MARYLAND THREAD!

[MROO]

Have you candled the two unhatched eggs, lately? There are lots of pictures here on BYC that show what candling should reveal, almost day by day. If the inside "lights up," you'll know if development stopped before the chick fully developed. If it's mostly dark, you may have a chick in there, still. I would also wait until day 25 before thinking about discarding, especially if your temps ever fluctuated a bit low or there was a power loss at any point.
Regardless of what happens with the last two, you still have two healthy chicks - and that little miracle never gets old!
Good Luck!

 

[CherryChick1]

Have you candled the two unhatched eggs, lately? There are lots of pictures here on BYC that show what candling should reveal, almost day by day. If the inside "lights up," you'll know if development stopped before the chick fully developed. If it's mostly dark, you may have a chick in there, still. I would also wait until day 25 before thinking about discarding, especially if your temps ever fluctuated a bit low or there was a power loss at any point.
Regardless of what happens with the last two, you still have two healthy chicks - and that little miracle never gets old!
Good Luck!

Thank you so much. I’m feeling a little more optimistic. All along the way I have tried candling, but have had difficulty seeing. Part of the problem is finding a dark enough place. I will try candling them again when I get to work. Just thought of a place. Will let you know how it goes, and yes, you’re absolutely right. I do have two healthy little ones. I am still amazed.

 

[Rafters]

Thank you so much. I’m feeling a little more optimistic. All along the way I have tried candling, but have had difficulty seeing. Part of the problem is finding a dark enough place. I will try candling them again when I get to work. Just thought of a place. Will let you know how it goes, and yes, you’re absolutely right. I do have two healthy little ones. I am still amazed.

How are the birds doing?

 

[Rafters]

Hey Marylanders,

If anyone is interested, I have a surplus of bantam juveniles. All are between three and four months old and all are hand-tamed. They will be tested in the next two weeks (for 4H,) but they are from an NPIP facility and my birds are all tested and clean, so they should be fine.

I have a small starter flock (5) of Sebrights - they need to go together.
2 gold-laced cockerels (IMO, the slightly older one is gorgeous!)
2 silver laced pullets
1 gold laced pullet

Three Old English Game Bantams (OEGB)
1 OEGB Black Breasted Red cockerel (we think!) He hasn't gotten his full coloring, yet, and he's already really pretty!
2 buff-colored OEGBs - possibly Red Pyle, as their color is just starting to come in. The older one is definitely a cockerel. The younger one, I'm not sure yet, but I think is a pullet. They look to be Red Pyle, but I've never seen Pyles this young, so I'm not positive. They are both nice birds - pale buff with red-gold hackles and points, and no blue in their tails (like Japanese bantams would have)

I may also have 2 4-month-old white Silkies, if I can talk my daughter into down-sizing. Silkies are notoriously tough to identify until they start either crowing or laying, so you'd take your chances on gender with them.

I am in the farthest North-Eastern corner of Maryland, about an hour north of Baltimore, but I will drive a reasonable distance to meet someone.

I'll try to post pictures this weekend, as soon as I have a second pair of hands available to help. Maybe, by then, I'll know for sure what my 4Hers want to do about the Silkies ...

Interested. Sending you a message.

 

[CherryChick1]

How are the birds doing?

So I did candle the remaining four in a room with no light and was able to tell that they were all non viable. One looked infertile. When I cracked it open it looked like an egg from the grocery store gone bad. I opened two more. There had been some development, but I think stopped around day 5. I am leaving the last egg in the incubator until tomorrow because someone asked me too, but I am sure that it is non viable as the air sac is too big (that’s how the other two non viable looked). I just hope that it doesn’t explode. As for the chicks, they seem fine.

 

[CherryChick1]

So I did candle the remaining four in a room with no light and was able to tell that they were all non viable. One looked infertile. When I cracked it open it looked like an egg from the grocery store gone bad. I opened two more. There had been some development, but I think stopped around day 5. I am leaving the last egg in the incubator until tomorrow because someone asked me too, but I am sure that it is non viable as the air sac is too big (that’s how the other two non viable looked). I just hope that it doesn’t explode. As for the chicks, they seem fine.

I opened the last egg to find a dead chick. I took pictures of the eggs with some development. Will try to post later.
One of the hatched chicks has a little pasty butt. I tried to get most of it off, but there is still some poop on it. I didn’t have Vaseline or olive oil or a cotton swab on hand so I used warm water and a little bit of TP. There is still some poop on the chick, I became concerned because I didn’t want to harm the chick’s navel. Also it was very slow going and I think that I was stressing the chick.
One last thing, has anyone heard that olive oil is not good to use for this purpose? Is it or is it not OK?

 

[ladyracheld]

Don't have anything constructive to add my friends but joining myself in with fellow MD'ers. I'm in Harford County, anyone else? (with nearly 300 pages, its troublesome trying to find out on my own!)

 

[MROO]

I'm in Harford County, anyone else?

I'm right across the river in Cecil. Howdy, Neighbor!

 

[ladyracheld]

I'm right across the river in Cecil. Howdy, Neighbor!

HEYY!!!

I've definitely considered hopping onto that side of the bridge, esp being a chick family now!!

 

[SaraSmile]

Don't have anything constructive to add my friends but joining myself in with fellow MD'ers. I'm in Harford County, anyone else? (with nearly 300 pages, its troublesome trying to find out on my own!)

Also Harford County!!