November Hatch-A-Long (2014)

[ochochicas]

The next time I decide to do a hatch in the winter I should have my sanity checked. Horrible wind here in Washington (two days straight and isn't supposed to let up until tomorrow). Of course I live in the woods so our power is out. We're told it might be back on Friday. Against company policy, I brought the little chicks to work with me and set up a temporary brooder behind my recycling bin. If these chicks could talk they'd have novel to write one day.

 

[Sustained]

The day you handcuff yourself away from the bator in order to keep yourself from touching the eggs.....

The next time I decide to do a hatch in the winter I should have my sanity checked. Horrible wind here in Washington (two days straight and isn't supposed to let up until tomorrow). Of course I live in the woods so our power is out. We're told it might be back on Friday. Against company policy, I brought the little chicks to work with me and set up a temporary brooder behind my recycling bin. If these chicks could talk they'd have novel to write one day.

So cute!! Sorry to hear about your power. My power is working but my furnace went out last night so the little heat lamps are having trouble keeping up.

 

[vpatt]

I get my hens to poop where I want by creating a clean place, or placing something valuable there that absolutely cannot get chicken poop on it - works every time! 

Well she stayed in the nest and just hung her backside out for the poop. I guess I need to wipe it up now....fun. good thing the nest is plastic and I put pdz and shavings in the crate.

 

[Fullofstitches]

The next time I decide to do a hatch in the winter I should have my sanity checked. Horrible wind here in Washington (two days straight and isn't supposed to let up until tomorrow). Of course I live in the woods so our power is out. We're told it might be back on Friday. Against company policy, I brought the little chicks to work with me and set up a temporary brooder behind my recycling bin. If these chicks could talk they'd have novel to write one day.

Ugh! That's mt biggest concern right now - what if the power goes out? Especially overnight! Or longer! We're supposed to be in single digit nighttime lows this week. I have a wood stove for heat in the basement, but the rest of the house is cool unless I use the electricity (oven, etc). My room is in the fifties. Eggs are in the kitchen, chicks in the living room. If the power goes, everything needs to move down to the basement. I hope you can keep the chicks at work until power returns! And that it comes on sooner than expected!

 

[Sustained]

my lone silkie chick so far. She's a paint which I'm excited about. The spots are tiny like black freckles but they are there!

I have an early RIR hatcher

 

[HugHess]

Yep, not a single one of mine made it to lockdown.  My fingers are crossed for you!!!

I had a 100% hatch rate on my EE chicks, so I know my incubator isn't to blame.


Once you clear a breathing hole for them, let them rest.  I had a lot pip at the wrong end  (maybe 6 out of 20...I lost count).  They all made it out eventually, four needed help.  They are all doing great now except for 1.  Remember to let them rest if you need to intervene.  

I agree with the exception of being breach...with no air cell for reserve while resting, they could be moving in and out of all the gunk at the bottom of the egg, like my chick did...I had to take a warm, moist and sterile Q-tip and removed yolk that was covering her beak and nostril because I was afraid of both her breathing being occluded and her mouth sticking closed (or open) if it dried up on her.
Once I found the beak and knew 'she' could breathe after Q-tipping her, I did let her rest, for 27 hours. She made zero progress so I went and assisted her again by removing just over 50% of her shell, leaving 1/3 of the inner lining above the shell line that I also moistened with distilled, 100* water and she popped out about a half an hour later. Personally, I am glad I didn't wait 12-24 hours after her breach pip because I am confident her outcome would not have been positive because of the 'egg on her face'. So patience is a key but so is timely, decisive decision making when your chick is abnormally fairing in the hatching process.
Wishing everyone still waiting on their eggs a healthy, happy hatch!

 

[AHenry]

Was planning to post on lock down day. That is today so here is my story. I use Hatchbatch the app that keeps track of handling dates and tells me development day by day. I also hand turn. I have 9 ducks and 22 white leghorn eggs. Every thing seems to be going great. I started out with 25 leghorns, 3 were not fertile and 10 ducks, 1 was not fertile. I decided to candle one last time before lockdown this morning. All are due to hatch between Friday and Saturday. I put the mini mag to the first duck egg and it had already pipped thru the inner membrane, as had all the ducks, when I went to candle the third... the shell was pipped. I'm excited, but concerned as well.I can here the duck chirping thru the shell. I think I may have an early duck. Has any one had this happen? Yes humidity and heat has been maintained

I use Hatchabatch, too. They also have a video posted to their fb page that has really helped me a lot. I watch that video frame by frame everytime I candle.

 

[Sustained]

So, like many places, we've had a sudden temperature and weather change. Last night the wind was blowing and it was well below freezing. I have my lockdown incubator on my nightstand by the bed and temp and humidity have been rock steady in it up until last night. I had a temp spike of 104 for about an hour or hour and a half and at one point it reached 106. I realized after I moved the incubator to my dresser on the other side of the room and away from the window that there was a draft coming through my window. My guess is that the breeze made the incubator thermometer think it was cooler in the bator than it was and kick the heat on. Not real sure on that but the temp has been perfect since I moved it. I'm really worried that all my eggs got fried from the temp spike though.

The RIR early hatcher had pipped before the spike and the silkie had hatched long before. Really hoping they're not the only 2 I will get out of the 10 eggs that were in there at the time.

 

[Pyxis]

My eggs went into lockdown today! Out of eight, four made it. One I'm iffy on, but the other three are looking good! They're bantams, so they might hatch early for me.

 

[Iko127]

my lone silkie chick so far. She's a paint which I'm excited about. The spots are tiny like black freckles but they are there!

I have an early RIR hatcher

I want a paint silkie so bad! Its soooo pretty!! Congrats!