March 2017! Hatch with us!

[Mylied]

We got another chick! They are a bit murky with the coloration for cream Legbar tho. What do you think, pullet or roo?

I'm leaning towards pullet.

 

[ARiesb]

Just had my first chick hatch!! First hatch done in this incubator. Didn't think it would work out since it got up to 104 then dropped to 97. Blue copper French marans. Its ok that it will bump around all the other eggs?

 

[yeye5]

Once again, EMERGENCY-style questions.
Situation: First walkabout early a.m. every chick was there and each was fine.
I did some errands between noon-2:30, returned, checked (all was well) fed, watered Mima and chicks again.
Between 3:30-5:30 I did chicken Condo cleaning. During that time, I had opened the top portion (lid) of the brooder-mom-box, covered with an old carry-cage so they'd get the warmth from the warmest timeof day yet not be able to get out and get lost.
Obviously washed hands in oxyclean dish soap, as I always do, rinsed very well. 5:30, I returned to check on them, feed and water and begin the coop closing process as it was getting nippy cool.

One of the Welsummers had died in between 2:30 and 5:45, having given no indication of illness nor weakness only a couple of hours prior.
Chicks--to me always--vaccilate between seeming fat and thin. I have found that natural and normal and never had a problem there. I attribute it as much to my own perception as to the bodies of the chicks.


There was nothing (except more warm airflow) different in their environment and aside from that 1st day (Saturday) when I brought them home at around 1 p.m. and kept the brooder-mom-box closed due to the cold, I did nothing differently. Yesterday during the same times of day the exact same cage was used as a block to their escape. Same feed, same water.
I am on well water here. After I discovered the dead chick, I replaced the water with a mix of the "Orange Tang" electrolytes diluted with bottled spring water "just in case". of what I don't know.

Question:
Is it fairly common for a 3-4 day old chick (one out of 11 I bought between thursday and Saturday) to die with no apparent cause, especially be fine at 2:30 and dead at 5:45.

Question:
what is the loosely approximate mortality rate among chicks, whether home hatched, bought, incubated, broody hatched etc.
I wonder if I'm seeing a normal natural phenomenon and not knowing this.
Is it any more common in the populations from the above sources (broody, incubator, home hatched vs feed store purchased, hatchery vs farm)?

Question:
I use grass and dirt--have Always used this--for nesting and bedding. Might that have any effect especially on chicks coming from other states? (Meyer in this case wasthe source to my feed store I learned).

Question:
Is there a fairly standard and accepted protocol for a situation like this? I mean between me and the feed store?
I do not want to be nor sound like that "crazy lady who buys chicks and complains". If this is within "normal" occurence, I will probably mention it but in passing rather than call and ask what they do in these situations?
Can anyone give me an idea what the range of responses made by tractor supplies and independant feed stores would be to this situation (e.g, say aw, that's too bad vs say go on and pick you another chick at no cost).
I always strive to be fair in my perceptions and dealings with others. I will strive to do that here. I just don't know what "fair" looks like. I should say that I have bred and sold small delicate marsupials in the past for over a 10 year period. Because there are so many/too many variables at play once the creature leaves the breder's care and goes to the new owner/adopter there are too many things that could explain a mortality so commonly accepted practice among almost all breeders was a 3 day health garantee in which time If something unfortunate happened th ebreeder and buyer would discuss it, questions would be asked and hopefully an agreeable solution would be arrived upon. These creatures in price ranged from 150-1250 sometime more so there were many more dollars (read potential aggravations involved). This is not about recouping $7.50, plz understand. It's just about understanding what fairness means in this new world I have embraked upon.

Question:
In addition to electrolytes and bottle spring water, I placed a small "tray" (lid of a tuperware) under the feed dish and in the corner of the tray--Not in the food--I added chick grit. Good idea? Or get it out of there? My thinking went along the lines that since the bedding is made of natural grasses--all local to my area, not Meyer's area, and the adult chickens in my flock-family all go silly eating it, I wondered if chicks saw Mima (mama) eating it, copied her behavior and had trouble with it.
*In this case I'd completely remove that type of bedding and go with a not-potential food type of bedding. If that is suggested plz also say something about what types of bedding I can choose from and why each is a good/bad idea.

I will be checking back frequently. (Right now is dog-walk, dog-feed, coop close, sugar glider feed and nocturnal wake-ups).
At any time of the day or night I can take a flashlight, go into the coop and make any adjustments necessary.

I anxiously await reading responses, and thank you all, once again, in advance.

 

[HenLeia]

Just had my first chick hatch!! First hatch done in this incubator. Didn't think it would work out since it got up to 104 then dropped to 97. Blue copper French marans. Its ok that it will bump around all the other eggs?

It's fine up to a point. It's helpful to have a chick chirping to encourage the others to hatch. I'd be more concerned about the temperature, I think chicks would die at 104.

 

[ARiesb]

It's at 99 to 100 now. That was just one time that it hit 104 the other day

 

[yeye5]

It's at 99 to 100 now. That was just one time that it hit 104 the other day

Congratulations on your 2nd chick hatching...and your first! How many eggs are still in lockdown? Out of how many that you started with at setting?
Do you know breeds? or did you say (someone recently said) these are the backyard mixes?
Now that hatching has begun, get ready, you'll hear lots more peeping we all hope!

 

[ARiesb]

18 eggs. I didn't feel like I candled well so I left all of them. All of thrm are on lockdown. One is out completely knocking into everyone. One is wiggling a lot (hoping it's head isn't down) and another one just popped a piece of shell off. Blue copper French Marans and olive eggers

 

[yeye5]

Good luck! I just bought a couple of silkies with my Cornish rocks. Same odds I guess

My first ever silkie hatch had 4/5 hatch and 3/4 cockerelas. Then someone said--I now know joking--that silkies always tend to produced more cockerels than pullets! Much scratching of th ehead on that one. The 2nd hatch included some non silkie eggs. Pullets won the gender contest 3-1. 3rd hatch was a small mini-hatch expected day before Thanksgiving and hatched well into 11-26 (nearly gave me a meltdown worrying). 2 pullets, I cockerel again.
I try to see if anyone says in seriousness that they get better odd by doing this or that thing. I've heard a few ppl swear by the round egg (pullet) vs pointy egg (cockerel) but I never took notice. I may (with my new found freedom of sharpie use) try some sort of system to mark round and pointy, guesses? Maybe, maybe not.
As we all say with human kids, 10 fingers, 10 toes, all healthy is the best!

 

[yeye5]

Four days left for my turkeys! It has gone soooo slow. Hopefully we can get these 5 babies to hatch ok. Lockdown is tomorrow.

That is SO exciting. Can you plz remind me the gestation time for turkeys? Is it the same for all turkey breeds? And most important, Go poults, go!

 

[yeye5]

That is interesting. My RIR hens every so often lay an egg close to your rosy egg. I have to look close at the BR's egg because of that, but hers is light pink and if you look very, very close it is almost a speckled light pink...the color is not even in other words but the "specklng" is tiny, tiny. Hubby can't see it at all and I have to look close. I don't think the BR has ever laid anything but pale pink eggs.

I forgot to take pics. OOps. I'll do it now! I'd love to see pics of your pale pink speckled eggs too!