***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[NanaKat]

We received one inch of rain this morning in 30 minutes! There was no real pond water because the run-off filled all the surface cracks from the drought. Looking forward to the rain the rest of the weekend forecasters are promising.

Retired school administrator here...I've seen the best and the worst in both students, parents and teachers.
Respect begins at home, is nourished by love, polished by experience and tempered by adversity.

 

[Jeansrie]

I'm in Broken Arrow, we had very strong wind gusts with the storm that blew through this morning and it snapped the biggest branch on my peach tree.. How disappointing!

 

[Kyzmette]

I'm in Broken Arrow, we had very strong wind gusts with the storm that blew through this morning and it snapped the biggest branch on my peach tree.. How disappointing!

Can you put that in a vase with some water?

 

[subhanalah]

Can you put that in a vase with some water?

 

[Firefly89]

Here are some pics of maddie from today. Tried to show the "silkie" tufts but they haven't been out for a while so they were pretty excited to get to catch bugs and graze.

 

[Firefly89]

Hmmm some of these aren't working...

 

[Firefly89]

 

[TipihlowLadies]

WHAT DO I DO WITH SHRINK WRAPPED CHICKS FIRST HATCHED PERFECT THE REST BROKE SHELL BUT NOT THROUGH THE MEMBRANE

 

[subhanalah]

WHAT DO I DO WITH SHRINK WRAPPED CHICKS FIRST HATCHED PERFECT THE REST BROKE SHELL BUT NOT THROUGH THE MEMBRANE

okay, first and foremost...This is VERY important so read/listen carefully and follow every single direction to the T. Attention to detail is very important....first and foremost.


BREATHE!



Okay, have you finished? The last thing we want to do in a survival situation is panic. It leads to bad results almost 100% of the time.

Now, there is a link to assisted hatching in @Sally Sunshine's signature. If you are on desktop version, click on her user name and look for the assisted hatching article. If you have any further questions, you can ask here, or in her "DIARY AND NOTES" shipped egg thread, and it will get lots of exposure.

or maybe someone here can answer this for you before I shove you off to another thread, which is NOT the intention at all. Please don't get upset with me

 

[Kassaundra]

WHAT DO I DO WITH SHRINK WRAPPED CHICKS FIRST HATCHED PERFECT THE REST BROKE SHELL BUT NOT THROUGH THE MEMBRANE

I posted this on another thread, just found it.


I will tell you what my experience is w/ my hatching of chicken eggs. As a rule it goes against everything you will read on hatching chickens. It has worked for me and that is all I can say about it.

I have a brinsea forced air incubator and the first hatch I ever did in it I lost nearly all the chicks at hatch b/c I did my due diligence and read everything I could find on hatching and they all said lock down is sacred and never touch any hatching egg or help out in any way. And I listened. That first hatch and every hatch I have had since then my incubator or process or whatever you want to call it has a bad problem w/ shrink wrapping, both at internal and external pip. Every chick that died that first hatch (and that was most) were fully developed and shrink wrapped. So I thought on my next hatch that I couldn't do any worse if I helped out.

Fist off I get the humidity and keep it at about 70% at hatch time. I eagle eye the pipps, and if they stall much more then 8ish hours w/o progress I assume shrink wrapped and I assist. The first couple I helped I lost but then I learned from my mistakes and figured out what the problem was. I have helped out over 50 chicks and only lost the less then 5 total. They have grown to be healthy and productive birds.

I do start every lockdown w/ the idea it will be a true lock down and don't interfere until I know I will lose them if I don't.

I take the incubator into the bathroom (I have a heater in there) I keep the bator plugged in, turn on the heater and the hot water, get it hot and steamy in the closed bathroom. I have q-tips and warm water. I only take one egg out at a time and keep the bator running.

I gently remove the egg shell in small bits starting at the pip hole. You will quickly see if it was in fact shrink wrapped, as the first layer under the shell will be white, dry and stuck to the bird. There are 2 layers under the shell, the first one you will see will be the white hard layer, this layer has no blood vessels in it, you will need to dampen that layer w/ the warm wet q-tip and gently peel it away, making sure not to catch the layer just under, it will be moist, clear and has the blood vessels in it. Once you have peeled away maybe 1/3 or so of the white layer, your chick will be more free to move and kick it's way free. The moist under layer will have the hole from the pip, you want to gently work your warm moist q-tip between the chick and this layer, your wanting to ease it over the chick, like taking a sock off. If you need to tear at that layer at all you need to make sure you pick an area that does not have blood vessels (you will see them) if you do accidentally tear one and it starts to bleed, stop, place that chick back in the incubator and wait, it isn't for sure going to die, I have had several to live, just depends on how much bleeding before it stops. If I catch the shrink wrap before the chick gets weak I only remove enough so they can do the rest, but if I didn't see the pip or it was an internal pip and I waited to long and the chick is weak I will remove almost all and give it a chance to rest and recoop in the incubator.

This information is for eggs you are fairly certain are shrink wrapped. If they weren't ready and you do this you will likely kill them. If they aren't hatching b/c they are weak or have congenital problems from another reason they likely won't survive. A shrink wrapped chick will die 100% garunteed w/o help.

I do not believe in allowing the weak to survive in my flock, I do not treat illness or failure to thrive they are 100% culled (and I mean killed), this is not allowing the weak to hatch it is correcting a mechanical incubation problem (shrink wrapping).

On this hatch I have turned my temps down since I have read that is a major cause of shrink wrapping (other then humidity which I know is good). With the changes I hope to have a successful hatch w/o assisting, but I will be watchful and not hesitate to assist if I suspect shrink wrapping.

Also almost every time once you find a shrink wrapped egg all or nearly all are likely shrink wrapped, at least that is what I have found to be true.