Maine

[buckabucka]

Annabanana, so very sorry about your flock! . I can't even imagine..... I'm sure I would be devastated. Did this/these animals get in before you had locked them up? Did you see them? I would think you may want to leave them locked up, in case whatever it was comes back.
I hope the injured one recovers for you!

 

[buckabucka]

Good luck with the rest of your hatch, clover run!
I've never helped a chick out of the egg. Not that I am against it, but I've never been in that situation. I did have one pip and die, but I was not aware it was in any trouble. And I've had others that seemed to just take forever to hatch, but I usually gave them overnight and they were out by morning. I hope you get at least one more, so the other chick will have a friend!

 

[Clover Run]

Good luck with the rest of your hatch, clover run!
I've never helped a chick out of the egg. Not that I am against it, but I've never been in that situation. I did have one pip and die, but I was not aware it was in any trouble. And I've had others that seemed to just take forever to hatch, but I usually gave them overnight and they were out by morning. I hope you get at least one more, so the other chick will have a friend!

So far we have 3 silkies from this hatch -2 of the the barnyard mix eggs had pipped and where active in trying to hatch last night before we went to bed - this morning they are very quiet and nothing - a 3rd was still trying but weak so I helped - it is under brooder drying and very vocal but I am not sure if it will make it. It finished its hatch on its own - I just took some shell off and using a q tip re-wet the membrane. However when he came out there was some blood. This was over 30 minutes ago and he is still here - so we will see.
Another egg has pipped and there is someone very vocal still inside an egg in incubator. . I am thinking ordering chicks may be a lot less stressful - but not as fulfilling I know.
I have been up since 3 to check on them - I found the 3rd silkie had hatched and the one in trouble - so I made coffee and am up for the day - it is now 4:40AM - this is nuts!

 

[Gallina Sarda]

May be more fulfilling but sounds kind of sleepless, lol. Of courses I can't say anything, I just woke up, have had my espresso and now am lurking on the pages of BYC. This is my first time with chickens, so hatching them out seems like a huge thing at this point! Haven't worked up the nerve yet! Good luck with the rest of your hatch, post pix when you can!

 

[Clover Run]

May be more fulfilling but sounds kind of sleepless, lol. Of courses I can't say anything, I just woke up, have had my espresso and now am lurking on the pages of BYC. This is my first time with chickens, so hatching them out seems like a huge thing at this point! Haven't worked up the nerve yet! Good luck with the rest of your hatch, post pix when you can!

I will def post pics once this is all over. This is our second hatch and the first we only got one chick - so far we have 4 this time - so getting better! It is very fulfilling and most people prob do not get up in the middle of the night to check. Just like a new mother with first baby. I am sure I will get less nuts with experience.

 

[Gallina Sarda]

So now that I've backtracked a little, I can see you've had to help with the hatching... How many have you had to assists in this hatch? I'd be afraid to smash them... Very interesting post about the calcium supplementation maybe being a culprit in eggshells being too hard for the chicks to get through; I had never thought of that. Makes sense. Maybe I'll just start with day old chicks and work my way very slowly to the deep end of the pool. It's nice to know that I'll have BYC to come to when I need some help! Well, my alarm clock just rang, so I'd better get in gear and prep for work. Have a gat day - sending good thoughts your way!
Melinda

 

[Gallina Sarda]

So now that I've backtracked a little, I can see you've had to help with the hatching... How many have you had to assists in this hatch? I'd be afraid to smash them... Very interesting post about the calcium supplementation maybe being a culprit in eggshells being too hard for the chicks to get through; I had never thought of that. Makes sense. Maybe I'll just start with day old chicks and work my way very slowly to the deep end of the pool. It's nice to know that I'll have BYC to come to when I need some help! Well, my alarm clock just rang, so I'd better get in gear and prep for work. Have a gat day - sending good thoughts your way!
Melinda

 

[buckabucka]

Welcome Melinda in Winterport! Hatching is really fun, although I've only tried it 3 times.

Clover run, I find a lot of vocalizing is usually a sign of distress. My first hatch, I only got one chick (my rooster was not very fertile). I thought the little guy was noisy because he was lonely. I purchased a few chicks to be with him, but he died two days later. I hope yours pulls through.

There are so many factors in hatching, - fertility and condition of the eggs, overall temperature, humidity, etc. I've had good luck with keeping humidity at 25% - 30% until lockdown, and then bump it up to 70% for hatching. But I am not a terribly experienced hatcher! I find the biggest downer in hatching, is not the occasional losses, but finding out that I a raising a bunch of roosters! My last hatch, I did get mostly girls though.

 

[Clover Run]

So far he is pulling through. It been 3.5 hours and he is doing well. I got called in to sub teach so I am nervous to leave - not that there is anything I can do. I just read the whole thread on dry incubation and I am doing that next time - I think that the recommended humidity on the bator is too high and causes drowning. Had another egg pip so will see what happend by time I get home. Still happy to have more than one - the singleton from previous hatch is driving me nuts. I am getting him a couple friends from Joannie this weekend.

 

[annabananaandfamily]

Good news this morning! As soon as it was light enough we were out searching for the chickens missing after last nights attack. We found all 3 alive with just a bunch of missing feathers and sone superficial scratches. They have joined their injured mate in a crate in my office and are warming up and have been drinking water already. I have had a chqnce to look over the injured chickeb fron last night. She has a skin tear on her back between the base of her wings. Like i said last night, i put neosporin on it as it was all i had on hand. Any tips on what i should do for her?
So, 6 were killed last night, with my husband and his brother putting down 2 that were really suffering. What i think upsets me the most is that, with the discovery of the missing chickens this am, we realized that whatever it was that attacked didnt actually eat anything. I am sure it was chaos abd we did scare them off mid hunt... but there were birds scattered all over the pastures. And a couple left to die in the coop itself. Does anyone understand the predator behavior better that could help me understand it? I get that wild animals are just that- wild. But maybe a little insight might help prepare in the future?