North Carolina

[ramirezframing]

Good morning!

Traps were empty this morning so whatever it is doesn't like eggs (all I had to bait with) or can't fit through the opening of the crawfish trap (or just smarter than I gave credit for). BUT all pullets are accounted for since I locked them in that hutch last night. Guess I'll have to keep doing that every night until they are bigger. The little ones (like 3-5 weeks) were roosting lowest to the ground or sleeping on the actual floor of the coop so they were easy to grab if someone came in.

NOW, I am having hatching problems I don't know why. The first 10 hatches or so went great no problems, this one and the last one I don't know what is happening. When the eggs go in lockdown you can see them rocking around. Then you can hear them chirping through the shell. Then on hatch day they are still and silent. When I open them, there is a fully developed healthy looking chick dead. I had 6 exchequer leghorns on lockdown this week. And last night all 6 were rocking around chirping. This morning I have one with a pip, one still chirping but no movement, and 4 totally quiet and still. I carefully opened the 4 and once again, fully developed chick dead. Then I opened the one still chirping and helped it out. It's looking good for now, and didn't really bleed, it was ready to come out. The final one is pipping.

Ideas on this??? It's like they can't get in the right position. Do you think it could be taking them out of the egg turner and putting them down in the bator is messing them up? (The early hatches I didn't use an automatic turner). Or could it be humidity? I've been doing dry incubation (up until hatch when I put in a wet papertowel to bump it up a bit) so maybe it's too dry and they're getting stuck? When I open the eggs the filmy thing is almost stuck to their skin?

Grrrr so frustrating!!!

sounds like they are shrink wrapping and need more humidity, whats the humidity during lock down?

 

[dutchbunny83]

Okay, thank you, I was guessing that could be the problem.
I think my gauge on my incubator could be wrong because my original hatches it was showing really high--- like 65% throughout then 90% at lockdown and they all hatched (which makes me wonder if its showing higher than it is)
Recently I keep hearing about dry incubation so I switched decided to try it, but my hatch rate dropped ridiculously. It's saying like 45% during incubation then I put in a small wet paper towel instead of a cup of water to bump it up during lockdown and its still only like 60%.
Am I doing dry incubation wrong?
I think I need to go back to adding water during incubation because my chicks are all fully developed and I can hear them chirping then they can't get themselves out. It really does look like shrink wrap when I get them out.
What should it be during lock down like 70% right, or do I remember that wrong?

 

[BHep]

Okay, thank you, I was guessing that could be the problem.
I think my gauge on my incubator could be wrong because my original hatches it was showing really high--- like 65% throughout then 90% at lockdown and they all hatched (which makes me wonder if its showing higher than it is)
Recently I keep hearing about dry incubation so I switched decided to try it, but my hatch rate dropped ridiculously. It's saying like 45% during incubation then I put in a small wet paper towel instead of a cup of water to bump it up during lockdown and its still only like 60%.
Am I doing dry incubation wrong?
I think I need to go back to adding water during incubation because my chicks are all fully developed and I can hear them chirping then they can't get themselves out. It really does look like shrink wrap when I get them out.
What should it be during lock down like 70% right, or do I remember that wrong?

I dry incubate everything. Add no water at all until lock down...then fill the water chambers and let em' rip. I don't even use a hydrometer anymore. You MAY be drowning them. 90% is WAYyyy too high. 50-60% is high enough ever.

 

[dutchbunny83]

Okay thanks, I guess I wasn't adding enough water at lockdown doing dry throughout.

When it was at 90 they all hatched when it was down around 60 they all get stuck so possibly my hydrometer is reading too high.

 

[2StrayRoos]

We had a red-bellied water moccasian in one of our pens yesterday.

It was the pen with my babies which were in their hutch. All 3 parents were out. Didn't see the thing myself until I finished cleaning one of the coops and don't know how long it was in there. It was stucked in the chicken wire because it ate a frog and was swelled up. Half the snake was in and the other half out. We had to chop it into and the frog popped out

So I hate it for the frog but if it was't for the frog, no telling what I would have found or found missing. That was our first snake in the pens and I hope the last.

 

[dutchbunny83]

We had a red-bellied water moccasian in one of our pens yesterday.

It was the pen with my babies which were in their hutch. All 3 parents were out. Didn't see the thing myself until I finished cleaning one of the coops and don't know how long it was in there. It was stucked in the chicken wire because it ate a frog and was swelled up. Half the snake was in and the other half out. We had to chop it into and the frog popped out

So I hate it for the frog but if it was't for the frog, no telling what I would have found or found missing. That was our first snake in the pens and I hope the last.

Oh no!!!
Glad you caught the thing!

 

[dutchbunny83]

Does anyone know of anyone around the Fayetteville area selling Barred Rock hatching eggs?
The one that was injured by my mystery predator died.
Second one we've lost in 2 months!
They're my daughter's favorite too, so need to try again....

Or if not, anyone needing anything from a hatchery??? Pretty much all of them have Barred Rocks in stock, but I can't make the minimum order...

 

[doubleatraining]

Does anyone know of anyone around the Fayetteville area selling Barred Rock hatching eggs?
The one that was injured by my mystery predator died.
Second one we've lost in 2 months!
They're my daughter's favorite too, so need to try again....

Or if not, anyone needing anything from a hatchery??? Pretty much all of them have Barred Rocks in stock, but I can't make the minimum order...

How many barred rock pullet do you need? I have some that are 6 weeks old and some that are 2 weeks old.

 

[BHep]

How many barred rock pullet do you need? I have some that are 6 weeks old and some that are 2 weeks old.

I was just going to point dutch your way.....

 

[doubleatraining]

I was just going to point dutch your way.....

Thank you!!