November Hatch-A-Long (2014)

[Junibutt]

I am hearing some cheeping under the broody. Day 20 started 8 hrs ago. So don't know if something hatched or not. However, my rooster is guarding the broody, so thats possibly a sign he is hearing the cheeping too and its not just my ears ringing. He ate all her food though!

 

[Steampunked]

Wow, fifty three quail? I wonder what so many fuzzy babies would look like...

We have five of nine out now, one pipped with a hole to yell through, one just pipped and two doing not much. My silkies were random colours, one looks kinda like a chipmunk...

 

[Junibutt]

Disaster on Day 20- Its possible all the chicks are dead!

I went to check in on my broody around noon today and found her nest abandoned with 1 extra egg in there. This is I think what happened. She must have gone out to have food and water around 7-8 AM (her usual time). While she was gone, someone else decided to sit in her nest and when she came back, she did not find her nest empty, therefore decided to sit in the regular nest instead (where there was already an egg from someone else). It was down to 33 degrees in the morning (may be 5 degrees higher in the coop). I touched the eggs and they were all all cold, so that indicates probably they had been left abandoned for at least 1 hr but possibly 4 hrs.

Are they all dead now? I quickly brought the broody back into the correct nest and she readily took her spot. I should have listened to my heart last night and brought her inside my house/put her in a dog cage. I had not foreseen this because no one has bothered her for 20 days.

I am not candling them because it may make the situation worse. Any suggestions when should I intervene? I have a feeling that even if they survive, these chicks will hatch late.

 

[Antiquity]

Oh Juni, I am so sorry. I've heard many times that chicks have survived low temperatures and hatched late. I hope they're ok.

Look at the bright side, SOMEONE was sitting on that nest for at least part of the time, and at least you caught your hen on the wrong nest before night. I don't know about your hens, but mine take their sweet time laying eggs. My wyandotte can spend an hour in there.

Temps dropped in my aquaribator last night as well, as we had a fierce cold front last night. I'll candle shortly and let you know if they survived, maybe it will give you some hope for your own eggs.

Disaster on Day 20- Its possible all the chicks are dead!

I went to check in on my broody around noon today and found her nest abandoned with 1 extra egg in there. This is I think what happened. She must have gone out to have food and water around 7-8 AM (her usual time). While she was gone, someone else decided to sit in her nest and when she came back, she did not find her nest empty, therefore decided to sit in the regular nest instead (where there was already an egg from someone else). It was down to 33 degrees in the morning (may be 5 degrees higher in the coop). I touched the eggs and they were all all cold, so that indicates probably they had been left abandoned for at least 1 hr but possibly 4 hrs.

Are they all dead now? I quickly brought the broody back into the correct nest and she readily took her spot. I should have listened to my heart last night and brought her inside my house/put her in a dog cage. I had not foreseen this because no one has bothered her for 20 days.

I am not candling them because it may make the situation worse. Any suggestions when should I intervene? I have a feeling that even if they survive, these chicks will hatch late.

 

[Antiquity]

Also: I've heard that eggs towards the end of their incubation are at the point of generating more heat than they're receiving from outside anyway. Maybe their own little internal furnaces helped them out and they kept each other warm enough to survive.

 

[Dcat]

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you Junibutt, for those of us using incubators that would be the equivalent of a power outage or a burned out bulb while we slept. Please keep us updated.

Everything seems to be going ok over here still. I still need to find a wider/longer bowl for water to up my humidity. I might have to hit up the dollar store again.

 

[Kaylish]

Wow, fifty three quail? I wonder what so many fuzzy babies would look like...

We have five of nine out now, one pipped with a hole to yell through, one just pipped and two doing not much. My silkies were random colours, one looks kinda like a chipmunk...

Would love to see pics when you get some!

Disaster on Day 20- Its possible all the chicks are dead!

I went to check in on my broody around noon today and found her nest abandoned with 1 extra egg in there. This is I think what happened. She must have gone out to have food and water around 7-8 AM (her usual time). While she was gone, someone else decided to sit in her nest and when she came back, she did not find her nest empty, therefore decided to sit in the regular nest instead (where there was already an egg from someone else). It was down to 33 degrees in the morning (may be 5 degrees higher in the coop). I touched the eggs and they were all all cold, so that indicates probably they had been left abandoned for at least 1 hr but possibly 4 hrs.

Are they all dead now? I quickly brought the broody back into the correct nest and she readily took her spot. I should have listened to my heart last night and brought her inside my house/put her in a dog cage. I had not foreseen this because no one has bothered her for 20 days.

I am not candling them because it may make the situation worse. Any suggestions when should I intervene? I have a feeling that even if they survive, these chicks will hatch late.

There is still hope, I've heard lots of stories of the power going out or a broody abandoning her nest overnight and chicks still hatching. Even heard one of a couple hatching in the garbage when someone mixed up the due date and tossed them early (they were noticed before the trash went out and are just fine)

 

[Junibutt]

Thanks everyone for their support. All I can do is pray for the best outcome, whatever its meant to be. Who knows may get a surprise tomorrow. Day 21 has started already.

 

[HugHess]

Rooting for Junibutt to find a positive outcome of fuzzbutts!

 

[rachelpotter]

Rooting for you too! I'm pretty sure I cooked my extra eggs I had in the Styrofoam bator. I had taboos three of them developing and now I see a blood ring and then ok be that has not changed for two days. I had a temp spike two days ago. Thankfully a at least one of my mutt eggs still had movement in there. Lockdown starts tomorrow for the two mutts.

Also...I resisted handling again today...I need a support group. Tomorrow is day 8.