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

[AinaWGSD]

We have peepers, and a pip! We candled eggs tonight to put them in lock down, and while we were looking at the very first egg, we heard peeping! Then, about halfway through candling I told my husband that I didn't need to candle the next one, because it had a pip! There were a few that looked like they had already pipped internally (or were at least working on it) too. I'm a little concerned that they're starting to hatch already and it's only day 18, but not terribly surprised as the incubator has been running a little on the high side. I guess we'll just have to sit on our hands now and wait to see what happens. So exciting!

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

We have peepers, and a pip! We candled eggs tonight to put them in lock down, and while we were looking at the very first egg, we heard peeping! Then, about halfway through candling I told my husband that I didn't need to candle the next one, because it had a pip! There were a few that looked like they had already pipped internally (or were at least working on it) too. I'm a little concerned that they're starting to hatch already and it's only day 18, but not terribly surprised as the incubator has been running a little on the high side. I guess we'll just have to sit on our hands now and wait to see what happens. So exciting!

WooHoo!

Mine hatched early, too. On the actual hatch due day, all of my chicks had already hatched and been in the brooder for at least a day, and some of them for even longer. Just make sure to sit on those hands (which is the hardest part of the entire process, IMHO).

 

[AinaWGSD]

Yeah, having the incubator in a house we aren't currently living in helps with the sitting on the hands. We did race over there this morning before the kids woke up to check on the incubator. Humidity is up to 70% and temperature is holding steady. No change in the pipped egg, but I'm not surprised. I've seen eggs sit with no change in the pip for over 24 hours and then zip and hatch in less than an hour. We'll go check on them again tonight.

 

[1muttsfan]

First batch went into lockdown last night, the second group this am - and I hope they don't go early, too hard on the nerves. Culled down to I think 48 eggs. And so far already have folks interested in chicks, yay!

 

[Alaskan]

I am down to only 6 dominique eggs,

and I think that one of those is a dead in shell. Started with 13 plus 2 cracked and sealed with wax.

I actually didn't count the leghorn, but I started with 36, so tossing the bad ones hasn't been as painful. Both of those are due Wed. and Thursday.

I have two sets of bantam eggs a week behind. One set, Blue laced red Wyandotte look VERY good. the partridge Wyandotte, out of I think 13, I HAVE ONE!!!

I also set quail eggs last Thursday. Those actually look good.

 

[DiamondDust]

Well, mine went into lockdown finally. I put it off a little on some of them because the air cells seemed smaller on a few. I put the eggs that had bigger air cells in yesterday and the rest this evening. I was having some trouble with my temps in the hatcher...but I think it was not so much the temps as the thermometer. I put my better thermometer in and it is reading closer to what it should be, thankfully. So I put 12 eggs into lockdown but two kind of looked like quitters to me. Hatch due date is May 1st!

DD

 

[Alaskan]

I hate this part. The waiting is getting to me. blah.


I want to KNOW!

 

[AinaWGSD]

And we have a chick! Unfortunately, she looks like she may have something wrong with her. There's something stringy that looks almost like intestine dragging behind her, but I don't see an opening in the body wall. I guess we'll just have to wait it out and see what it looks like in a day or so when we take them out of the 'bator. On a more positive note, we have at least 9 more eggs pipped and one zipped! I'm hoping to find a few more chicks tomorrow morning when we check before we leave for work. Hope everyone else's hatch is going well.

 

[Alaskan]

And we have a chick! Unfortunately, she looks like she may have something wrong with her. There's something stringy that looks almost like intestine dragging behind her, but I don't see an opening in the body wall. I guess we'll just have to wait it out and see what it looks like in a day or so when we take them out of the 'bator. On a more positive note, we have at least 9 more eggs pipped and one zipped! I'm hoping to find a few more chicks tomorrow morning when we check before we leave for work. Hope everyone else's hatch is going well.

they do hatch with a little umbilical cord thing that goes from their belly to the egg. It should dry up on its own.

good luck!

 

[AinaWGSD]

I'm hoping that's all it is. I've seen umbilical hernias and prolapsed cloacas in newborn chicks before and this doesn't look quite like either of those problems. Hubby just got home from installing a new water heater at the house and says we have a second chick now!