November/December "Hatch-a-Long"

[Heidisgran]

Well, I believe my hatch to be done but I do still have two eggs in the bator on Day 24. I candled them last night and one had a moving chick in it but I need to read about what to do about that. I did not see an internal pip. The other egg is just too dark for me to see into but it feels very dense.

Not that unhatched eggs is my biggest problem/issue right now. Late on day 22 I had a chick hatch which was vigorous, chirping loudly, doing everything that the others have done but I noticed that it was dragging a big bloody blob behind it! I scooped the wee one up to examine and it appears to be the yolk sac. But we're not talking a SMALL egg sack. I've read on here about people noticiing pea-sized or kidney-bean sized yolk sacs. No, we're talking marble sized, with great big vessels. It's like the chick didn't absorb much of it at all! So I followed protocol for a chick with a yolk sac and I placed it in a disposable plastic cup in my incubator on a warm, moist paper towel and I waited. And waited. And waited some more. Last night there was no change in the yolk sac. The chick had started to get weak around 7 p.m. and the peeps became infrequent. His/her eyes were half closed. So I mixed up a batch of Sav-a-Chick and offered it via a tiny syringe. The chick took that enthusiastically and is back to its old self, loudly peeping, trying to get out of the cup, etc. Also last night I decided that the yolk sac was not going to shrink so I tried tying it off with dental floss and applied some Bacitracin to the umblilicus. it has shrunk a little now, but not as much as I expected, and it still bleeds if the biggest vessel on the end is rubbed at all. This doesn't seem to bother little "Yolk-o" but it sure bothers me! I'd really like to get this chick in with the others but its still in the bator. Any other ideas? There is just still too much blood in the sac to cut it, I think. I can see the very obvious vessels. It's so strange, too, because this does not seem like a chick who hatched too early. It's big and vigorous and it hatched a day later than all of the others...all of whom were perfectly fine. Is this a deformity of some sort? Are there related problems that I need to watch for? Baby *is* pooping, so I know that function works!

you need put it in something like a cup so you can prop it up but it can't get out until the yolk sac absorbs...put antibiotic on but not the kind with any pain killer in it
then do a search for chicks with unabsorbed yolks because I don't have the thread handy for you...
you don't want it yolk to burst so do the wash rag lined cup in the bator

 

[ellieemae]

you need put it in something like a cup so you can prop it up but it can't get out until the yolk sac absorbs...put antibiotic on but not the kind with any pain killer in it
then do a search for chicks with unabsorbed yolks because I don't have the thread handy for you...
you don't want it yolk to burst so do the wash rag lined cup in the bator

Yes, I've done every single one of those things. It's still in the cup, it's still getting Bacitracin (without painkiller) applied, I've read several of the threads over and over again. It's just that none of those things appear to be causing the sac to shrink OR to dry up and fall off. It's just not getting any better and I'm at almost 36 hours now.

 

[ohju1ia]

So my eggs go on lockdown tonight. Someone remind me of what humidity range I need, please.

 

[SoManyHats]

So my eggs go on lockdown tonight. Someone remind me of what humidity range I need, please.

65-70%. Good luck with your hatch!

 

[Pyxis]

I did it AGAIN. More silkies this time, due December 10th. Last hatch of the year I SWEAR.

 

[Varglet]

Evelyn was still trying to hatch the golf balls this morning, so I put one of the drawer nest boxes up on the shelf for her and put the two eggs that were laid this morning in it and set her on top of them. If she wants to try and hatch something, I'll let her.

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

I did it AGAIN. More silkies this time, due December 10th. Last hatch of the year I SWEAR.

Oh, but Wait! If you kick them out of the bator on the 10th and put more in you can hatch again by Dec. 31!!

 

[Heidisgran]

Quote: can you take a picture?
I'm certain you've done all that can be done....

 

[Farmer Viola]

I put them on their sides with air cells up and facing my (expensive 1/2" acrylic) door. In order to tell who is whom if I'm not home or asleep, I put sanitized plastic berry baskets over each Marans egg so I can tell which egg they came out of until I can toe punch for ID. The Faverolles crosses have been separated by shell color (blue and brown) so I'll at least know which are EE mixes. Temp is 99.5, RH 65%. I have noted that if I open the door for a quick moment, the temp and RH come right back. I'm going to need to add water at some point as it is evaporating much faster with more surface area exposed.

Waiting. Somewhat patiently.

Where is the smiley in lotus position?

I know this is a little old now, I have been keeping odd hours with all this hatching going on.. glad to say the incubator is now, finally, empty.

I was up throughout the night and every few hours since then, then slept into the afternoon! lol What day are you on now? I think the berry boxes for separation is a great idea!


Quote:
One of my chicks was also hatched with unabsorbed yolk. I mummified her in a paper towel and propped her up in the incubator just like you did. I didn't let her out of the towel or walk around at all for probably 24 hours. I actually think that some of the yolk transferred onto the paper towel instead of absorbing.. the PT was dry but yellowed by the time I removed it. The biggest thing I would say is, keep it wrapped, dont open it, and dont let it move or walk.. BUT mine was also gone in 24hrs and you said it has been 36 so this may not even be useful.. sorry..

I lost a chick last night

it was pipped and perhaps barely beginning to zip (1 extra beak hole past the initial pip) when I went to bed.. I woke up at 4am and I could see its beak sticking out the pip hole, crusted. The beak was open slightly, and unmoving. I knew it was dead right away. 3 other chicks were also pipped when I went to bed, and all 3 were out of the incubator while this one perished. It was a male welsummer, and his head was not under his wing as it was supposed to be. The inside of the egg was actually still moist, but the beak area was crusted and stuck. I know he could still breathe.. why did he die? while others hatched at the same time?

I ended up assisting 2 more chicks between 6am and 9 am, slowly removing a little more shell every hour and putting it back in the bator. one was a marans, one was a welsummer, both were slightly malpositioned with their head not under their wing. The beak was still in the proper location, but they couldn't get the right spin? this was also day 23 for these last eggs. I probably would not have helped them if it wasn't for the dead welsummer. I was very glad once I got in there that I did help them, they were very large for their egg, consuming nearly the entire air cell. maybe this contributed?

all the other chicks hatched really well, healthy, very fast zips (like 20 minutes for one of them!) and seem to be thriving. the 2 with boots have had their boots removed and are walking around now. some are still in the brooder, some have graduated to the mama broody pen (there's still a brooder in there if she cant cover them all...)

the girl with the unhealed navel is doing better, it's shrinking, but not gone. she is a little ****! she can be pretty mean to the smaller freshly hatched chicks. crazy how 12-24hrs makes such a huge difference in chicks! she is big and strong enough to go in with the mama and the older chicks, BUT I'm worried they will peck at her wound... the really tiny chicks don't bother with it. they are quite mean to each other's toes though!

OK, so my total hatch counts are:

Source 1 (shipped):
5 Lav Orps
10 Swedish Flower Hens
all infertile, never developed at all (15/15 culled day 14)
part of these were under the broody

Source 2 (shipped):
12 BLR Wyandottes; 9 to lockdown; 5 hatched
4 fully developed chicks died in shell late (only 1 had internally pipped) - culled day 25

Source 3 (shipped):
4 FBC Marans; 4 to lockdown; 4 hatched
11 Welsummers; 9 to lockdown; 8 hatched
1 fully developed chick died post-pip on day 23

Silkie X Americana (homegrown)
4 of 4 hatched by mama broody (100%)

and.. check this out! think I have.. almost ALL female welsummers! How lucky is that?!

The one that died in shell was male, and I have 1 hatched male and 7 female welsummers. The black copper Marans are 2 male, 2 female. The BLRWs are 2 male, 3 female. And I *think* that the SilkieXAmericanas are 2 male, 2 female. Total 14 female, 7 male.

I had 42 shipped eggs total, and 21 hatched so.. 50% exactly lol. The hatch rates were actually quite good I think, but losing ALL 15 eggs on day 14 throws it off
um.. sorry for the novel! hehe

 

[ohju1ia]

Where do you all buy hatching eggs from?