July Hatch-A-Long

[ChickyChickens]

I think I may have a broody for the end of the month sometime.....YAY

 

[bantambury]

Woodstock is on her last few days of incubation. her 7 eggs can pip/hatch the earliest as tomorrow! the actual hatch date is the 4th, but it seems as if my eggs ALWAYS hatch a day early. OH WELL. as long as we have chicks?

ive had 2 broodies, marshie and Woodstock. marshie had hatched 2 chicks, and this is Woodstock's first ever hatch and shes enjoying every bit of it. I love broodies!

 

[solomine]

So I'm not exactly sure when my two eggs were pipped (I'm going to guess around 10 hours ago) because I was busy all day. I don't see any movement and I don't hear any chirping and there's no reaction to any noise I make. The external pips are tiny and I don't see the membrane being broken under the tiny cracks (I don't see the beak at all). Anyone have advice for a newbie?

 

[bantambury]

So I'm not exactly sure when my two eggs were pipped (I'm going to guess around 10 hours ago) because I was busy all day. I don't see any movement and I don't hear any chirping and there's no reaction to any noise I make. The external pips are tiny and I don't see the membrane being broken under the tiny cracks (I don't see the beak at all). Anyone have advice for a newbie?

so when you see a pip its going to be like a pyramid crack. try and put your nail under the shell to break some of it off. break off about as much as the size of a dime to see if the chick is shrink wrapped. you have to be careful not to peel any of the membrane. if the membrane looks dry dampen it a bit.

hope this helps. I tried this when I thought my polish was stuck and it seemed to help

 

[bantambury]

@solomine

this was the pip from my polish. all I did was stick my nail under it to break away a hole in the egg to check on the chick.

 

[solomine]

I just checked on my eggs, and one of the pips got bigger! I took off bits of loose shell and that's about it. The other one stayed the same, so I picked off some of the cracked shell on the outside. I could feel it tapping on the egg and it peeped quietly at me!

 

[bluebirdnanny]

Ok! My first hatch in the incubator of my own has started!!!!!! (I had to previously give the eggs from breeding to my partner and he hatched and returned the chicks to me).... ( from that parntership hatching for me, I have 4 RIR in a grow out pen outside, inside 2 Austrolop mutts, 1 wr mutt, and 2 RIR)

But this is all on my own.... my FIRST ....
so far 1 RIR
another chick ready to pop out....mostly out & another precious RIR!!!!!!!

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First out:

Second...fresh out!

 

[solomine]

ONE HATCHED!! He seems very active and healthy and is stomping around the other eggs.Three more are looking good (I see their beaks). I've heard seramas have a hard time getting out so I helped all of them a tiny bit (took off some bits of shell)... heard too many stories of chicks dead in the shell on day 21. I hope I did the right thing. Two of the eggs had very tough shells.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

ONE HATCHED!! He seems very active and healthy and is stomping around the other eggs.Three more are looking good (I see their beaks). I've heard seramas have a hard time getting out so I helped all of them a tiny bit (took off some bits of shell)... heard too many stories of chicks dead in the shell on day 21. I hope I did the right thing. Two of the eggs had very tough shells.

So happy for you. Praying a good hatch for you.

On my hatch I only really care that the RIR hatch so I can select for the breeding program. The others will be mutts and either go to freezer camp or the laying pen depending on gender. Since unless some of the earlier chicks are cockerels my breeding Nelson RIR is my only one. At least only one I will keep around this and next year. After that I may pen a replacement in case something happens to him.

 

[bantambury]

I just checked on my eggs, and one of the pips got bigger! I took off bits of loose shell and that's about it. The other one stayed the same, so I picked off some of the cracked shell on the outside. I could feel it tapping on the egg and it peeped quietly at me!

ONE HATCHED!! He seems very active and healthy and is stomping around the other eggs.Three more are looking good (I see their beaks). I've heard seramas have a hard time getting out so I helped all of them a tiny bit (took off some bits of shell)... heard too many stories of chicks dead in the shell on day 21. I hope I did the right thing. Two of the eggs had very tough shells.

that's great news! some chicks have a harder time getting out of their shells because of the thickness Although ive never had the problem, im almost sure Ill have to assist on my hatch tmorrow.