November/December "Hatch-a-Long"

It was a late night and an early morning for me!:th All 6 of the 7 silkied ameraucana that made it to lockdown are finally out!! 4 did great, but there was one in particular that had me worried. When it pipped Wednesday evening, a bigger piece of shell broke off exposing about a dime size portion of the outer membrane. I had the humidity up but worried it would dry out. It was the first to pip, them was the last to make any progress, that added to my gut feeling that something wasn't right. I ended up taking the first 4 out and into the brooder. The last chick to pip hadn't started to zip. I ended up taking my "troubled" egg out. It looked like it had hit a vein when it pipped. But it was still alive and the blood looked clotted. I think it started to dry out enought that the inner membrane was too sticky to turn and zip. I'm just thankful for the info I've learned from everyone on this site because this was my first assisted hatch. I chipped the shell away and started on the outer membrane and got a good portion of it off before I hit a little blood. I stopped and applied wet paper towel and put it back in the bator. At that point I was so sleep deprived I was cross eyed so I set my alarm for a few hours later and went to bed. When I woke up I had 2 new little chicks staring back at me from the bator happy as could be. I was so relieved! Now I get to start worrying about the eggs in the other incubator :/ I have my mottled ameraucana and one wheaten marans egg in there. Last night I had a malpositioned mottled pip but its still peeping so ill give it a while. No others from that buch have pipped. I need to remember never to set eggs thru the week so they are hatching when I have to go to work the next day! I have a feeling it's going to be a long day.
 
My malpositioned Marans was out this morning raising a ruckus to be let out :) She looks good except a little protrusion on her naval. I put iodine on it and think it will be fine. She is in with her 4 sisters now and giving them an ear full, LOL!
 
Oh and I have two more due that are internally pipped. 1 more Marans mix and another of my CCL x GLW crosses - wonder if the 5th one will also be a girl??? The one that just hatched assisted was the first chick I've ever had go past day 21. Today is day 21 for these two eggs as well. I bet our sudden cold front has something to do with it. Usually I have all my pips on the 20th day and they are all hatched by the afternoon of the 21st.
 
I just threw 12 Ameraucana eggs and 1 phoenix egg into my homemade water heater thermostat incubator. The Ameraucanas came in the mail yesterday; I let them rest for a couple hours then placed them upright in a carton in the incubator. The phoenix egg is my control egg as it was fresh laid and it should be fertile as that hen is very promiscuous...

Wish me luck, it will be a stressful 3 weeks. I hope to just use a broody hen next spring if I have the opportunity.
 
Give her a mirror so she thinks she has company also a feather duster or a stuffed animal in the brooder gives them something to snuggle up to.

Someone on one of the threads I subscribe to, can't remember if it was this one, had 1 chick hatch and put it in the brooder with mirrors & beads and stuff. It was the cutest thing ever!!!! Haha and her chick looked happy.

Maybe somebody locally has another chick around the same age you could add to her? That's what I did when I only had 1 hatch, I didn't know about the mirror trick yet.
 
[COLOR=008080]Oh Man,[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008080]It is hatch day and I am uptight..................[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008080]Why is it so easy to give encouragement to someone else[/COLOR]
and cannot [COLOR=008080]give[/COLOR] the advise to myself.................:lol:
Looking in the bator about every 30 minutes hoping to see a Silkie pip
but none so far.
I am so done with cheap hygrometers..going to buy some good equipment.
Thermometers still showing a 7 degree difference and the hygrometers
reading 25,45,65................All were calibrated just before lock down.
The chicks so far are lovely.............no deformatives...........

Good luck to everyone hatching...and........:thumbsup to those recent hatches..........
I had silkies not pip untilled day 21 and hatched on day 22 hope you see some pips soon
 
Oh and I have two more due that are internally pipped. 1 more Marans mix and another of my CCL x GLW crosses - wonder if the 5th one will also be a girl??? The one that just hatched assisted was the first chick I've ever had go past day 21. Today is day 21 for these two eggs as well. I bet our sudden cold front has something to do with it. Usually I have all my pips on the 20th day and they are all hatched by the afternoon of the 21st.
I've been having to fool with the temps on the incubators too!

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Oh and I have two more due that are internally pipped. 1 more Marans mix and another of my CCL x GLW crosses - wonder if the 5th one will also be a girl??? The one that just hatched assisted was the first chick I've ever had go past day 21. Today is day 21 for these two eggs as well. I bet our sudden cold front has something to do with it. Usually I have all my pips on the 20th day and they are all hatched by the afternoon of the 21st.


I just threw 12 Ameraucana eggs and 1 phoenix egg into my homemade water heater thermostat incubator. The Ameraucanas came in the mail yesterday; I let them rest for a couple hours then placed them upright in a carton in the incubator. The phoenix egg is my control egg as it was fresh laid and it should be fertile as that hen is very promiscuous...

Wish me luck, it will be a stressful 3 weeks. I hope to just use a broody hen next spring if I have the opportunity.
oh it's all the girls fault....lol!!!
smack.gif

Oh and I have two more due that are internally pipped. 1 more Marans mix and another of my CCL x GLW crosses - wonder if the 5th one will also be a girl??? The one that just hatched assisted was the first chick I've ever had go past day 21. Today is day 21 for these two eggs as well. I bet our sudden cold front has something to do with it. Usually I have all my pips on the 20th day and they are all hatched by the afternoon of the 21st.
 
It's lockdown for 7 marans eggs....I have no idea if they will hatch because I am new to this and didn't know how to look inside the very dark eggs....when I candle them i see that the eggs have very dark spots mostly fully encompassing the egg so I am hopeful to atleast get a few chicks even though my LG sucks when It comes to steady temps. It went up to 108 for a few seconds so that's why I'm iffy on these babies making it.
 
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