January 2021 Hatch-A-Long

[UThobbyfarmer]

Day 20. Last pips of the month. Woke up to 3.

 

[Josh L.]

Update on this: the gold chick is a cochin cross! I didn't realize my cochin pullet was laying, but this one is a cochin/dominique cross! Saw little feathers on the feet beginning to grow this morning! Tried to get pictures of her feet, but its nearly impossible to see with a naked eye to begin with, not to mention trying to get a camera to focus!
Looks like my young roo is doing his job, too, just like the older roo and his little harem! Glad that both roos are doing what they should be!

 

[Trisseh]

First to hatch up close. Lol. Interesting colouring from what I thought was a lavender pullet and a white cockerel with leakage.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Oh my gosh guys. Even though I hate assisted hatching, because I'm terrible at it, I went with my gut on this egg. It's been one of the strongest shipped eggs. It dipped down when all the other eggs did but never pipped. Every other egg has externally pipped or fully hatched by now. Except that egg.

I felt there was a problem. I candled and saw it was still moving but has slowed down significantly. After going in the top of the egg I could see it's beak was almost in the air cell but it just wasn't able to break through. So I quickly pipped for it using a wooden toothpick. It immediately started breathing air and moving more.
Then I repaired the egg with some porous medical tape. The hole I made got pretty big, 1/3", so it needed the extra support for the tape. I don't want one of the already hatched chicks putting a foot into it's egg and causing bleeding or busting up the shell more.

Now I wait. Hopefully since it's getting oxygen it'll be able to finish the job of hatching by itself. I'll keep a close eye on it and report back tomorrow either way.

This pic shows how close it was. The little beak was pressed right up against it.

 

[Trisseh]

@UThobbyfarmer great job! Sometimes they just need that tiny bit of help. Especially shipped eggs.
my second egg hatched overnight, but last night when I checked on it, it was still internally pipped but hadn’t externally pipped yet. I looked closer at the egg and it had tried multiple locations but all it managed to do was make a tiny crack that I didn’t trust to be enough. So I popped a hole in the shell over the crack and it was literally gulping in air. Originally I wasn’t even going to set that egg because it was small and quite round, so I felt like it was my responsibility to make sure it was ok. Haha. My third is internally pipped and should join us sometime today.
Here’s the newbie:

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

@UThobbyfarmer great job! Sometimes they just need that tiny bit of help. Especially shipped eggs.
my second egg hatched overnight, but last night when I checked on it, it was still internally pipped but hadn’t externally pipped yet. I looked closer at the egg and it had tried multiple locations but all it managed to do was make a tiny crack that I didn’t trust to be enough. So I popped a hole in the shell over the crack and it was literally gulping in air. Originally I wasn’t even going to set that egg because it was small and quite round, so I felt like it was my responsibility to make sure it was ok. Haha. My third is internally pipped and should join us sometime today.
Here’s the newbie:
View attachment 2510035

Your little one is adorable! I love it's pattern.

You make a great point with your post. I'll have to see how this egg shakes out. Then decide if maybe assisted hatching isn't all that bad.

It's cheeping and moving but no external pip yet. Definitely still absorbing it's yolk and needs more time in it's egg. I'll move all the other chicks this morning. Then peek at it again when the incubator is open.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

3 of 4 pekin duck eggs have pipped, one of the three has successfully hatched (and then tripped into the other eggs, rolling them somewhat. Egg 4 looks good (or did) when candled, though I saw no movement, that's not always reliable, particularly where almost 3/4th the egg is so dark in color. I will caution, however, that the air sack was not quite so large as in the other eggs. MAY be a late quitter.

 

[Trisseh]

Here’s my last hatchling from my first 3 eggs that were due this weekend. 100% hatch rate and all looking good. all very similar in colouring, with 2 being a bit lighter, and only one with clean legs. Can’t wait til next weekend when their next 2 siblings are due to hatch.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Here’s my last hatchling from my first 3 eggs that were due this weekend. 100% hatch rate and all looking good. all very similar in colouring, with 2 being a bit lighter, and only one with clean legs. Can’t wait til next weekend when their next 2 siblings are due to hatch. View attachment 2511349

They looks great. What a wonderful way to start the new year, 100% hatch rate!


Here's our last little January hatcher. I zipped for her this morning. No blood. She was ready but navel wasn't completely closed. Maybe 1/4" or less open. I have her in a cup and will check on her every few hours. I even covered the bottom of the cup with shelf liner. I'll probably put a towel on the incubator to keep her calm.



One extra picture of the newest flock members. The one in the cup makes 11 total (from both hatch dates).

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Only the one duck has hatched from my Jan 30-31 hatching target. Two others have air holes, clear movement inside, but didn't make their escape yesterday. Egg number four still has no external pipping, leaving it undisturbed until the others complete their escape, then I'll try and figure out what went wrong.

Moving to the February hatching thread, as I'm starting 12 chicken eggs (mutts) as soon as the last ducks are done, and the incubator cleaned.