***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Clink]

Back, with another question. Actually a few questions.
1) What is a normal time for the chicks to fluff out? It took 24+ hours, on this most recent one. Is that typical?
2) What is the typical time frame, from first pip, until the chick has freed itself from the shell?
3) Is it better to leave them all in the hatcher, until they are all hatched? Or, remove them, as they fluff up?
4) Is it normal, for those hatched first, to peck at the later hatches? Is this helpful, in some way?
5) Since my hatch will likely take a week or so, to hatch them all, how soon should the earliest hatched chicks be put in the brooder?

1) Seems like the longer they take to get out of the egg, the longer it takes them to fluff up, when they hatch normal, a lot of fluid comes out too, I think it just dries up and makes the chick a lil sticky, this is when humidity is most important
2) expect most to hatch 24 hrs after the first few pip, not sure how long each chick takes though
3) Most say leave em, I find this advice is usually in the form of "do as I say, not as I do", all chicks to brooder at the same time would be nice, in a perfect world
4) I kinda touched on that in 3, any time you put chickens or chicks together, there could be trouble for a day or so, if a chick has something odd, like a sticky spot, it will get pecked and I don't think it's helpful
5) I'm gonna say wait as long as you can to put the first ones in the brooder, if you have chicks in the brooder feeding for a few days, it's gonna be their brooder and they might not want the late chicks

Hope you find something helpful in there, I have made several diy incubators, from cheap ice chests to my back up now, an old ice box, a real ice box, that held a block ice, it has two turners in it, one of each kind for the square styro incubators. A few years ago my buddy found a roll-x incubator when he was cleaning out a foreclosed house for a finance company, I almost fell over when he gave it to me and wouldn't take a dime, even though I showed him how much they cost, it has a chicken egg turner that holds 89 eggs and a quail rack too, first time out it hatched 25 of 25 of my buddy's easter egger eggs and 26 of 28 of my hatchery grade RIR eggs, we had chicks running out our ears, lol

 

[lonnyandrinda]

So sorry about Frick, @Kassaundra

 

[NanaKat]

Quote: You might try a handful in warm water for staleness....In a cup deep enough to cover the eggs with water by 2 inches...a stale egg will rise to the top of the container because the air sack is too big. A fresher egg will either lay on it's side or stand on the tip at the bottom of the container. If you add a tbs of bleach or Oxine to the water the fresher eggs can go directly into the incubator,..do not dry them off since the act of rubbing will remove the bloom from the egg. It would be the same as disinfecting the eggs before incubating.

 

[kelielliott]

Confused! I am on several poultry fb groups. I have seen a few different people post about their LF silkies. I thought there wasn't such a thing in the US? Are they just breeding their biggest together and calling it LF?

 

[kelielliott]

@Kassaundra sorry to hear about your little guy.

 

[kelielliott]

@bardies This is the partridge I got from you. She is the best momma!

 

[HeyBigRhondaq]

@Kassaundra sorry to hear of your loss.

Dry incubation peeps, do you think the crazy long days of rain (and therefore high humidity) would be enough to mess up a hatch? I had two excellent totally dry hatches. Then the one due yesterday resulted in 4 (out of 16) dead in shell just like I was getting before with "normal" incubation. MY eggs went from 100% to 75% hatch rate! I thought I was done setting for the season, but I guess I'm going with one more...

 

[Kassaundra]

I am pretty sure I am going to have a male silver seabright, bantam free to a good home. I got him for a friend to Frick so he wouldn't be in the brooder by himself. So here is my question would he be more desirable to anyone as a capon vs full male. Or would anyone be interested in him as a breeding male? He was purchased at TSC so is hatchery stock.

 

[Kassaundra]

@SharkmanDan thanks for the contact info about the necropsy. I had already buried him when I read it.

 

[Nelli D]

I am pretty sure I am going to have a male silver seabright, bantam free to a good home.  I got him for a friend to Frick so he wouldn't be in the brooder by himself.  So here is my question would he be more desirable to anyone as a capon vs full male.  Or would anyone be interested in him as a breeding male?  He was purchased at TSC so is hatchery stock.

I'm interested. Any pics you can share and how old?