Hatch-A-Long (May-June)

[julierupert]

How exciting! Seven chicks! I am on day 15. I candled tonite and I thought everything looked good, however, I am so inexperienced I could have been looking at an omelet. I saw a nice air sac and chick movement in two eggs, and a large air sac and hopefully a very sleepy chick in the other.

 

[caitanni]

This was my first hatch, as long as you can see veins I think they are ok. GL !!

 

[julierupert]

Alright, one day until lock down and I have become a candle fanatic. Two squirmy guys and one non mover. I hope it's not a quitter.I don't think I have the Cojones to do an eggtopsy if it doesn't hatch. I am getting very excited.

 

[Amykins]

Alright, one day until lock down and I have become a candle fanatic. Two squirmy guys and one non mover. I hope it's not a quitter.I don't think I have the Cojones to do an eggtopsy if it doesn't hatch. I am getting very excited.

If you have two other little fluffy bundles, I'd say do the eggtopsy because it gives excellent insight as to what went wrong and it's a great learning experience. But if it's your last egg from a failed hatch like mine, don't do what I did...seeing that little fully formed baby will wrench your heart out. :/

I know it sounds ridiculous but my DH and I are childless, and ducks sort of fill that gap better than any other pet we've had, for some reason. We've had ducks and fostered them but never raised one from an egg so my latest experience with my Call eggs has effected me more deeply than is probably healthy. It really was like my little feathered baby and losing it was one of the hardest experiences I've had to go through. So I completely understand not wanting to crack open the egg.

 

[AmandaGrace]

I cracked open the remainder of my eggs yesterday. I understand exactly how sad it makes you feel two of my eggs had chicks inside that didnt hatch. one looked fully formed and the other I wasn't quite sure but it was smaller so I'm guessing it wasn't. So with this hatch none hatched but there were four chicks total two died earlier on. I decided I didn't want to try and hatch shipped eggs again and where I live I can't find any other eggs close enough so I'm ordering chicks from Murray mcmurray instead. If all gose well ill have some fluffy little baby's on the 24th I ordered 15 total 3 EE, 2 WCBP, 3 Austrolorps, 3 Buff orpingtons, and 4 white giants. I also decided to get the free chick they offer I just hope its not a boy

 

[chickenpooplady]

I cracked open the remainder of my eggs yesterday. I understand exactly how sad it makes you feel two of my eggs had chicks inside that didnt hatch. one looked fully formed and the other I wasn't quite sure but it was smaller so I'm guessing it wasn't. So with this hatch none hatched

but there were four chicks total two died earlier on. I decided I didn't want to try and hatch shipped eggs again and where I live I can't find any other eggs close enough so I'm ordering chicks from Murray mcmurray instead. If all gose well ill have some fluffy little baby's on the 24th

I ordered 15 total 3 EE, 2 WCBP, 3 Austrolorps, 3 Buff orpingtons, and 4 white giants. I also decided to get the free chick they offer I just hope its not a boy

I am soooo sorry.

I am glad that you are getting chicks! I would love to see pictures when they arrive!

 

[MtnFamilyFarm]

We did lockdown last night! This will be our third hatch. 34 eggs total - speckled sussex and buff orpingtons. (First hatch: 14 out of 21; Second hatch: 7 out of 24; Friend hatched 43 out of 60 for us).

***We candled for our first time last night using a small LED flashlight we had on hand. In the hovabator (just put on lockdown) we could see thru the infertile ones (even the yellow yolk). The others were heavier, mostly dark with the light only going thru the air sac. However, in the LG due next week we have peafowl, duck and red sex link eggs. Couldn't see through the peafowl or duck eggs at all. We just did a sampling so none would get cold and we did find 4 infertile ones from both bators.

For my wish list - what are some really good candlers and where do you get them and how much are they? I would love to be able to see chicks move - esp. for our 8 yo dd - and can you candle peafowl and duck eggs with them cause the little LED I have is useless on those.***

We bought the ones we have in lockdown at a local auction. For our first hatch we didn't want to spend much money since we were just learning and spent very little. They were suppose to be black sex links, but turned out to be barnyard specials! We didn't care tho. They are some of the softest, gentlest, non-skittish, friendly little chicks! We got 14 out of 21.

Our second hatch we bought at a different auction. We got buffs and blue americaunas. Of the 12 buffs, only 3 were fertile and they all hatched. Of the americaunas, 4 hatched, 3 never pipped and the others were not fertile. So we got 7 chicks total out of 24 eggs - and the americaunas were a breed we wanted, but didn't have and we love our buffs.

For our third hatch we bought a used, still air hovabator (got addicted to hatching and wanted another bator, but wallet said we couldn't spend much...) and we bought the speckled sussex and buff eggs at the same time. As an addicted newbie to this I do have a question: These eggs were not cleaned like the others and are a bit "dirty". Will that potentially make any difference at hatch time? Should we clean the eggs ourselves before putting them in the bator next time? If so, how?

From the same auction as our first experience we got 5 dozen RIRs and a friend incubated them. They hatched the week after the buffs and the americaunas. 43 out of 60 hatched! We picked them up the same day we got chicks in from Mt. Healthy.

Our LG is due to hatch next week - we have peafowl eggs (silver, black shouldered, pied), hybrid ducks and red sex links in that one.

Incubating and hatching is addicting! It's just as nailbitingly exciting as any sports event for us!

BTW, if we did lockdown on day 18 at 10 pm which day should we count as hatch day? Thursday still? or since we couldn't lockdown til last night will that delay the hatch possibly? JC

Amanda

 

[Teacherchick18]

BTW, if we did lockdown on day 18 at 10 pm which day should we count as hatch day? Thursday still? or since we couldn't lockdown til last night will that delay the hatch possibly? JC

Amanda

I wouldn't be so concerned with the actual day once you put them into lockdown. Because chicks develop individually within their egg you'll have some that hatch early and others that hatch later. I would be prepared to see pipping at anytime between day 20-22. I have even heard of cases where chicks pip at day 19 and even after day 22. Think of it like a human baby, some arrive early and some are late. I have come to learn that environmental factors (ie humidity and temp) play a big part in developmental progression of chicks and therefore their hatch dates. My last hatch did not even pip until midway through day 21 and they didn't actually hatch until day 22. If you have any eggs still left 5 days after lockdown, then I would candle and see if you see any movement. I have also heard that once a couple start to pip and peep the others will hear them and it gets them going too. I have 9 eggs that will go into lockdown tomorrow. Good Luck with yours and let us know how it goes!

 

[MtnFamilyFarm]

Thanks teacher chick!

In my very limited experience of only 2 previous hatches - the first ones started rocking and rolling and peeping on the night before day 21 and the hatch started on 21. The second didn't begin anything til day 22. Mainly I am trying to make sure I have everything cleaned and ready in time. I am super pressed for time (and that is an understatement this week) and just wanted to make sure I had everything clean and ready since we start our hatchlings off in a brooder in the house. From what you have said I better get it ready! I didn't know they could start before day 21 but what you said makes sense!

Amanda

 

[julierupert]

If you have two other little fluffy bundles, I'd say do the eggtopsy because it gives excellent insight as to what went wrong and it's a great learning experience. But if it's your last egg from a failed hatch like mine, don't do what I did...seeing that little fully formed baby will wrench your heart out. :/

I know it sounds ridiculous but my DH and I are childless, and ducks sort of fill that gap better than any other pet we've had, for some reason. We've had ducks and fostered them but never raised one from an egg so my latest experience with my Call eggs has effected me more deeply than is probably healthy. It really was like my little feathered baby and losing it was one of the hardest experiences I've had to go through. So I completely understand not wanting to crack open the egg.

So, the egg I thought was a quitter has pipped! LMFAO! However, it has pipped at the wrong end. The pip has a 3 pencil eraser size of shell gone and a very tiny hole through the membrane. I have heard some chirps which I am assuming is from quitter's egg. I know I saw an air sac at the large end of the egg but they are Silkie eggs and so small, I never candled the other end.

I will wait and see what Quitter does with his wrong end pip. My first hatch and already 2 surprises.