November/December "Hatch-a-Long"

[Heidisgran]

Hi everyone! Just checking in~ Like most of us, I'm going CRAZY with schedules this time of year. I still have a bator full of eggs and this hatch has been great as far as temps and humidity go. Following all of your tips has clearly been a BIG help. I haven't seen much development on candles, but I never trust myself until day 14, so holding on until Friday. Got 3 white silkie chicks for my birthday this week! SO cute. Good company for my little hatchling that is the same age. It will take a while, but I'm going to work on catching up on what everyone else has been up to lately!

it's hard to tell without seeing the eggs but since the shells are dark sometimes all you can go by is if the yolk seems to be attached...not rolling when you turn the egg or if an air cell has developed
hopefully in a few more days you'll see a few more dark shadows moving or even if you don't see movement just a bigger shadow

I do have to say though if you get shipped eggs that have some cracked or broken the hatch rate is much lower cause you know they've been roughed up

 

[MrsJenSmith2007]

it's hard to tell without seeing the eggs but since the shells are dark sometimes all you can go by is if the yolk seems to be attached...not rolling when you turn the egg or if an air cell has developed
hopefully in a few more days you'll see a few more dark shadows moving or even if you don't see movement just a bigger shadow

I do have to say though if you get shipped eggs that have some cracked or broken the hatch rate is much lower cause you know they've been roughed up

That's sort of what I figured. Seeing that the box arrived with yolk all over it, clearly the surviving eggs have been through the ringer as well. Crossing my fingers and hoping for the best!!

 

[gimmie birdies]

this was the pip hole from last night...and the eggs mom.

 

[TwinArrowsFarm]

One zipped over night! ! e

 

[ggschulz]

One zipped over night! !

I'm here in Tulare, too. Do you only raise ducks, or do you have any other birds?

 

[ggschulz]

Up to 25 now. 1 in still sitting in the incubator. I swore I wouldn't help any, but the most recent (and possibly last in this group) to hatch had pipped and zipped right around the middle of the egg, and the membrane managed to dry out while I was pulling a group out. After 6+ hours of no progress, I broke the membrane in a couple spots so it could finish pushing itself through.

Of the 24 in the brooder I have the one with Wry neck who has now received vitamins, another one with a weak neck, that I have treated the same, and one with splay legs that I have band-aided. Still around 30 eggs left in the incubator and I will leave them for a couple of days to see what comes of them, but I think we are close to done.

In the pictures above, you can make out "Tiger." That is the prominently striped one who hatched first, and constantly runs around waking up anyone sleeping. Definitely the leader of this pack!

So, I have good news, bad news, somewhat encouraging news, and more good news....

The good news is my little guy with splay leg apparently hated the band-aid so bad he kicked it off right away and the splay went away! Go figure.

The bad news is I had to put down the little guy with wry neck. He was isolated and I was feeding him with a dropper, plus the vitamins, but he was in rough shape this morning.

The encouraging news is that the other one who couldn't lift his head seems to be improving. He's moving around some and taking the dropper pretty aggressively. So, we will see.

The other good news was that I had two more healthy hatch overnight. So, I am up to 27 hatch out of 60, 25 healthy, and one being nursed.

 

[TwinArrowsFarm]

I'm here in Tulare, too.  Do you only raise ducks, or do you have any other birds?

This is actually our first hatch but we want to try it all! Next will either be quail or chickens. Do you sell hatching eggs?

 

[ggschulz]

This is actually our first hatch but we want to try it all! Next will either be quail or chickens. Do you sell hatching eggs

I just got started with Quail in October, but I picked up another rooster and a couple of hens from Modesto area a couple days ago, plus these that I just hatched will start mating in a couple months, so I could definitely sell you some eggs. I had to remove my rooster for a little while, and the newbies have just started laying eggs, so I wouldn't be comfortable about fertility for a couple weeks at least, but let me know how many you want, and I can work something out with you, for sure!

 

[TwinArrowsFarm]

I just got started with Quail in October, but I picked up another rooster and a couple of hens from Modesto area a couple days ago, plus these that I just hatched will start mating in a couple months, so I could definitely sell you some eggs.  I had to remove my rooster for a little while, and the newbies have just started laying eggs, so I wouldn't be comfortable about fertility for a couple weeks at least, but let me know how many you want, and I can work something out with you, for sure!

Awesome! What breed are they? I'm wanting some good brown egg layers. I just purchased our first coop but it's empty lol

 

[gardenmist216]

I have 44 chicken eggs and 4 duck eggs in lockdown. One pipped this morn at about 3 am and then 2 more pips. since then nothing....... It is driving me crazy.