May Hatch Thread--Fill up those bators n' broodies!

[QueenofKings]

Here were the chickens on Thursday. (Couldn't get a complete shot of them together on Friday.)



and a hatched chick (poor lighting and what not) on the same day in the incubator. (Yay for having them archived on my blog!) Once I get back on Tuesday, I'll take more pictures.


This is also the one I ended up taking home - his name is James and he is smallest out of the four chicks I currently have in the brooder. Born with difficulties - shell was still attached to his head and had to be removed, came off rather cleanly but he is the 'slowest' one and definitely the smallest.

 

[melina90]

Re: size I thought they only got real big if the humidity was too high? Mine was between 50-55? Also someone said about the Bator running cool due to late hatch again? It has always sat between 99.5 -102 a bit on the high side!
Oes - Dh is delighted with "his baby!"

If the humidity is too high the chicks will drown when pipping internally and will never hatch. If the humidity is on the high side (although low enough for the chicks to survive) you'll get big chicks. The one i got today was huge - I should have weighed it, it's bigger than the two-day-old chicken in the brooder. I assisted it half way through the hatch, and it literally filled out the shell - there was almost no space between the shell and the inner membrane as I peeled it off.

That said, I've done both hatching and incubating in the same bator. I make sure that after a hatch, I lower the humidity to 20% for a few days to make sure the eggs loose enough fluid, then keep it at 35% until next hatch when I have to turn it back up just for the hatch day. 50-55 during incubation is on the high side so that'll explain her size. I find the bigger chicks are more durable, so it's not necessary a bad thing (as long as they survive hatching of course).

 

[Cynthia12]

I think this is my favorite

I think this could be my favorite too! Darling.

 

[Cynthia12]

Hi Guys - we had to intervine a wee bit because she was getting very weak.
We found out why. She would never have gotten out alone as her foot was tight over her head so she couldn;t move to zip.

She is more or less out - but we had to get a good bit of shell off in order to free her head. Which meant we burst a vein getting the membrane over the head. The membrane was drying up too. She is chirping away but we are worried about the blood a bit. Nothing could be done about the vein as the poor critter would never have been able to zip in that position also there was no room for her to manouver round as she is a big chick! We dare not help more as the temp was quite low and chicky was getting cold. I am glad we intervined when the chirping was getting weaker. I would not have known she could not zip otherwize. How can a chick grow with its head pinned like that so there is no way for it to move to zip????? It is a bit cruel really.


Oes

I have had to assist a lot this year because of those darn tight air sacs! They can't move! I've had many make it only because I helped. Looks like your little one here will do fine, just has to hang out and build strength. It also appears that it may be able to get out on it's own the rest of the way now. Nice job!

 

[oesdog]

The wee one is completely out !!!!!!!! Though her yolk sac got stuck on the big shell she was trying to pull after her so we did pull it off of the inside of the shell. It is still attached to her but it is empty and the vein leading to it is clear. I am not sure if I should cut this off or not???? She is a feisty thing already making lots of noise. Though I am afraid of her pulling on the yolk end???

Oes

 

[misschickenlittle]

I would think it will dry up and fall off on its own.

 

[oesdog]

Hay guys I posted on the caring for baby chicks and someone posted back saying they thought this chick was prem??????
How can that be when it is DAY 24 for deffinate because you all know when I set these eggs because it is on this thread! She is LATE not early.
How can that be?????????

should I be still thinking I should take days off? How many days should I take off???? And why did she hatch late but presented prem????? I don't understand. She is up on her feet flapping now but is not staying on her feet as she is exhausted and falls over asleep anywhere! like a toddler! lol

I am concerned about her. That foot seems a bit strange looking. Twisted a bit. She is not weight bearing on it the same as the other side but hopefully it is just because it grew stuck over her head and will come right on its own.

Oes

 

[el pollo rey]

Hay guys I posted on the caring for baby chicks and someone posted back saying they thought this chick was prem??????
How can that be when it is DAY 24 for deffinate because you all know when I set these eggs because it is on this thread! She is LATE not early.
How can that be?????????

 should I be still thinking I should take days off? How many days should I take off???? And why did she hatch late but presented prem????? I don't understand. She is up on her feet flapping now but is not staying on her feet as she is exhausted and falls over asleep anywhere! like a toddler! lol

I am concerned about her. That foot seems a bit strange looking. Twisted a bit. She is not weight bearing on it the same as the other side but hopefully it is just because it grew stuck over her head and will come right on its own.

Oes

 

. Don't worry oes she is not a premi and the foot is probaly curled a bit because of her size let her fluff up and move her to the brooder if the toes need attention splint them straight with stick matches and first aid tape leave the splint on till she is 7 days old and that foot will be straight as a pin don't worry. If she won't walk on it right away she will learn to walk like duck with her splint I have had these problems in the past with large breed birds like jersey giants during mixed hatched when it is impossible for me to slow them down with the other breeds in the bator I would also take a good look at your thermometers because giving the size of the chick and the time of the hatch you are most definitely cool and wet ,,,, good job !

 

[AvianEgo]

Ancron is that a mixed chick or do u know what kind? I had one hatch this weekend that looks just like her.

 

[Keggen]

Wet are officially done with this hatch! Yay! I'm very happy overall, although we had some sad losses.

Final counts: started with 41, culled 4 right away with 2 blood rings and 2 clears. At the end I had one questionable which ended up a clear or early death.
So 36 lockdown and 25 hatched! Of the 11 that died, one had pipped through its own vein, a few seemed to be late deaths around maybe days 16-20? Those were all twisted into themselves and would never have pipped in their positions. There was also one FBCM that sadly died in the last 24 hours because it had pipped internally but never reached its shell. So sad! The baby was prefect and in just the right position, beak pipped through the membrane and that was it. Ugh. I wish I would have checked it sooner.

So now we are over loaded with fluffy butts!

Here is a chick I had to assist this afternoon.