March 2017! Hatch with us!

[Birdydeb]

Well two more chicks hatched. The last one pipped yesterday, this morning the hole was only about double in size and sat that way all day. No movement all day. I was going to bed and went to cut the incubator off and heard a peep...low and behold, another yellow chick and the last one half zipped. These two can dry in the incubator over night. The one that pipped yesterday is very weak. It was in one of those danged ISA Brown shells. I swear I will never set ISA Brown eggs ever again. The yellow ones are adorable with their occasional black spot but it is just too hard for the chicks to break out of the shell. Brings my total to 13/19 at lockdown with one that zipped sideways and 5 still in the incubator.

 

[orrpeople]

Well... I reached my limit on examining DIS chicks. I feel like every conceivable odd thing that could happen to a person, even over the course of years of hatching, happened just with these groups of eggs. I know, and have experienced shipped egg trauma, but haven't ever had any complications with backyarders or local eggs (other than the lady who sold me a big batch of infertile eggs - but I digress....). Well, my resume' has definitely grown with this one - perhaps not in the way I would have wanted- but for a purpose; of that I am sure.

 

[Birdydeb]

Nope, lost the two weak ones. Hope the last two are opposite genders...

Fingers crossed for you....and so sorry.

 

[orrpeople]

Well two more chicks hatched. The last one pipped yesterday, this morning the hole was only about double in size and sat that way all day. No movement all day. I was going to bed and went to cut the incubator off and heard a peep...low and behold, another yellow chick and the last one half zipped. These two can dry in the incubator over night. The one that pipped yesterday is very weak. It was in one of those danged ISA Brown shells. I swear I will never set ISA Brown eggs ever again. The yellow ones are adorable with their occasional black spot but it is just too hard for the chicks to break out of the shell. Brings my total to 13/19 at lockdown with one that zipped sideways and 5 still in the incubator.

Wow, talk about an extended hatch! Whew! Funny how when we are just working with our big layers, we love those super solid shells - then comes the hatching time and they're a curse! Today I had an egg with an extended internal pip, so I decided to make a small hole... It was such a solid shell, I really had a hard time, even with a good exacto! Thankfully the chick is still alive and hopefully it will be able to zip through that armor!

 

[crchicks]

Currently have a broody sitting on about 10 eggs. Today is day 7 and I can see some veins developing

This is my first hatch and they'll be a bunch of mutts

 

[orrpeople]

Currently have a broody sitting on about 10 eggs. Today is day 7 and I can see some veins developing e      This is my first hatch and they'll be a bunch of mutts

Welcome, welcome - I'm going to brag that I think there are some of the nicest folks involved in this hatchalong!
Oh, mutts are so great! I especially love the surprise factor with colors, shapes and sizes (although they're all basically egg shaped when they first hatch! ) Give your broody a little treat from all of us!

 

[lilwildrabbit]

End of day no sign of life yet in my batch I'm waiting till tuesday to clean it out and try again.

 

[Jessimom]

Are you saying they can get cocci in the shell? or that it accounts for early loss of life after hatching? Thanks.

No, I dont think so. All these chicks were healthy chicks that got sick after they moved outside. So they seemed the most susceptible out of all the chicks in the same coop.

 

[yeye5]

I don't think so. I believe it's related to contact, generally, with poop. some birds just have weaker immune systems than others. I give all my shipped egg chicks medicated feed for at least a week, plus a probiotic for digestive help. Thanks for the heads up @Jessimom on the Silverudd's Blues, I will keep my eyes open for any signs.

Gotcha, thanks.
And good reminder about the probiotics. I totally forgot when I was at the feed store yesterday!
I had a set of 5 week olds get it last year, treated it, it cleared up thankfully.
I wonder if having poop on the shell during incubation Could lead to it...
No clue.

 

[yeye5]

So I figured out what is wrong. One just has the clenched fist. But the other ones have the achilles hock joint thing out of place. I have tried to pop it back into place, and I can move it to where it's supposed to be but once I let the leg go, it goes back. This is very sad and frustrating. I have tried to make little casts for the two that have this, they are not happy about it, but hopefully it holds the legs in place and can fix it.

Sorry to still be asking re: pics from the phone. Must I access the site ON the phone to see the correct box? It occurs to me that I'm looking at the reply box on the laptop and I should go to the phone.
I promise, I'm not TRYING to be DENSE. It comes naturally! You just can't make this stuff up, I tell you!.