I finished my hatch yesterday: out of 12 eggs, 9 hatched over 3 days:
2 light brahmas
2 barred rocks (1 male, 1 female)
1 buff orp
1 blue orp
1 BLRW
1 blue hamburg
1 EE
I picked open the remaining 3 eggs and they seemed to be entirely developed chicks but hadn't fully absorbed the yolks. The membranes seemed to be thick and kind of dry -- I'm assuming this is what is meant by "shrink-wrapped," and I must have had a humidity problem at some point late in the game. I'm pleased with my overall results but next hatch I am definitely getting a hygrometer.
But now the bad news: my EE was the last to hatch, and had a hard time of it. Well over a day from pip to hatch. I thought she was OK but after I moved her into the brooder I realized that she was deformed: her beak was crossed, and one of her eyes was missing. She also seemed completely disoriented, even more so than just weakness from a slow hatch would indicate. I thought...well, maybe she'll be OK with just one eye, and maybe she can eat with the cross beak? It isn't too bad?
But I watched her yesterday and this morning and realized she wasn't eating or drinking, and she wasn't getting stronger like the others. Waving my fingers in front of her indicated that she was blind even in the eye that looked normal. I didn't feel like I had much of a choice and this morning I put her down which was possibly the hardest thing I've ever had to do.
I feel good about the remaining eight chicks which based on my careful examination have the right number of eyes, legs, wings, and tails, and are behaving and growing normally. But whooooooo this has been a roller coaster bunch of days.
Madcap, my hatch buddy, I'm so sorry for your loss. This was my first hatch and I've been astonished both at how easy it is (life from eggs! It's like magic!) but also how quickly things can go wrong. I hope your next hatch is more successful and you have dozens of peepers running about everywhere.
g
And everyone else: I'm still here! I'm still watching! I don't have another hatch planned right now but I still have a lot to learn so keep posting here and in the February topic.