March 2017! Hatch with us!

[yeye5]

Awww, thank you for your kind interest. This has been such a great hatch-a-long group, and the scale is just right - not overwhelming.
This is my first hatch from Papa's Poultry, and the eggs have come along much better than most of my shipped eggs. There was only one that didn't develop and got tossed.

So, I have in lockdown:
-Two Jubilee Orpingtons
-One splash Orpington
-Four Easter Eggers (or possibly Ameraucanas)
-One Marans
-One Olive Egger

No pips yet, but the eggs looked great on Day 18.

Today is Day 20.

AND...? It is day 21 now! You may still be sleeping--I just scrolled up and realize you're on the opposite coast and a few hours earlier than here.
I love Orpingtons...I love them all! I'm jealous of that great mix...I've been looking for EEs around here and no one seems to have them (yet).

I hope you wake up to pipping and peeping. What a beautiful way to start your day!
So, let us know plz who is doing what!

 

[yeye5]

Here's my hatch. Nine fluffy little yellow balls of fun!

Congrats on the ducklings!
I don't know why but tiny baby ducks just about do me in! I want some so badly but I don't have a pond for them, boo.
I raised 3 ducklings that I was gifted, years ago, from a few days old and they were awesome. They grew up big and strong and then one day--I may be using the wrong term here--they migrated. Or flew off and found a pond. I knew they hadn't been harmed, there was zero evidence of that.
Curly, Mo and Larry.

Do you know of any breeds of ducks that, even without a pond, would stick around where they're raised. I could take them on outings to a pond...

What breed/s of ducks did you just hatch? It seems to my uneducated eye that all ducks are hatched with yellow down?
What colors will yours be when they get their feathers?

 

[Mylied]

AND...? It is day 21 now! You may still be sleeping--I just scrolled up and realize you're on the opposite coast and a few hours earlier than here.
I love Orpingtons...I love them all! I'm jealous of that great mix...I've been looking for EEs around here and no one seems to have them (yet).

I hope you wake up to pipping and peeping. What a beautiful way to start your day!
So, let us know plz who is doing what!

I have aa trio of ees. Come and get them. If you don't mind a long drive anyway. ;-)

 

[orrpeople]

Well, we had an hour and a half power outage in the night (I was sleeping or I might have done something about it. ugh.) I did some candling and the vein development in a bunch of them now looks weird - as if they may have started to quit... will have to just wait and see.

 

[WVduckchick]

Congrats on the ducklings!
I don't know why but tiny baby ducks just about do me in! I want some so badly but I don't have a pond for them, boo.
I raised 3 ducklings that I was gifted, years ago, from a few days old and they were awesome. They grew up big and strong and then one day--I may be using the wrong term here--they migrated. Or flew off and found a pond. I knew they hadn't been harmed, there was zero evidence of that.
Curly, Mo and Larry.

Do you know of any breeds of ducks that, even without a pond, would stick around where they're raised. I could take them on outings to a pond...

What breed/s of ducks did you just hatch? It seems to my uneducated eye that all ducks are hatched with yellow down?
What colors will yours be when they get their feathers?

Many of the mallard-derived breeds don't fly well enough to leave your property. Pekins, Swedish, Welsh Harlequin, Khaki Campbell, Runner ducks etc. And wing-clipping is an option too. Visit The Duck Thread here, if you are seriously considering ducks, and get a feel for which ones would suit you better.

Well, we had an hour and a half power outage in the night (I was sleeping or I might have done something about it. ugh.) I did some candling and the vein development in a bunch of them now looks weird - as if they may have started to quit... will have to just wait and see.

Should be fine. I swear, after watching how broodies handle eggs.... we are wayyy to cautious as hatchers! LOL Just let them re-stabilize and candle again.

I do think there are days that temp drops have more effect, but I can't remember what "they" say about that. Broodies get off the eggs multiple times a day, even in very cold temps. It takes a while before the inside of the egg temperature actually drops. But I hope yours are all ok!

 

[Jessimom]

AAAARRRRRGGGGGGG I am a HORRIBLE hatch mom.....

I woke up, 10 babies in the incubator. I did a quick pull, then cleared the empty shells..... I brought all the chicks back to the brooder. 10 minutes later, I walked back to the 'bator and saw my cat on the counter. I shooed her off, and realized I could hear a chick SCREAMING. I looked EVERYWHERE, couldn't find the chick. There are 5 people currently in this house, 3 of which wear hearing aides, since they have lost their hearing over the years, plus me- which living with them - I think my hearing is shot. I couldn't find where the chirping was coming from. Got one partially deaf person to help me look, they were worse than I was. There are 3 bators, one still turning - DAYS away from that hatch, another the last of the unhatched eggs from the last hatch, and the current bator. I checked all 3 - nothing in them.

I FINALLY narrowed it down to the hatched shells, and I found a Serama egg wiggling like mad and chirping. No external pip, I just dropped it back into the 'bator and bumped up the humidity. Those eggs are so teeny tiny light as a feather, I accidentally grabbed an unhatched one, along with the hatched shells.

Do you think it will hatch on it's own? It was on the counter - 73 degrees in the house. The shell was cool to the touch, but not cold. It quieted down as soon as it warmed up. It's still chirping, but not distressed like it was.

 

[WVduckchick]

AAAARRRRRGGGGGGG I am a HORRIBLE hatch mom.....

I woke up, 10 babies in the incubator. I did a quick pull, then cleared the empty shells..... I brought all the chicks back to the brooder. 10 minutes later, I walked back to the 'bator and saw my cat on the counter. I shooed her off, and realized I could hear a chick SCREAMING. I looked EVERYWHERE, couldn't find the chick. There are 5 people currently in this house, 3 of which wear hearing aides, since they have lost their hearing over the years, plus me- which living with them - I think my hearing is shot. I couldn't find where the chirping was coming from. Got one partially deaf person to help me look, they were worse than I was. There are 3 bators, one still turning - DAYS away from that hatch, another the last of the unhatched eggs from the last hatch, and the current bator. I checked all 3 - nothing in them.

I FINALLY narrowed it down to the hatched shells, and I found a Serama egg wiggling like mad and chirping. No external pip, I just dropped it back into the 'bator and bumped up the humidity. Those eggs are so teeny tiny light as a feather, I accidentally grabbed an unhatched one, along with the hatched shells.

Do you think it will hatch on it's own? It was on the counter - 73 degrees in the house. The shell was cool to the touch, but not cold. It quieted down as soon as it warmed up. It's still chirping, but not distressed like it was.

You are NOT horrible!! I can totally imagine that happening, they are tiny, very light eggs!

I bet it will be fine. My broody hatched 6 of 7 eggs last week, left the last one with 2 pip holes! It was very cool to the touch when I found it, but I put it in the bator and it hatched! I did have to assist, because of the prolonged exposed pips, she was stuck, but the chick is fine!

 

[Cerise1924]

AND...? It is day 21 now! You may still be sleeping--I just scrolled up and realize you're on the opposite coast and a few hours earlier than here.
I love Orpingtons...I love them all! I'm jealous of that great mix...I've been looking for EEs around here and no one seems to have them (yet).

I hope you wake up to pipping and peeping. What a beautiful way to start your day!
So, let us know plz who is doing what!

I did awake to peeping and flapping!!
No one was out by 2:00am (yes, I was checking), but by dawn... I have a Jubilee Orpington and an Easter Egger! The humidity was sky high in the incubator, so I pulled these two out and held them over a warm heater before putting them in the brooder. The Orpington was yelling the whole time s/he was hatching, and is so full of zip! I think the EE is exhausted and just needs to sleep and dry off.

The Marans egg had pipped down low, and there's a splash Orpington (first to pip) who has finally started unzipping, 15 hours later.
So excited for chicks!!

 

[Cerise1924]

AAAARRRRRGGGGGGG I am a HORRIBLE hatch mom.....

I woke up, 10 babies in the incubator. I did a quick pull, then cleared the empty shells..... I brought all the chicks back to the brooder. 10 minutes later, I walked back to the 'bator and saw my cat on the counter. I shooed her off, and realized I could hear a chick SCREAMING. I looked EVERYWHERE, couldn't find the chick. There are 5 people currently in this house, 3 of which wear hearing aides, since they have lost their hearing over the years, plus me- which living with them - I think my hearing is shot. I couldn't find where the chirping was coming from. Got one partially deaf person to help me look, they were worse than I was. There are 3 bators, one still turning - DAYS away from that hatch, another the last of the unhatched eggs from the last hatch, and the current bator. I checked all 3 - nothing in them.

I FINALLY narrowed it down to the hatched shells, and I found a Serama egg wiggling like mad and chirping. No external pip, I just dropped it back into the 'bator and bumped up the humidity. Those eggs are so teeny tiny light as a feather, I accidentally grabbed an unhatched one, along with the hatched shells.

Do you think it will hatch on it's own? It was on the counter - 73 degrees in the house. The shell was cool to the touch, but not cold. It quieted down as soon as it warmed up. It's still chirping, but not distressed like it was.

Your cat actually did you a favour, I think. It sounds like it was a short time that the little egg was out of the incubator, and it hadn't pipped externally. The baby clearly wanted to get your attention. Sounds like a strong, determined chick!

 

[Cerise1924]

Well, we had an hour and a half power outage in the night (I was sleeping or I might have done something about it. ugh.) I did some candling and the vein development in a bunch of them now looks weird - as if they may have started to quit... will have to just wait and see.

Hoping for the best!

Internal egg temps don't drop as fast as incubator temps, and it wasn't that long an outage.