June Hatch-A-Long

[CluckNDoodle]

I finally did it! I hatched and grew marans to laying age that actually lay as dark as the eggs they hatched from....Woohoo! All of my pullets from this year are now laying.
View attachment 2215871

Beautiful eggs!!!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

OK. so consensus is wait it out. I have no idea what I am doing, the whole hands off/hands on argument at play here. It has been 24 hours since the internal PIP, 3:00 AM here. No sign of any external PIP, I can hear the chicks and see movement, so they are doing OK in there.
Waiting it out!
Thanks @FortCluck and @jolenesdad !

Waiting is usually better in most cases but I'm also not the "hands off" type, lol. I don't usually do what's considered a safety hole unless I anticipate needing to assist in general which means I open the air cell to see what is needed. I personally gauge my decision on when to do this by waiting until all other chicks have hatched successfully and I have some stragglers.

In the hatch that just finished from my shipped eggs, I had 3 assists, 2 were perfect little chicks that just needed a little assist and the other actually had a beak deformation which is what prevented it from pipping. It's that deformed chick that I encountered that makes people not want to step in and just let nature take it's course and there's really nothing wrong with that but I do it because there's usually a perfectly healthy chick in there that may just be stuck because I incubated too dry, or is a malpositioned Silkie because of the giant vault on their noggin, or a messed up air cell from shipping that makes it so the chick can't externally pip. Something like that.

 

[FortCluck]

First ever Bantam Polish Brahma

We put it under our last broody left. She’s a real meanie so many be this will make her be nicer to the other mama hens. Think she’s jealous they got chicks.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

First ever Bantam Polish Brahma

We put it under our last broody left. She’s a real meanie so many be this will make her be nicer to the other mama hens. Think she’s jealous they got chicks.

View attachment 2216436

Oh my gosh!!!

 

[Austrian Chickens]

Finaly finished. 2 didn't make it out of the egg but 5 chicks out of 7 eggs (lockdown) is ok

 

[FortCluck]

Oh my gosh!!!

It’s got just little feathering on it legs it’s so cute. Hopefully my Cochin will be nice to it

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Waiting is usually better in most cases but I'm also not the "hands off" type, lol. I don't usually do what's considered a safety hole unless I anticipate needing to assist in general which means I open the air cell to see what is needed. I personally gauge my decision on when to do this by waiting until all other chicks have hatched successfully and I have some stragglers.

In the hatch that just finished from my shipped eggs, I had 3 assists, 2 were perfect little chicks that just needed a little assist and the other actually had a beak deformation which is what prevented it from pipping. It's that deformed chick that I encountered that makes people not want to step in and just let nature take it's course and there's really nothing wrong with that but I do it because there's usually a perfectly healthy chick in there that may just be stuck because I incubated too dry, or is a malpositioned Silkie because of the giant vault on their noggin, or a messed up air cell from shipping that makes it so the chick can't externally pip. Something like that.

Thanks @CluckNDoodle! I do tend to be the more hands on type myself in everything I guess! I also tend to overthink things. I just want to give these chicks time if they need it. If I do decide to intervene, what is the best way to go about it? I have read the assisted hatching threads, and have had to assist in the past. I have not tried making a starter or safety hole before.

 

[Willow2253]

Woke up to the first pip!

 

[Hucklekree]

All legbar eggs are quitters at this point But only one Bielefelder quitter so far and my creveceours are developing on track

 

[LadiesAndJane]

The two that hatched last night fluffed up and looking cuter! Frankie the Foodland chick on the left and silver laced Orpington chick on the right. Still waiting for the remaining eggs to externally PIP! Today is officially day 21 so they are by no means late at this point.