October egg swap---sign-ups closed.

[BirdMom]

Argh! No pips yet. They were due Saturday. My daughter swears she heard peeps earlier though, so maybe we'll see some duckies soon. This waiting right at the end is the hardest!

 

[Freckle Face Farm]

I candled mine they look good

3 white and 7 brown ones look to be developing

After my temp deboggle.. Still have a ways to go but I see chicks

Good luck with all your hatches and chicks..

 

[chickenlover54]

Quote:
Yes IT IS!!!!!!!

 

[BirdMom]

Well, definite peeps going on in the bator, and lots and lots of tapping. I see one duck egg that has pipped, at the wrong end no less, but the eggs are nearly the same at both ends, hope it won't be a problem. I can't tell if any of the others have pipped yet, but somebody's sure making noise! My eyes are all wonky from staring into the bator for the last half hour trying to see who it is! Augh! I can't wait!

Constant tap tap tap scratch tap scratch scratch tap tap sounds and every few minutes a bunch of indignant chirps. I think they want out!

 

[becky3086]

Someone may have pipped on the bottom and you can't see it.

 

[BirdMom]

Yeah, some may be pipped on the bottom. I saw a second one pipped at the wrong end a few minutes ago, too! Sillies.

I zipped the shell on the first one that was pipped at the wrong end, but left the membrane intact and will give it a few hours to see if it gets itself out. I'll be giving the second one most of today to see if it can zip, but if it can't, I'll zip the shell for it too.

I know about not helping, but with shipped eggs, and pipping the wrong end, I'm not about to let a living thing suffer and expire just because it couldn't get out on its own because it got confused.

I'm also very claustrophobic, and I sure feel for those little ones trying to get out of that cramped shell!

 

[chickenlover54]

This is so much fun!!!

 

[Sillystunt]

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
I figure: I help when I need to, because this isn't a natural process at all- we interfere by trying to emulate the process the mother would provide. Since we're unable to duplicate it, I see it as justified intervention to make up for the ways we may have failed the process...but that's just me, and you can do as you like! Just know there are lots of folks who won't judge and will understand if you do help.

Edited because my fingers are loco.

 

[firedove]

Watch out for babies that pip into the floor of the 'bator! I lost one from my hatch that way, it pipped down and couldn't get any farther. I didn't know about it until days later when I gave up on the eggs in the bator and picked them up to crack them open, poor little thing had pipped into the floor and got it's beak all bloody trying to get out

I wish I had known but I went with the whole don't open the bator unless you have to thing and left the hatched chicks in there for 36 hours while waiting for more to hatch. When I took the chicks out the other 6 eggs looked whole and undisturbed so I didn't check them any closer.