morning all. My Trader joes egg's are on day 21, yeah but i need to ask if it is actually day 21 or actually 20. When i set them it was a friday morning at 6 AM so i counted that as day 1. Well i read last night that the egg's need to have 24 Hrs be counted as day 1. Are my egg's on day 20 or is it hatch day and could it hurt the chick's if they went into lockdown a day early?

If you set Friday morning at 6 a.m., then Friday morning at 6 a.m. 3 weeks later starts day 21. Locking them down a day early didn't hurt anything, if everything was going fine up to that point. I mean, if the air cells were good, and growth was good, then all should be fine to hatch today!

Good luck and let us know please!

My little scramble is on its way out... It's sleeping seperately on a heating pad but it doesn't have long. It doesn't seem to be in any pain I just don't have the heart I feel awful Ik I should just get it over w/... It hasn't eaten or drank at all since it hatched Monday night idk if it's internal organs were even formed right. I tried everything hand feeding droppering water. Ugh

So sorry