Illinois...

[Faraday40]

I heard a hubbub and seen a bunch of poults looking through the shade cloth into another coop. ... between the cloth and a nest box. I was thinking of a chipmunk or similar. I found this

Awwww!


Looks like you have a "pocket pet" for a few days. I hope you find her a mama.

My silkies have been weird about accepting chicks this hatch. Xansie was OK with chicks under her.... but pecky when the chicks came out. I was keeping the lights low, so she wouldn't peck. Perhaps the size differences were confusing her. Yesterday I moved MaiMai into the brooder with Xansie so now the chicks have their choice of mamas. The two are sitting side by side but more chicks are under Xansie, & MaiMai has the overflow. Now that they're together, Xansie stopped pecking at chicks. Not sure why, but I'll take the win. Once I'm sure they're eating/drinking, I'll move them outside to the little coop. It was our 'broody coop' last summer & became the 'Bantam coop' over the winter. Now it's back to being a broody coop.

Meanwhile, I put the eggs from the hens into the empty incubator..... just in case. They candled all shadow and "should have" hatched with the rest. However, I found them cool several times, so a delayed hatch is very possible.

 

[Faraday40]

Doesnt everyone start their day snuggling with a baby chick?View attachment 1805422

This pic reminds me of the pics my mom would take...... of her finger over the lens.


She also took many pics of DH & me when we were dating. He's 6'5", so in most, he was headless. Boy do I miss teasing her about it!

 

[homeschoolin momma]

This pic reminds me of the pics my mom would take...... of her finger over the lens

Yeah, well, i didnt want my mug destroying all the cuteness.

 

[homeschoolin momma]

Well, 1 of the unpipped eggs died. I stopped seeing movement this evening and went ahead and pipped a hole and waited a little longer. Made a bigger hole. Baby was positioned upside down. Took him out. Right foot had a deformity in 1 toe. It was so close.

The other un-pipped one the baby was wiggling and cheeping and had internally pipped, but breathing was rapid and seemed to be struggling. A quick call to Faraday to find out what ti do and how to safely make a pip hole. Made a hole and breathing is more relaxed. Not wiggling as much right now. Made a bigger hole, its whole beak is visible. Took some warm water and rubbed and dripped it on the membrane taking care none to go in its beak. Now im waiting to see what happens.

 

[Faraday40]

Well, 1 of the unpipped eggs died. I stopped seeing movement this evening and went ahead and pipped a hole and waited a little longer. Made a bigger hole. Baby was positioned upside down. Took him out. Right foot had a deformity in 1 toe. It was so close.

The other un-pipped one the baby was wiggling and cheeping and had internally pipped, but breathing was rapid and seemed to be struggling. A quick call to Faraday to find out what ti do and how to safely make a pip hole. Made a hole and breathing is more relaxed. Not wiggling as much right now. Made a bigger hole, its whole beak is visible. Took some warm water and rubbed and dripped it on the membrane taking care none to go in its beak. Now im waiting to see what happens.

Try wrapping a warm wet paper towel around the egg to increase humidity. (Prevent it from drying out.) Make sure no water drips into beak area and keep checking the status of the veins within the inner, clear membrane. Some people use triple antibiotic ointment to moisten the membrane & prevent it from drying out. If you see veins, the chick is not ready to hatch. It can be a long process checking on it every hour, but always best to let the chick do as much as possible on its own. Just check/moisten/observe and hope it progresses. However, once you start, you may end up having to continue help.

If the veins disappear and the chick is not out, you can slide back the membrane a little so the chick's head/wings can straighten out. Don't remove it from the shell. Just put the egg back into the incubator (vertically) & let it climb out when ready. Sometimes they may be more than ready and climb out into your hand, but you want the navel closed, so again... wait.

If membrane turned yellowish (instead of white), it's dried & very tough. It can act like superglue and fuse a wing to a head. (like shrink wrap). Sadly, this happens too frequently with my preschool hatches. I learned that water is your best weapon. Just submerge chick's body in bowl of warm water &/or use wet paper towels to saturate areas too close to the beak.

Hope it all works out.

As for my last 2 eggs..... One shows no movement, but the other is peeping. They were due on Thurs & usually my broodies hatch early - never late. Glad I didn't toss them & clean out the incubator yet.

 

[homeschoolin momma]

Your morning box of fluffies!

And the egg i had to help hatch last night oh so carefully...

HATCHED!! It had part of the dried inner membrane completely covering its right eye. With lots of q-tips and warm water and LOTS of squeaking, its eye is clean. Its in the inky finishing fluffing out and making sure its strong enough to go in with its siblings.

Sad about the one that didnt make it., but that's part of incubating and hatching. Jake had 100% fertility and 90% hatch rate. Not too shabby!

 

[Faraday40]

Your morning box of fluffies!
View attachment 1806540

And the egg i had to help hatch last night oh so carefully...View attachment 1806541
HATCHED!! It had part of the dried inner membrane completely covering its right eye. With lots of q-tips and warm water and LOTS of squeaking, its eye is clean. Its in the inky finishing fluffing out and making sure its strong enough to go in with its siblings.

Sad about the one that didnt make it., but that's part of incubating and hatching. Jake had 100% fertility and 90% hatch rate. Not too shabby!

I've got another 7 lav orps to add to your box of fluffies. Give me a call if you want to stop by this afternoon.

And like you I had to make pip holes in the unhatched eggs last night. The one that showed movement was internally pipped - but upside down. I had to moisten the membrane and help it tear through the yellow area. About an hour after that it hatched and is now running around the incubator. It The other when candled had no movement & the air cell was huge. I thought it was dead. After making the air hole on top, I heard a faint peep. It was barely alive. It's weak but still alive right now.

 

[Faraday40]

Had a big day of "musical chickens." Three cockerels came back home, some pullets were swapped, some pullets & chicks were sold, and the lav orps went home with @homeschoolin momma.

The chick that hatched last night is now in with the rest. (Looks like a lav silver laced.... but that's not possible, so perhaps a light blue laced.) The one that hatched this morning is walking around but looks more fragile. It's a pretty blue orp. I'm going to let it stay in the incubator overnight.

Edit to add:
One funny thing happened, the 3 returned cockerels became fast friends and hung out together. I also have a sweet leghorn which came back with one of the males. Tonight when they all went into the garage brooder with Cookie (my broody), the boys were OK but the girl wanted out. The netting over the top of the brooder barely slowed her down. Every time I went into the garage, there she was roosting on top of the brooder - or grill - or work bench, etc. I broughther inside for a little cuddle & on a whim put her inside the brooder with Xansie & all the newly hatched chicks. Finally, she felt accepted and stayed. I guess she wanted to be a BIG sister. She's 5.5 wks old and prefers the company of 3 day old chicks.

 

[homeschoolin momma]

@Faraday40 so why did the leghorn come back anyways? I get the roos, but why a girl? Did she fly too much? Those boys just started their own bachelor club.....its so hard being a boy.

I cleaned up my newly hatched chick the best I could and let it finish drying in the inky. I put micro chick in for company. She didnt seem to mind too much. It seem much stronger this evening, so i transferred them to the brooder. I'm going to need a bigger brooder box!
I did a good candling of experiment eggs tonight. 13/14 spitz eggs look good. 1 has a blood ring. 6/8 for serama eggs...maybe. Some were more difficult to judge this time. The 1 day and 1 week experiment orp eggs all appear to have development. 4/5 on the 2 week ones, and maybe 1/5 on 3 week ones. Orp eggs are so hard to see on the first place.

One thing is for sure. I'm going to be overrun with baby chicks soon.

 

[cavemanrich]

One funny thing happened, the 3 returned cockerels became fast friends and hung out together.

Have you considered a ""RENT A ROOSTER"" service possibility.
The service charge should easily cover their feed costs+...