***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Kassaundra]

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

He is about 4 / 5 weeks now. Here is a pic from a couple of weeks ago

 

[Nelli D]

So cute! You're pretty sure he's a he that young?

 

[Kassaundra]

Nearly positive

 

[Kassaundra]

I'll try and get new pics up tomorrow. Where are you in OK?

 

[Nelli D]

I'll try and get new pics up tomorrow.  Where are you in OK?

Norman, just realized you're in Henryetta. I'll have to pass.
*Lol may have spoken too soon, just showed my husband and he wants him. He says an hour and a half is nothing

 

[NanaKat]

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?

Here are a few comments
1) Fluffing can take one hour if the humidity is 60%. It can take several hours too. Higher humidities can cause a sticky chick. I remove the sticky chick and rinse off the body with warm water, dry with a paper towel and return it to the incubator to dry.
2) I've had chicks pip and pop out in a few hours and others pip and take 18 hours. Healthier chicks hatch faster and are more likely to thrive.
3 and 5) a chick will be nourished by the absorbed yolk for up to two days so leaving chicks in the incubator for 24 hours is okay. I remove in batches 4 to 6 hours depending on how large a hatch it is. I also quickly remove the shells. The heat and humidity need to be protected as much as possible. I mist the incubator with a quick spritz of 10% Oxine water when I remove chicks.
4). I have a brooder beside my incubator. Each group of chicks nabbed from the incubator is checked for residue from hatching. I snip off the "umbilical attachment" leaving1/8 to 1/4 inch if it has not separated. This will shrink as it dries. A soft toothbrush can be used to fluff up any spots that didn't. Fluffing helps the chick hold its body heat better. Little pieces of shell or egg membrane get removed along with gooey stuff. Chicks are shown the water and feed by touching beak to the surface of the water and tapping the feed cups. Chicks learn quickly to run to where you tap just like the hen calling them to feed. They will peck the feed off my fingers.
I have not had a problem with adding chicks in batches to the brooder...hours old in with 3 to 4 day old chicks...large fowl and banty chicks hatch and brood together. When they are a week old, I sort banty chicks into a separate brooder. Because I'm hatching off about every 5 days, I keep one and two week old chicks together in a brooder...about three hatches.

 

[Kassaundra]

Norman, just realized you're in Henryetta.

I'll have to pass.
*Lol may have spoken too soon, just showed my husband and he wants him. He says an hour and a half is nothing

Cool beans. He's yours. You want him in tact not caponized right? I'll post some newer pics hopefully tomorrow. I may be able to meet you part way, I've been wanting to make a trip to the Myriad Gardens.

 

[SharkmanDan]

Here are a few comments
1) Fluffing can take one hour if the humidity is 60%. It can take several hours too. Higher humidities can cause a sticky chick. I remove the sticky chick and rinse off the body with warm water, dry with a paper towel and return it to the incubator to dry.
2) I've had chicks pip and pop out in a few hours and others pip and take 18 hours. Healthier chicks hatch faster and are more likely to thrive.
3 and 5) a chick will be nourished by the absorbed yolk for up to two days so leaving chicks in the incubator for 24 hours is okay. I remove in batches 4 to 6 hours depending on how large a hatch it is. I also quickly remove the shells. The heat and humidity need to be protected as much as possible. I mist the incubator with a quick spritz of 10% Oxine water when I remove chicks.
4). I have a brooder beside my incubator. Each group of chicks nabbed from the incubator is checked for residue from hatching. I snip off the "umbilical attachment" leaving1/8 to 1/4 inch if it has not separated. This will shrink as it dries. A soft toothbrush can be used to fluff up any spots that didn't. Fluffing helps the chick hold its body heat better. Little pieces of shell or egg membrane get removed along with gooey stuff. Chicks are shown the water and feed by touching beak to the surface of the water and tapping the feed cups. Chicks learn quickly to run to where you tap just like the hen calling them to feed. They will peck the feed off my fingers.
I have not had a problem with adding chicks in batches to the brooder...hours old in with 3 to 4 day old chicks...large fowl and banty chicks hatch and brood together. When they are a week old, I sort banty chicks into a separate brooder. Because I'm hatching off about every 5 days, I keep one and two week old chicks together in a brooder...about three hatches.

I guess that I'll have to play this one by ear, then. Since some of these eggs are pipping a week earlier than the expected date for the rest. My humidity is running around 57% most of the time. I've had 4 hatch, so far, since Friday morning. One, went to the brooder, right after the second one hatched. There are chicks in there that were 1 week old, and some that were 5 weeks old, and almost feathered enough to put in the main coop.
I have had quite a time waiting for pips to pop. I did get the one on video, the other day. It was the second one. The first went with the others, right after. My wife was worried about the pecking. Then another hatched and the third, pipped, then seemed content in its shell. It would stick its beak out, and look around, from inside the hole, but, didn't seem to be trying to peck out. The others helped, but lost interest, rather quickly. So, knowing that I shouldn't help, I grabbed a set of hemostats and reached in, yesterday afternoon and began peeling the egg shell back carefully. Once I reached a point, the little one was ready to come out. But, there was another egg, with a pip, that hadn't shown signs of progress, in 2 days. I opened that shell, and found that little one dead, with organs outside of its body. That leaves me three now hatched in the hatcher/incubator, and the fourth doing well, with the somewhat older chicks.
This morning, I find two more eggs, with pips. Another Cuckoo Marans, and an Ameracauna. But, the three in the hatcher, have not fully fluffed out yet. The first of these three is pretty well fluffed, with a bit of down still sticky on top of it's head. The second one, is nearly as fluffed. The third one still has egg residue near its rump, and on its beak. I'm not entirely comfortable trying to use even a soft bristle toothbrush, on them. But, I'll likely try to pick one up today, and try to do it, tonight. The second and third to hatch, of this bunch, will go in the brooder, with the first one, today. After it stops raining, AGAIN! That brooder is in my workshop, and the yard hasn't yet run off, nor absorbed/evaporated the last rain.
I'll keep y'all apprised of what is happening, as I can.
Thanks to those who gave advice. As usual, the best advice I can get, anywhere.
I'm just anxious as can be, for my RIR's and Speckled Sussex's to hatch. Having lost my beautiful RIR roo, a couple of weeks back, I'm hoping to get another with a beautiful rose comb, like Rudy had (see my current avatar). I have two straight comb and two rose comb, RIR's. So some chicks are bound to be rose comb.

 

[NanaKat]

Shark an...the one that needs fluffing on its head would be a good one to use the soft toothbrush on. Gently brush forward over the top of the head a few times should do it.

I have hatch started three pips and one zip so far. Going to a dr appointment with hubby...so should have a few more. Hatch date is supposed to be Thursday...

 

[lonnyandrinda]

@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...

This last weekend's hatch was a doozey for me, too. Lots of Dead In Shell chicks- in my CABINET incubator that keeps temp and humidity like a rock. The really weird thing? Lots of deformities in the hatched and unhatched ones- missing eyes, crossbeaks, umbelical hernias, etc. Way more than I normally see. Across several breeds. Typically I would say it was caused by temperature issues, but I *know* the temps were perfect, and they hatched RIGHT on time. So I guess I just wait and see if this next hatch is just as bad.