Hands on hatching and help

[elizabethu42]

 

[casportpony]

What day can I start candling??

. I candle from day one! Generally though you don't see development until day 3 or 4 with light colored eggs, often later in dark eggs.

I did a candling experiment on some very light colored chicken eggs, and would I surprise you that I could see development at 12 hours?

Edited to add:
These eggs were exceptionally light colored.

 

[newchickmama91]

I did a candling experiment on some very light colored chicken eggs, and would I surprise you that I could see development at 12 hours?

Wow I've only seen that in quail eggs!!

 

[casportpony]

I did a candling experiment on some very light colored chicken eggs, and would I surprise you that I could see development at 12 hours?

Wow I've only seen that in quail eggs!!

these were small thin shelled banty eggs.

 

[WVduckchick]

Well, it is hatch time for me again. Getting new thermometer/hygrometers has been a huge help. I have gone from nearly 0% hatch rate to nearly 100% with my Welsh Harlequin Ducks. I hatched 10/11 of those. I had a batch of 7 Lavender Orpintons that only 1 hatched. They were shipped eggs and when I got them I contacted the seller because the eggs were smaller than Silkie eggs. I asked her if they were pullet eggs and she said no, but

. The 1 that hatched is very tiny. I know the eggs had to be pullet eggs. I will be happy when I don't have to rely on shipped eggs to build my flocks.

Right now I have Bourbon Red Turkeys hatching, shipped eggs of course. I started with 10. 3 were clear. 7 made it to lockdown. So far 3 have hatched and 1 is zipping. 2 others are internally pipped. The first one that hatched has Flipping Over Syndrome, which apparently is fairly common with poults. I have that one in a box with a heating pad. It doesn't want to eat or drink, but it only hatched about 14 hours ago. I will start syringing tomorrow if it is still refusing. I have pedialyte, and plain yogurt to feed it and Poly Vi Sol vitamins. It is a little stinker. I try to wrap it into a donut shape cloth to restrict its movement and the little jerk wiggles itself out and tries to crawl/walk around. I tried stuffing it in my bra cleavage, but it squirms out and climbs up to my shoulder. It seems to be very strong, just keeps flipping over onto its back.

The 2nd poult to hatch is now in my brooder/bathtub squawking because it is all by itself. The 3rd one that hatched immediately died. When it brought its legs out, blood gushed everywhere and it bled out within seconds. I've never seen anything like it. The 4th one is zipping now and it looks sticky as well as the others. I've been raising humidity slowly. I'm at 2000 ft elevation. I don't know what else would make them sticky with the humidity I'm setting at, 50-55% incubation and 65%-70% hatch.

Sebbie egg is on lockdown. I was still seeing nice veining up to 2 days ago and I have an interesting egg on Day 8. I bought 6 Buckeye eggs and the seller didn't bother to wrap the eggs. He just put them in an egg crate, wrapped bubble wrap around the outside of the egg crate and shipped them off. 2 were broken when I got them. They both had cracked all the way around the top and had large pip looking breaks. I put wax over them and put them in the bator. 1 was clear, but the other one is developing!

About the lavender orpington eggs.... I was shocked the first year with mine at how small their eggs are, considering the size of the bird. A couple of my older hens, around 2 years old now, do lay a decent sized egg now. But generally, they are much smaller than one would expect. I also had silkies, and the LO eggs are much bigger than a silkie egg, but still smaller than, say, my production reds which are smaller birds than they are.

 

[rochesjourney]

My 4th poult hatched, sticky and had a huge yolk. I put it in a small container so it couldn't move around and the yolk absorbed, but it looks like it has a large "hernia" at the navel. It is red and nasty looking. Is there anything I can do about this or do I need to cull?

 

[rochesjourney]

Good luck!
Yeah, every time I take out chicks and put them on my bed she has to get up there and watch and sniff. She's a big ole nosey girl...lol
I'd drop the incubation humidity a bit personally. Great that you are having better hatches.

and welcome to the thread! If you are going to be opening the incubator or assisting a hatch, I would aim for 70% hatch humidity. A clean new sponge is what I use to up the humidity the extra amount and it's easy to pull it out and rewet it to push it back up if you are opening. Yes. Nice white papery membranes are what you want to see. (Outer membrane that is). I prefer slightly lower humidity for incubation and watch the air cells for growth. I can probably add a couple pics of pips and zips so you can see the membrane.



Good luck with your hatch!

I was going to opt with the same idea. I'm dropping the humidity to 45%-50% during incubation and see if I can find some balance. It is just frustrating trying to find that happy medium!

 

[casportpony]

My 4th poult hatched, sticky and had a huge yolk. I put it in a small container so it couldn't move around and the yolk absorbed, but it looks like it has a large "hernia" at the navel. It is red and nasty looking. Is there anything I can do about this or do I need to cull?

Can you post a picture?

 

[Pyxis]

Well, I'm dealing with some malpos on the Calls. I decided to take a look in the ones that didn't internally pip to see what was up since all the rest have. Can't tell where their heads are, too much veining still to open the membrane and go looking. They can't internally or externally pip so I guess I just have to hope they hang in there until the veins recede further and I can open up the internal membrane to find their heads.

 

[Blooie]

. I candle from day one! Generally though you don't see development until day 3 or 4 with light colored eggs, often later in dark eggs.

HA! You should see poor Amy's hens run from her....they just know any day she's going to start candleing BEFORE the eggs are laid!!