Memorial Day hatch along

[Farmgirl1878]

We are up to six chicks (of seven eggs) this morning! The last egg hasn’t pipped, but she’s still sitting on it, so I’m thinking it must still be viable...

She sipped some water off my fingers, then decided it was safe to get up off the nest and get a nice, long drink from the chick waterer. She had to strain to poop, but dumped a huge one, then went back to the nest.

The nest box is still blocked off, but I’m thinking it might be later today or tomorrow when I can take the baby gate down.

I’m hoping that last egg pips today!

 

[mrs_organized_chaos]

I just stumbled upon this thread this morning. I have eggs in the incubator and locked them down yesterday. I woke up to 3 piping this morning. I started with 20 eggs in the incubator and am down to 10. This is my first time ever incubating eggs so fingers crossed.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

Okay, no pips on the seventh egg... How can I tell if it’s still viable?

 

[BullChick]

Okay, no pips on the seventh egg... How can I tell if it’s still viable?

Eat it!
Candle it, then float test.

 

[Ms Biddy]

@mrs_organized_chaos good luck!

@Farmgirl1878 candle it. At some point soon I'd expect her to abandon it.

 

[mrs_organized_chaos]

I am happy to say I have three chicks who have hatched with one piped and another currently zipping. It is only day 19 so I was a bit surprised. I ended up with a total of 10 at lock down yesterday and this is my very first time incubating.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

Well, the last egg didn’t pip. I candled it and didn’t see any movement, so I pulled it.

And, I didn’t have to move the baby gate, Goldie did it herself! I had only attached one corner of the gate to the nest box in case she wanted out. She had to poop and didn’t want to do it in the nest box, so she just came out into the main coop and let ‘er fly! All the rest of the flockers came in to see what was happening, but no one bothered the chicks. They were more curious to see what was in the nest box they’d been thrown out of so long ago and to sample the baby chicken chow!

Flash (the roo) was in there too and was curious, but not curious enough to risk the wrath of Momma Hen. (He was far more interested in mating with her... Men!) I left the gate down and when I left the coop, Goldie and the chicks were back in the nest box, settling in for a nap. Bertha was in there too, trying to sneak some more of the baby food.

 

[BullChick]

My girls typically stay in with the flock. Dad is welcome when they bring the chicks outside. He teaches them to scratch in the dirt, and the mothers get a short break.

 

[john_wrightson2003]

Oh, I love hatch a longs!!!! So, I'm a little late as well, but I've got 2 incubators going, one has polish, cochin bantams, rirs, and ee(s). The other one has silkie bantams, wyandotte, ee x wyandotte, and black australorp. The first batch that I mentioned is due on June 2nd, and the second batch that I mentioned is due on June 11th.

 

[mrs_organized_chaos]

We have 7 babies that have hatched so far. I have three more eggs left in the incubator. We still have time as today is only day 20.