Mother Clucker's Hatching thread ... first hatched - with pics

[shelleyd2008]

If you notice in this pic, there is one that is mostly black that was hatched from one of dad's eggs. I don't know what it is mixed with, but it is definitely part SLW. I think this one is from of the columbian rock hens, and an SLW daddy?

I don't know what causes the membrane to be so tough, but I know with the eggs that I have used for cooking the membranes have been really tough. I would like to know what causes that as well.

Sorry your baby died...

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Ok, first baby is still a little sticky - no idea why, but the other four are also dry but sticky - maybe the sticky gunk and the tough membranes are related somehow....

first baby

new babies

be back later with more update, got to take Jon to work, now.

meri

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Ok, still have 5 babies - two died, the one died in the shell, when it pipped and the membrane dried onto it too hard and it smothered. The other one died in a similar fashion, and I have one that isn't looking too good, but when I try to help it a tiny bit, it bleeds. I'm just gonna leave it and see if it lives or not on it's own.

But -

I have another Shelley egg pipped, and one cochin pipped, and another cochin "maybe" pipped - it isn't pipped enough to tell, but it looks a little poked out in one spot.

I cannot possibly stay up tonight, so I hope they can make it out on their own. I'll take more pics tomorrow morning and post them - the five babies are nice and fluffy looking, so far. I bought a baby hair brush (like Shelley suggested) and it worked great. I didn't "go to town" on them, so they have a spot here and there that is still a little wet/sticky looking, but they are mostly fluffy.

So, this is the ending of day 21 - I figure to leave them going until Monday at least.

All hatched so far are Shelley's eggs - none of mine hatched (successfully), most of them were not fertile, apparently. One that died was mine, and one was Shelley's.

I hope the humidity stays up well tonight, because I won't be there to spritz or add any to it. It is certainly warm in the room, with the heat lamps on the brooders going. I suppose I can set the alarm to get up and check them periodically. I'll be up early tomorrow, because I have to see my company off.

I am so tired I ache. I've been longing for my pillow all day. That'll teach me to stay up all night

Ok, I'm gonna go to bed now

, and set the alarm to get up and check them at 2AM or so.

peace out -
Meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

Good luck Meri!! Hope your cochins hatch, I know how much you wanted those!!

 

[austinhart123]

i hope the cochins hatch

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Ok, finally have a few minutes on here

I have one cochin so far, and another pipped. I had one zipped - it had zipped at about 3:30 this morning when I got up to check on them, I didn't realize the humidity would drop so much, and it died before hatching. It got stuck in the shell - even zipped halfway out!!

Another one that hatched was born with his guts hanging out, so he died. I didn't help that one at all, he was born when I was sleeping.

So, I have 6 chicks so far, and a few eggs that haven't pipped or anything and one or two that have pipped (One I'm not sure if it is pipped, or if one of the chicks last night bumped a crack in it). I'm just gonna leave the eggs in there, though, for now - they may still hatch out tonight or tomorrow morning.

Biggest lesson learned from this - well, humidity is important in those last few days. I'm going to Walmart later (when I take Jon to work) and buying a humidifier for that room. They have them on sale.

It would be nice to at least have one more cochin, so I have a pair of them. Even if they are both girls, at least I'd have two. The one I have hatched looks to be black or at least dark grey. He is sticky (dry but sticky) but he'll fluff up soon. The cochin eggs aren't nearly as strong as the eggs from Shelley - so I'm thinking it might be the feed (?). Maybe Shelley's dad's chickens get a lot more calcium than the other chickens have.

I'll look up troubleshooting with incubation, and see if I can find any answers.

If I have the room humidifier, I may try the dry incubating next time. I also need to organize the hatchery room better

make it more user/viewer friendly. When my sister comes down to visit, I had already planned on sending back a bunch of stuff with her (like she needs more useless decor, too

) cause I just have no place to put it here. That's what happens when ya move from a HUGE house to a much smaller house. I love my smaller house, though, it is so simple and open (the old house was closed in and dark).

I do think, also, if I am doing smaller hatches, that I can work with the triple cage I have out in the barn. The cells in it will be big enough for the small amount of chicks when they are small, and then I can still put them into the playpen when they get bigger. Now I jsut have to figure out what to do with the stuff on the table I'd be putting it on

The bigger cage I have the two older chicks in is fine for them, not too small at all. I would like to get a plastic bin brooder for the REALLY new hatches, like the first week, so they have a small enclosed area to totally get their land legs and dry out fully.

I was going to build a brooder coop, but I'd rather have it in the sewing room, I think. It is easier to check on them (a lot

) and to make sure everyone is ok. If I had the brooder coop outside, I'd be doing a lot of running back and forth, which isn't bad in summer, but this time of year it would really blow.

I have yet to take the new pics. I'll do that later and post them.

gonna go catch up on BYC, now.

meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

Oh, too bad that you lost some... I hope you get some more cochins. I have noticed with mine that my chickens eggs are nowhere near as tough as dad's chickens eggs are. But I still feed all my birds chick starter! He gives his hens layena and oyster shells, so maybe that's why?

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
Could be. Now, I'm not complaining,

because most of the babies I have are his eggs - they just needed a little help on some of them. I'll just have to remember that if I hatch more of his eggs (and I probably will). (the baby that was born with his guts out was another black one from your dad's eggs)

I think most of the problems I had with deaths was the humidity. It really jumped all over the place. Of course, we heat with wood, sometimes (when we're home or at night) and with the furnace at other times (if we're sleeping or gone for a bit). The wood heat pulls the humidity out of the house, too. I'll have to put a pan of water on top of the woodstove. But, I usually keep the door to the hatching room closed, to keep out the cat and drafts. The heat lamps from the brooders really keep it warm in there - it's the warmest room in the house.

I have a list for Walmart, actually. I want to pick up some more flood lamp bulbs (those work great if ya need more than a 100 watt but less than a 250 watt). I'm lucky I had that 150 watt flood bulb in the cupboard - I want a couple more in case one burns out or I need another lamp going. I need the humidifier, and an outdoor extension cord (for my Christmas lights

). Maybe I'll grab a plastic bin, too, while I'm there, for the next batch of babies. Oh, almost forgot, I want another temp guage, too, for the room.

I also want to build a hatcher - I can see why people don't leave the eggs in the bator to hatch. Even if I could put the newborns into a hatcher-like setup it would help with crowding and egg bumpage.

meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

I took a small butter bowl and cut it down to put under the wire of the incubator. I put the sponges in there and it helps with the humidity. I would recommend putting a fan in the bator too. Since I put mine in, the humidity holds really well.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
Yeah, Jon is supposed to be looking in his "closet full of parts" for a 'puter fan for me. I'll remind him tonight when he gets home from work to do it - he won't be awake enough before work

.

if I use a seperate hatcher/brooder, I can also take the rubber stuff out of the bottom of the bator to up the humidity levels a bit, since I'll be putting them into that once they are out of the egg (if I stillhatch in the bator, I mean).

meri