Missed the Easter hatchalong, anyone else setting 4/10?

[OzarkCountryGirl]

Had a little RIR just finish hatching out about 30 minutes ago, and still have 3 eggs left to go. They have pipped, but not yet starting zipping. Although all three are moving around and making noise, so hopefully they will hatch within the next couple of hours or so. I am so ready for a good nights sleep....

 

[Alaskan]

Yep....it is driving me batty.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Two more fluffy chicks in the incubator this evening. The one DH had tried to assist yesterday still hadn't hatched and looked shrink-wrapped, so since we didn't see any vessels we tried to assist the rest of the way. Unfortunately, it was another one with intestines outside the body wall. But so far we've had 21 hatch (ignoring the fact that one died overnight and one we had to cull) so we're at an overall 51% hatch rate and we have 19 fuzzy butts in the brooder. And there's at least one more pipped, so maybe if we're lucky we'll get more than that. But even if we don't, I'm pretty happy with the chicks we've got so far.

 

[frg34]

My 4 fertile eggs are 20 days and 7 hours along. Still no pips or movement.

 

[Alaskan]

Two more fluffy chicks in the incubator this evening.  The one DH had tried to assist yesterday still hadn't hatched and looked shrink-wrapped, so since we didn't see any vessels we tried to assist the rest of the way.  Unfortunately, it was another one with intestines outside the body wall.  But so far we've had 21 hatch (ignoring the fact that one died overnight and one we had to cull) so we're at an overall 51% hatch rate and we have 19 fuzzy butts in the brooder.  And there's at least one more pipped, so maybe if we're lucky we'll get more than that.  But even if we don't, I'm pretty happy with the chicks we've got so far.

I really hate that, always makes me cringe. I am glad you have lots of healthy ones to distract yourself with.

My 4 fertile eggs are 20 days and 7 hours along. Still no pips or movement.

None of mine were early this time, and no loud ones ahead of time either. you will have to tell us how yours go.

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

Ok...had another one hatch, but have a possible problem with one of the remaining pippers.

It started pipping at 5:50 this afternoon. No big deal that it hasn't hatched yet. What does have me a bit concerned is that I have noticed a bit of red (blood?) seepage at the pip site. The chick inside is still vocal and moving around, just like all the other chicks that have hatched before it.

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

I haven't opened the incubator, but only been observing it through the windows. It started to zip, but then stopped about a forth of the way around and got very quiet. It hasn't moved or made a sound in over 30 minutes, though the seeping is still visible. I don't know what I could do to help at this point (or even if I should) and I don't want to make things worse all the way around by opening up the incubator and losing the humidity for the other pipper, so I'm leaving it alone and hoping it pulls through.

 

[Alaskan]

I haven't opened the incubator, but only been observing it through the windows.  It started to zip, but then stopped about a forth of the way around and got very quiet.  It hasn't moved or made a sound in over 30 minutes, though the seeping is still visible. I don't know what I could do to help at this point (or even if I should) and I don't want to make things worse all the way around by opening up the incubator and losing the humidity for the other pipper, so I'm leaving it alone and hoping it pulls through.

Eeek! it sounds like one blood vessel just wasn't all the way gone/dried up/whatever when he started pipping. Maybe he hit another still pulsing blood vessel and lots too much blood so that you lost him, or maybe he is just exhausted, and will try again in the morning.

I will super hope it is the good outcome. Either way though, with a chick with obvious blood vessels still 'alive'(or however you are supposed to refer to that) I do not think that you could have helped him at all. Anything that you did would have probably made him bleed too much.

Me.... I am a giant 'helper'. I have read the assisted hatch chick article a bunch of times..... But I still "peek" probably when I shouldn't. At least I haven't killed any by peeking, at least not in the last three hatches. i am now better at knowing when to put the chick down and let the blood vessels dry up more, and when to gently peal back membranes, and when to let it sit in the shell for an extra 12 hours to kick it's way out and help make sure that all of the guts are on the inside. Not that it works out the way you want it to, even when you do everything perfectly... Sigh.

 

[Alaskan]

Well, I hope everyone else did well.....

Me, I am at and the last dominique egg hatched, the slow iffy one.... And it is missing one eye and has a very slightly (good chance of being perfect) navel.

After goggling the missing eye..... It came back with "high temps or improper handling of eggs ie. turning rotating" So, my fault, not the breeders.

I am not sure how that happened... I thought that the eggs were being turned well.... I dunno for sure though. There were a couple of times when I added new eggs (staggered hatch) that I turned off the auto-turner and gentle turned by hand only a few times that day.....

I wish one of the possible causes had been infection.... Since the Dominique eggs were the ones that had some crushed eggs, and so I had to very gently rinse off a few eggs, and .i know that is a giant no no. But, that was not on the list.

Anyway, so now I am super worried about all of the rest of the eggs.

About half of the leghorns have hatched... But there are several more pips ... And they were due just yesterday, so that aren't that kate yet.... Also, so far all of them have been healthy.

I dunno... Just very sad, and VERY disappointed with myself.

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

Me, I am at

and

the last dominique egg hatched, the slow iffy one.... And it is missing one eye and has a very slightly (good chance of being perfect) navel.

I'm so sorry

Sometimes things just happen. I lost the little bleeder just before midnight. It never peeped or moved again, and then red turned blackish so I knew it was for real dead then. And as soon as I could I took it out and checked and found the inside of the shell was full of blood and the chick still had the egg sack on the outside, so there would have been no saving it regardless.

So I ended up with 8 out of 9 going into the last week with this hatch.