May Hatch-a-Long!

[mrchicks]

He looks shrink wrapped, can you get the membrane off? I had two shrink wrapped from my last hatch, I slowly peeled the membrane away while dampening it with a cotton swab.

 

[Farmer Viola]

Chicks from my hatch!

great photos! they are so sweet

Ducks! Baby chicks! I had 9 out of 10 that went into lock down hatch. I just put the last two into the brooder.

congratulations!!!

Thanks

I'm in love already. 4 fully fluffed another half out and the others are pipping

two are crested although the person I got the eggs from say none of his are lol. Lucky me

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OMG the crested one is just over the top!

I don't doubt

they're so cheeky! There's 5 hatched now. 4 mini silver appleyards and 1 runner. The other 3 runners are being lazy

I've got trouble with one runner though. He'd stopped moving and I couldn't see or hear anything when all the others were clearly making holes so I put a safety hole in his air cell and panicked because I saw he was all wrapped up and not moving. This is the view I got. Then he moved! But I've got no idea where the head is, to me this looks like the bottom end? What do you think?

you are right, it looks malpositioned... I see a leg and a foot which should be more toward the bottom small end of the shell.. most likely it will pip on the wrong end, if it is able to pip at all. the danger with that is hitting a vein. seems like when they pip the bottom they always nick a vein. it is good that it's gone over day 21 since a lot of the veins should be receeding by now. some of that will be triggered by breathing air/pipping, however.

it's also possible the chick's head is in between it's legs and the foot is preventing the beak from hitting the shell.. it could even be near the top if it is in that position. just so hard to say where the beak might be.

if you were going to internally pip it, you really need to know where the beak is so you can get it breathing, clear the nostrils, etc. making the internal pip is risky because you could hit a vein. if it bleeds, have cornstarch on hand already. I have a powder stuff called blood stopper it's made for birds and I keep it next to me when i do interventions.

do you see the large purple vein? the purple color indicates that the chick is running out of co2 and needs to breathe air soon. this is what triggers their head banging into the shell to get into the air cell. if the vein were red, that would indicate that the chick is not ready yet. since it is purple or dark red, time is running out.

I have never made the internal pip for a chick and had it live. I have made an internal pip only 1 time, and the chick died anyway. I hit a vein and caused slight bleeding, then I put it back without following through with getting it air. I have resisted intervention, and had it die, only to find it in a position unable to pip (eg foot over the beak, cant make contact w/shell). it sort of boils down to your personal beliefs on intervening with nature, should the chick have died if it was malpositioned, weak, etc.

if you are going to do it, know that it is likely that the chick is going to die if you intervene, AND if you do not, it's almost certain. you could take it a day or 2 overdue and see if it makes the pip on the wrong end of the shell.

can you take it into a pitch dark room and candle it? specifically the abdomen area, between the legs which you can see from the top, I am wanting to know if the yolk is absorbed. you may be able to see a hollow area, this is a graphic from the Goose guide linked in my signature below:

Graphics showing the appearence on candling of the unabsorbed yolk and blood vessels (left) and absorbed yolk and vessels as a 'hollow' void appears (right)

 

[gander007]

Quote:

Wow good photo of the egg and putting a hole in the membrane was a smart move so have you gotten anymore movement form the little guy since the photo was taken ....

Maybe a light splash of warm water on the membrane to keep it from sticking to him .....

 

[BirdyGirl7198]

Well... On the two duck eggs I was told were Muscovies, they have both internally pipped on day 26.

I'm starting to doubt that they are actually muscovies. So I'm excited to find out what these mystery ducks are! I don't even have the slightest clue as to what they could be.
I heard one of them peeping inside the egg when I went to check them last night! How exciting!

I love getting mystery eggs. I'm hoping for a healthy hatch!

 

[abkoldewyn]

I had my first pip this morning at around 6:00 . Yay!
Since then...nothing! Should I be worried that it's been 10 hours and the chick hasn't made any progress? I can hear peeping and it wiggles very slightly occasionally so I know the chick's still alive.
When should I worry? This is my first hatch and I know that I'm being way more paranoid than I need to be! I am normally a calm, easy going, laid back person but this hatching business is turning me into a basket case!

 

[baylybreeze]

Hi - A newbie here - attempted to use my incubator for the first time last month but many mishaps - temp too high-thermometer not working, power outages. So chicken eggs went in on the 11th so my eggs are on lockdown! I have 41 eggs of mixed heritage in the incubator. After reading "Dry Incubating and hatching eggs" I may have had this batch with too much humidity. But I'm hoping most hatch.

I brought home 40 week old chickens last Sunday so they are in a brooder out in the coop. And I have 2 broody hens setting on eggs. One nest started on the 12th-13th and another starting on the 24th. The hens are swapping nests and one is leaving for food more than the other. Most of the eggs are fathered by Polish Roosters (a bantam and one a regular). And hens are either Americana, Cochin, Rock Islands or another mix.

Could be an interesting few weeks.

 

[lithiachick]

Congrats on all the great hatches everyone!  I'm getting ready for my June hatch.  Who's with me? 

I am lucky enough and excited to have a Barnie breeder in Florida (not too far either) with eggs in the incubator and hoping for a good hatch so I can get my flock of 4-6. Arrival date approx June 9th. Yeah!! The wait is driving me crazy.

 

[5 Acre Rooster]

So far have a RIR,BSL and MP chicks out. A lot more pipped. Duck internally pipped stll not seeing external hole. Hoping tomorrow I have a big ole red/white/black rainbow filled incubator(s). Need t move some ducks to make room in brooders. They are going into a breeding pen I cleared a few days ago.

 

[ccr chickens]

I am on day7 of incubation, gonna candle tonight. The eggs that don't appear to be fertilized... Do I throw them out now?

 

[missnu01]

I am on day7 of incubation, gonna candle tonight. The eggs that don't appear to be fertilized... Do I throw them out now?

I usually give mine until day 10. Or rather I check every few days and put a check mark on the eggs that are good and a question mark on the ones that need further examination. Have had quite a few ? Become checks. So maybe give them a little bit longer better to wait and know for sure.