July Hatch-a-Long (including 4th of July hatch-a-long)

How many times per year do you hatch eggs?

  • 1-2

    Votes: 45 26.3%
  • 2-3

    Votes: 18 10.5%
  • 3-4

    Votes: 11 6.4%
  • 4-5

    Votes: 11 6.4%
  • I don’t count the times

    Votes: 27 15.8%
  • Hatchaholic

    Votes: 59 34.5%

  • Total voters
    171
Thanks everyone. I have one more bielefelder trying to hatch. It may need an assist from me. I had to give it a safety hole as it started peeping yesterday afternoon but no pip as soon as I gave it a safety hole it pipped. It is peeping a lot now through the pip. So I took some shell off around the pip to get a look at the membrane. After wetting the membrane with coconut oil there were very tiny to non existent blood vessels. Does this mean it is in distress?

I feel like I have been thrown back to being a hatching noob again with these issues. I haven't ever assisted a chick more than a safety hole before. What do you guys think? I have let it be for now and check it's breathing.

Humidity is at 70 percent right now.
 
@Hucklekree I'm glad it worked out. I don't assist until 24 hours post pip. Ever. That's my line in the sand after "helping" a few in my early hatches then having them die because they hadn't absorbed blood or yolk fully. I decided then I'd rather error in the other direction. Giving them a bit more time in the shell and watching for signs of true distress and exhaustion.

I think that chick hatching with yolk may just be a fluke. Or slight possibility of temp too high. I'm not familiar with your hatch, or hatching experience, but just the little bit in the last few HAL pages nothing strikes me as unusual.

These are the guides I use for trouble shooting. There might be something on there that will help point you in the right direction.

http://extension.msstate.edu/content/trouble-shooting-failures-egg-incubation

https://web.extension.illinois.edu/eggs/res24-00.html
 
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It can take a while. If you like--if you're anxious since it's been a long time--you can gently add a half inch or so to the zip line with your fingernail or similar to enable you to see/assess better--but do have a paper towel, etc. handy to apply gentle pressure in case it starts bleeding. Smear a daub of neosporin, vaseline, coconut oil, etc. on any membrane you expose. (NO analgesic!) If the chick is making swallowing-like motions with its beak/bill, that's a sign it's still absorbing yolk and needs leaving alone for a while yet.

It's not unusual for the first to pip to end up being the last to zip & hatch. Sometimes it also doesn't make it. It is truly said, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch." :hugs Here's wishing you a lovely hatch!
Thanks. That is just what we did!
 
Thank you so very much! The past two hatches have been fine but the incubator is on hatch three and was new this year.

These current eggs were shipped. The temp was a steady 99.5 F. I want to say fluke but I will be reading these resources and see if I need to change what I am doing. I took a 7 year break from incubating and shipping chicks. My flock hatched their own and I was too busy. Then this year happened and I rediscovered a my addiction ;).

The last viable egg has hatched for the Bielefelder eggs.
Live:
2 pullets
2 cockerels
Culled:
1 pullet (unabsorbed yolk escalating to intestinal prolapse.)

I started with 10 eggs. I am happy I have some sweet live chicks :) Saddened by the one I had to cull. Overall a learning experience.
 
Thank you so very much! The past two hatches have been fine but the incubator is on hatch three and was new this year.

These current eggs were shipped. The temp was a steady 99.5 F. I want to say fluke but I will be reading these resources and see if I need to change what I am doing. I took a 7 year break from incubating and shipping chicks. My flock hatched their own and I was too busy. Then this year happened and I rediscovered a my addiction ;).

The last viable egg has hatched for the Bielefelder eggs.
Live:
2 pullets
2 cockerels
Culled:
1 pullet (unabsorbed yolk escalating to intestinal prolapse.)

I started with 10 eggs. I am happy I have some sweet live chicks :) Saddened by the one I had to cull. Overall a learning experience.
How many of the Bieles went into lockdown?
Because I'm getting nervous nelly like, and almost at lockdown (early Sat morning) I candled them this evening. Of the original 11-
2 clears
2 early quitters
7 still going as of an hour ago.
 
Well my final hatch of svart hona eggs has given me the same results all three hatches provided one chick from 8 eggs. Beautiful tiny chicks but I can’t afford these odds. I’m new at this but have read lots especially on this forum and managed to get 5 out of 6 blue Cochin eggs to hatch so I think the svart honas and I are not meant to be. I’ve attached a pic of Maggie(short for magpie- she has a white feather on each wing) and her newly purchased friend Chipmunk
 

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