I know, I feel like a little baby sitting here crying! I'm on my way to the feed store to get some babys, that'll help! I need to see some little fluffy butts!
well it's day 22 here & nothing for us yet either. I'm going to give them an extra day or 2 I suppose before I start over. Then I might just start over with a few mixed from the backyard. I wouldn't know the first thing about opening up an egg & "helping it"? Of course I was also getting excited at the thought of seeing some "rare" chickens in the backyard. I have to admitt I'm bumbed about it especially after seeing what I thought was one of them rocking ever so lightly the other day. I won't turn the incubator off yet but I'm not holiding out much hope at this point.
I had 23 Black Austrolorp eggs in the incubator due on Jan 2nd. They started to hatch on the 1st and by 8 pm on the 2nd I had 11 hatched and moved to the brooder and 2 struggling with a zip. I figured these last 2 were gonners because they were just taking too long. They were alomost completley zipped and should have popped the top of the shell easily but were just struggling so I helped them with that last little bit. They looked good, had absorbed all the yolk sack and had no blood so I figured I saved the little buggers. By 3:00am they were so noisey they woke me up and were still wet! I took them out of the incubator and held them in my hands under the heat lamp of the brooder with the other 11 chicks. They quieted down, layed in my hands and dryed up so I put them in the brooder with the others. No noise, I figured they were now warm and content so I went back to bed. When I got up at 6:30 am they were dead!
None of the other eggs were good, 2 had started to develope but thats all. 11 live healthy chicks out of orrigional 24 eggs to start!
I have never hatched Black Austrolorps before and I must say they are the best chicks. They are so quiet and friendly. I hope they stay that way as adults.
Oh, I'm so sorry for the 2 you lost, I love Black Australorps! I went to 2 feed stores and couldn't find babies. So I had to come clean and tell my son! Broke his heart! The feed store will have some in this week so I'm still gonna go back when they come in! All they have are just silkies and I really don't like them to much. The last time we bought 8 of them and they all turned out to be males. Very pretty males, but noisy little critters! Now I'm just waiting!