November/December "Hatch-a-Long"

[ShayBaby]

You can look at the yolk to know if it's fertile but I guess if it's the only one, it would be pointless.  I hope the little one makes it.  

Thanks, yeah I thought of just crackin'er open to check fertility, but it being my first possibly-fertile egg, it felt wrong to waste my first possible "homegrown" chick. Hopefully they get busy with the laying out there.

 

[familypendragon]

Ok here's a long update on my latest hatch. Cookies if you read it all.

1 black Ameraucana bantam, 1 blue Ameraucana bantam, 1 black silkie (with a vaulted skull!), and 7 coturnix quail of various colors running happily around the brooder together! (I think I may have already posted pics here yesterday or I would again!) ((After checking, nope! I didn't! So have some more chicky-pics!))

And my styrobator has turned into a nursery for the "special needs kids"..
The cornish bantam chick has obvious neurologic problems. It's head shakes and it can't stand up without toppling over for more than a minute. It's hanging in there, though and seems to be getting slightly better with time so I don't have the heart to put it down until I find out if it's basic functions (eating/drinking/etc) are affected. It sure is cute.

Then there are two quail with curled toes. I managed to make shoes for them just with tape, and it's working really well! I suspect they'll be ready to join the others soon. I know if I put them in now, though, they'll be picked on.

Normal pharaoh with barely-curled toes, in the middle, pre-shoes:

Adorable Tuxedo with very curly toes, pre-shoes:

...Then there's this poor little "thing".. The one I helped zipped a bit and noticed a malformed beak so I would left it to hatch or not.. the tough little booger hatched. And the poor thing is pretty severely deformed. It's head is a bit small, it has NO EYES so obviously blind (thankfully it seems it can hear), it has an "underbite" (I snipped a bit to correct) and slightly scissored beak, it's toes are curled (tape shoes!), and it's right wing is a bit gimpy. I know I should kill the thing, but I figure as long as he's got the will to live, I'll do the best I can for him. So right now he's got his shoes on, in a small Play-doh tub to help him learn to stand up-right. I keep getting him out and holding him hopefully to console him (he wants desperately to be with the other babies but even the gimpy ones pick on him).
Here's Frankenchicky:

(that's not a bare eye socket, just a bit of dried membrane stuck)

And I just set one lonely little egg in the Brinsea tonight lol. My new Salmon Faverolle bantam trio gave me one pretty pink egg the day I brought them home (Saturday) and not a single one since. So assuming they're not going to give me anymore for awhile, I set the one to test fertility.

I JUST read about this (missing eyes) http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00008570/00001/6j It says it is from high incubator temp during days 1 - 6 and/or low oxygen. You may need to lower your temp a little maybe.

 

[AK Chicken Guy]

I put 69 Corturnix quail eggs in today. Wish me luck

 

[Heidisgran]

So what thermometers/hygrometers does everyone use? I'm trying to find a good one to put in my incubator.

check amazon

 

[AK Chicken Guy]

Incu Therm from Incubator Wharehouse

 

[Missyktsm]

Hatch Day is here...Finally!! I checked everything before bed last night and had a great surprise...one white silkie chick decided to hatch early! I also had two additional pips. This morning the chick is nice and fluffy and moving around well. One additional pip, so a total of three pips with no advancement from the two from last night. Hoping today will be a busy, productive hatch day!

 

[Bens-Hens]

Isn't it just the best...love that day. about 10 to go for me

 

[Heidisgran]

Hatch Day is here...Finally!! I checked everything before bed last night and had a great surprise...one white silkie chick decided to hatch early! I also had two additional pips. This morning the chick is nice and fluffy and moving around well. One additional pip, so a total of three pips with no advancement from the two from last night. Hoping today will be a busy, productive hatch day!

how fun

 

[Missyktsm]

Okay, 2 white silkie chicks plus 4 more pips!

One problem...one of the chicks is malpositioned and pipped on the wrong end. Do I help it or just wait to see if it hatches on its own?

 

[ShayBaby]

I JUST read about this (missing eyes) http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00008570/00001/6j It says it is from high incubator temp during days 1 - 6 and/or low oxygen. You may need to lower your temp a little maybe.

I thought I remembered reading that somewhere! Considering two others that looked the same made it to full development and died at hatch, it would make sense, but my little Brinsea holds temperature like a rock and never got over 100. So maybe it was a nutritional deficiency on the mothers' part or something. Thanks, though!

I put 69 Corturnix quail eggs in today. Wish me luck

Good luck! They're so addicting!