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

[Trisseh]

@Oldhallchicks the chick I had died within a few hours; the quail held on longer, and I left it til it was obviously deteriorating, at probably close to 16 hours from hatch. It had been trying to get out of the cup and was cheeping at its siblings, but then you could see a really obvious downward shift in its behaviour and attitude, and that’s when I called it. If it had continued as it was I would’ve let it keep going and monitored further. All you can do is try!

 

[FortCluck]

@Trisseh aw thanks guys. I’ve pushed them in with a q-tip as suggested by @FortCluck. I’ve also put some antibiotic ointment on it and a sterile wound dressing kind of like a diaper.

the chick was super loud during all of that, but quiet afterward. It also hadn’t absorbed the yolk because Idont think it was quite ready to hatch when mama or the other hen started picking its shell off so it was all stuck in there this morning whem I assisted it out. It also hasn’t really opened its eyes and I think it’s eyelids are sort of stuck shut with all the gunk.

it’s had some sugar water mixed with raw egg yolk and has taken that quite well. It’s still chirping, but not moving much.

how long would you give a chick like this before you cull? I was thinking giving it overnight (if it makes it through), and then checking to see if the intestines are still in. but if it’s no better in the morning, we may need to put it out of its misery.

it’s in the brooder with the others now and I’ve tried to make it a cosy little bed. The other chicks all look like they are gathered round a hospital bed

I give my chicks all the time they need until they’re no longer thriving. I never want to off a chick that has great potential. Once I see weight loss or decline in energy, that’s when I make the decision.

You can also give it chick grot over scrambled eggs that are chopped up finely. Get lots of protein in the chick so it can heal.

 

[Shahann]

I'm joining the hatch-along! I have Blondie, a Buff Orpington, sitting on a nest of about six eggs (or seven) -- I forgot how many she had when I moved her. She has been on the nest since the 4th of July and only gets up to go to the bathroom and drink every few days.

I have had Blondie at least six years. She has hatched eggs for me once before this. She was in such a trance when I noticed that she was broody for a couple of days that she left me move here from the duck/chicken community house to the original coop. Normally I put the brood hens in the small brooder. She was so calm and patient that I decided to experiment and give her the WHOLE coop to herself. (I have three different small buildings and a duck box.) She's doing awesome! I thought she would get up from the nest in less than a week, but she is still sitting.

Eggs she is sitting on are possibly:

Black Australorps
Plymouth Rock
Sapphire Blue Plymouth Rocks
Red Sex Link
1st Generation Easter Egger

Wiggles is the rooster to all of the above hens. He is a 1st Generation Easter Egger in the photo below:

Oh how I love Wiggles! He is such a gentle rooster. He is five years old. He is in the brooder to the coop where Blondie is. He and Tiana (a second generation Easter Egger) are just visiting Blondie through the protector screen.

I also have a duck sitting on chicken eggs. I gave Maisy five marked eggs. So far, all the eggs have broken but one (the blue marked one). I gave her the eggs on July 9th.

 

[ariri30]

I'm joining the hatch-along! I have Blondie, a Buff Orpington, sitting on a nest of about six eggs (or seven) -- I forgot how many she had when I moved her. She has been on the nest since the 4th of July and only gets up to go to the bathroom and drink every few days.

View attachment 2254022

I have had Blondie at least six years. She has hatched eggs for me once before this. She was in such a trance when I noticed that she was broody for a couple of days that she left me move here from the duck/chicken community house to the original coop. Normally I put the brood hens in the small brooder. She was so calm and patient that I decided to experiment and give her the WHOLE coop to herself. (I have three different small buildings and a duck box.) She's doing awesome! I thought she would get up from the nest in less than a week, but she is still sitting.

Eggs she is sitting on are possibly:

Black Australorps
Plymouth Rock
Sapphire Blue Plymouth Rocks
Red Sex Link
1st Generation Easter Egger

Wiggles is the rooster to all of the above hens. He is a 1st Generation Easter Egger in the photo below:

View attachment 2254047

Oh how I love Wiggles! He is such a gentle rooster. He is five years old. He is in the brooder to the coop where Blondie is. He and Tiana (a second generation Easter Egger) are just visiting Blondie through the protector screen.

I also have a duck sitting on chicken eggs. I gave Maisy five marked eggs. So far, all the eggs have broken but one (the blue marked one). I gave her the eggs on July 9th.

View attachment 2254055

View attachment 2254056

Wow beautiful birds!

 

[Hucklekree]

Love the names and your birds!

 

[SnapdragonQ]

Ooo that is a good question!

From MM I am hopefully going to receive:

Speckled Sussex hens (to go with the roosters I hatched out of shipped eggs from Meyers)
Andalusian hens (same as above)
Partridge Rocks (same as above)
Crevecoeurs (widen the gene pool for the batch I already have thanks to shipped eggs)
Jumbo Cornish Crosses
Delaware Heritage Broilers
White Face Black Spanish straight run
White Sapphire straight run (to appease my lack of CCL success this year)
A mystery chick.

Love me some SS. Some of my all time favorite hens!
Too bad you don't like closer...I'd give you my Partridge Rock chicks. 2 girls and 2 boys. I had ordered them before I knew what Bieles were and was looking for things to cross with my red ranger types. I like P. Rocks and had them before, but am quickly running out of room. I need to focus on the must haves instead of the want haves.

Very interested in hearing how your Delaware Broilers do for you. The red rangers I have are being raised like layers (but the males are ginormous anyway) in hopes they can be mixed (at times) with the Biele flock. The goal is to be able to feed the teenager with a self sustaining flock and not have to order meat birds yearly.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

@Trisseh aw thanks guys. I’ve pushed them in with a q-tip as suggested by @FortCluck. I’ve also put some antibiotic ointment on it and a sterile wound dressing kind of like a diaper.

the chick was super loud during all of that, but quiet afterward. It also hadn’t absorbed the yolk because Idont think it was quite ready to hatch when mama or the other hen started picking its shell off so it was all stuck in there this morning whem I assisted it out. It also hasn’t really opened its eyes and I think it’s eyelids are sort of stuck shut with all the gunk.

it’s had some sugar water mixed with raw egg yolk and has taken that quite well. It’s still chirping, but not moving much.

how long would you give a chick like this before you cull? I was thinking giving it overnight (if it makes it through), and then checking to see if the intestines are still in. but if it’s no better in the morning, we may need to put it out of its misery.

it’s in the brooder with the others now and I’ve tried to make it a cosy little bed. The other chicks all look like they are gathered round a hospital bed

I also had a recent hatchling with yolk problems. I thought it might make it, but the little thing was so active it kept doing more damage to itself and lost too much blood from the abdomen so I ended up culling around 8 hours.

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

Popcorn chicken for breakfast here. 5 so far including pip at the wrong end. I'm still waking up but I think 14 to go

 

[CindyinSD]

So... I have recieved notice of a full day power outage on the 31st... quail eggs due to hatch tomorrow, and two pekins ducks due to hatch 31st.... is middle of winter here (thankfully no snow) so... how do I keep my brooder warm, and how do I keep incubator warm/humid enough to hatch?

People I've seen online have used a hot water bottle in the center of a towel-lined bowl. Like a big soft drink bottle filled with hot water I think though, that I would use a drink cooler rather than a bowl. They wrap the bottle in a towel, put it in the center, snug up the eggs around it, then cover them with more towels/blankets/whatever-they-have. You might want the towels barely damp, to keep up the humidity. If your water heater & stove are electric, look up cement block rocket stove on YouTube. VERY simple stove that burns twigs. All you do is stack up the blocks (4-5 of them, I think) light it, and set your pot on top.

 

[FortCluck]

Popcorn chicken for breakfast here. 5 so far including pip at the wrong end. I'm still waking up but I think 14 to goView attachment 2254220

Popcorn chicken