It's piping! OMG, I'm so happy!

[BooBear]

pics must have pics

 

[secuono]

Well, just like ALL my chicks, these were shrink wrapped.

I always help them out the next morning, wet it and move it away from their heads as well as chip the shell off a little. They will pop out any time now. Will get pictures soon!

Looks like the white chick is a Brahma. The black has blue skin, my first hatched Silkie!!!!

I'm so happy!

In other news, more snow this morning! Mr. Roo was crowing when I let the Dobie out, scared me since he rarely crows. Or maybe I just never hear it...ah well!

3rd chick is dead. It was alive, but when I went to look at it, it's mouth was a gape and it was gone...it was a partridge color...

 

[secuono]

2 eggs left, all others were failures. The 2 holiday chicks are in a box in the brooder. Gonna give the last eggs a couple more days, then breaking down the incubator until spring.

 

[secuono]

White chick didn't make it...last time the white chick hatched, it also died. Creepy.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
If all your chicks are shrink-wrapped I'd do some serious looking at how you're incubating them. That is not the norm.

 

[secuono]

Well, I'm done incubating for now. Probably won't do it again until next fall. But I'll keep it at 50% max next time and see what happens.

 

[DMSrabbit]

Yeah, also another thing to add. I know that everyone has their own way of incubation, but after reading the piece on dry incubation (something i am currently doing) I read that you don't open the incubator AT ALL from day 18 (after candling) till day 23!!! Your letting out precious humidity that is allowing the chicks to break free from their shell. Also, leave the chicks inside the incubator. They can stay inside without food or water for at least 48 hours.. My chicks (that are under a broody hen) have not eaten in 2 days!! They all stay under their mama and seem to be doing just fine, so with that being said you should leave all the chicks in the incubator UNTIL all of them hatch.. That way you get batter hatch results, and the chicks fluff out and have a better live expectancy. When i was raising quail i took a few wet babies out of the incubator (to join their siblings in the brooder) and i lost 2 of them. Now i wait, and wait, and ignore my impulses to help them out of the shell, cradle them, move them around, and just let nature take its course.. I have ALOT better results now... You may want to try a few things differently when you try again, just my 2 cents..

Nate

 

[caveman]

I know the feeling!!! I just hatched my first set of eggs in my homeade incubator.....10 for 10!!! It is a great feeling to see the chicks break free from the eggs after what seemed like forever just watching eggs in a box.

 

[secuono]

The two chicks were dry and moving about when I moved them.

Both eggs that were left had piped the inner membrane, but then died with the shell untouched. Ideas?

The dark Silkie chick is with the Japs, it's napping, but the others are not bothering it. They nap with it. I think since it's black like they are, it's easier for them not to 'wonder' or be curios about it.

 

[theguy67]

I heard if they were moved the chick may stick to the egg shell inside/membrane, or got turned around? Sorry to hear about the lose.