New Incubation Questions

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

The chlorhexadine solution to the belly button. Only did those 2, #6 is fine. #17 died. Oddly enough, I went back and looked, and it too was one I had doubts about, so maybe it was going to happen either way.
The other two are fully hatched now and snoozing. I darkened the room and shut the door so #6 would join them.

Ah, so you have three hatched keets?

 

[Sydney65]

Yes, 3 now.

Ah, so you have three hatched keets?

Right.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Yes, 3 now.
Right.

So the rate wasn’t great, but keets are always good! What day of incubation did they hatch on? Did they hatch themselves are have to be assisted? How are you feeling about their health?

 

[Sydney65]

So the rate wasn’t great, but keets are always good! What day of incubation did they hatch on? Did they hatch themselves are have to be assisted? How are you feeling about their health?

For some reason my emoticons are disabled. Might be for the best.
The good news is this definitely the last hatch/guinea massacre for the year, at least. I might just sell the incubator and use the $ to buy live from guinea farm next year. Although that didn't go well for @My2butterflies, either. Mb I should raise crows..but I think that might be illegal.
There are now 2. I have no idea. The 2 last ones I had tucked on sterile surgical pads inside of little tupperware bowls so 6 wouldn't stomp on them inside of the incubator. I had my doubts about #15. I went back to check in them, #15 sits up to look around, #5 is dead.
I wanted to wait to lock down until they pipped, but lost my nerve bc the pictures everyone shows are obvious. I see shadows that are too big to be a beak, look more like the top of their head or a duck bill and then question myself later.
So I locked down the 4 eggs at day 22 bc that seems to be when I always lockdown.
#6 was out early this a.m., day #26, and I could hear the others. I gave them airholes bc I knew I wouldn't be able to get to them while the gran was here. This afternoon nothing had happened, I peeled back, they were shrink wrapped, beaks out,so I opened the cap, used neosporin to moisten, peeled back the membrane some & left them. #5 came out next, yolk absorbed. #15 & #17 still had small amount of yolk to absorb when they kicked out and were attached to shell so I waited for that to absorb & dry out.
After #17 died, I gave the rest save a chick in water & then a drop of nutridrench. All took well. #15 I was concerned abt because his legs and feet were so white. -no longer the case, so the fluids must have helped.
I've been peeking with flashlight just to make sure everyone is still breathing, and then #5 wasn't.
-and yes, I just went to peek again before hitting send, #15 stood up and looked around then sat back down.
They'd possibly be happier if I let them be together but still concerned #6 will stomp on the other. Maybe a bigger bowl?
Miss Mia and Brodie are growing, healthy little hens. Rosie is turning them all into Prima Donnas- they come out every morning but she hustles them inside early. Who needs to free range in this cold when we have food inside?

 

[Sydney65]

Oh, 99.5 with occasional short lived spikes of 100°, humidity was at 42% most of the time. It rained here for several days in a row, saturating the ground and driving humidity to 72%. I put dehumidifier in there to pull it back down, and then left it running outside the door to maintain until it was lockdown time. Temp was the same, humidity 65%. - because I knew someone would ask.

 

[R2elk]

Mb I should raise crows..but I think that might be illegal.

Definitely illegal unless it is the exotic varieties.

 

[R2elk]

For some reason my emoticons are disabled.

This is usually caused by having BB code turned on. If you don't see Write your reply in the blank message box, you have BB code turned on.

 

[Sydney65]

This is usually caused by having BB code turned on. If you don't see Write your reply in the blank message box, you have BB code turned on.

Well, I don't know what that is, but I pushed a lot of buttons and so thanks!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

For some reason my emoticons are disabled. Might be for the best.
The good news is this definitely the last hatch/guinea massacre for the year, at least. I might just sell the incubator and use the $ to buy live from guinea farm next year. Although that didn't go well for @My2butterflies, either. Mb I should raise crows..but I think that might be illegal.
There are now 2. I have no idea. The 2 last ones I had tucked on sterile surgical pads inside of little tupperware bowls so 6 wouldn't stomp on them inside of the incubator. I had my doubts about #15. I went back to check in them, #15 sits up to look around, #5 is dead.
I wanted to wait to lock down until they pipped, but lost my nerve bc the pictures everyone shows are obvious. I see shadows that are too big to be a beak, look more like the top of their head or a duck bill and then question myself later.
So I locked down the 4 eggs at day 22 bc that seems to be when I always lockdown.
#6 was out early this a.m., day #26, and I could hear the others. I gave them airholes bc I knew I wouldn't be able to get to them while the gran was here. This afternoon nothing had happened, I peeled back, they were shrink wrapped, beaks out,so I opened the cap, used neosporin to moisten, peeled back the membrane some & left them. #5 came out next, yolk absorbed. #15 & #17 still had small amount of yolk to absorb when they kicked out and were attached to shell so I waited for that to absorb & dry out.
After #17 died, I gave the rest save a chick in water & then a drop of nutridrench. All took well. #15 I was concerned abt because his legs and feet were so white. -no longer the case, so the fluids must have helped.
I've been peeking with flashlight just to make sure everyone is still breathing, and then #5 wasn't.
-and yes, I just went to peek again before hitting send, #15 stood up and looked around then sat back down.
They'd possibly be happier if I let them be together but still concerned #6 will stomp on the other. Maybe a bigger bowl?
Miss Mia and Brodie are growing, healthy little hens. Rosie is turning them all into Prima Donnas- they come out every morning but she hustles them inside early. Who needs to free range in this cold when we have food inside?

Well I’m glad that you had some hatch and I hope they do well! You are certainly scaring me as I’ve been thinking about ordering a dozen sky blue eggs from guinea farm next year… Didn’t you recently hear about someone in Indiana who had fancy colored guinea fowl? Maybe it would be worth the drive to pick up eggs or keets? Otherwise, ordering keets from guinea farm or another supplier (Flint River?) would probably be less aggravation for you…I think Guinea Farm would be closest to you so would probably be best for shipping. I recently contacted them to ask when next year’s offerings would be listed and they said December.

 

[Sydney65]

Someone on here in Southern Indiana got some from a friend of hers there, I think. Perhaps she'll have keets next year.
I'm starting to think there's some sort of hex on me; " Thou shall only have 2 surviving keets at a time from this point forward." - it used to be six..I'm going backwards. (Apologies-joking around is my coping mechanism).
@My2butterflies live shipment arrrived right before my last hatch, so they were days older than mine. But we were having same issues at same time. Assuming mine was from the cracked egg, but hers weren't long in transit. Not implying it was breeder's issue. Possibly decreased faith in postal.
The Survivors are doing well this a.m., slept well, taking water. I moved them to brooder this a.m. after some adjustments to accommodate 2 . It was originally set up for several more. I was wondering how this would go with several growing birds if I keep them in over the winter. I know they could/should stay in incubator longer but it was messy from hatches & had drained through anti-skid pad to the tray. Take no chances.
I'm not sure what colors they are.
#6 has a bluish gray and tan intermingled. He has a very large dark spot on top of head w/lines on the sides of head, not top. belly & abt 1/2 of wings are white but not face.
#15 has white face,belly and wings, dark cap on head, no lines, and this a.m. I can see the down on back is a reddish tan. Last night I was seeing a coppery color in his head cap but not so much this a.m. yesterday he didn't seem to have much down at all, so big change this a.m.
I took pic w/phone, so hopefully it'll show true. If not I'll try w/flash but hate to do that to them. The second one is blurry so I cropped just so you could see his head better. The tan stands out a lot more on #6 in pics than in person. In person he's more of a bluish gray. Will try with flash later, just hate to do that to them