On day 20 of first hatching - have several questions

[AmyLynn2374]

All in all, it was a good learning experience, but also very stressful. We have six healthy little guys, and I shielded my daughter from some of the more painful aspects, but I'm a bit too new to this and tenderhearted for the realities of seeing the weaker ones pass away. I need to be realistic about losing some, and prepare myself emotionally for that!

If we do this again, I'm doing a lot of things differently, like:

- have a hygrometer!!!!
- have sponges for extra humidity, as needed, located where I can easily re-wet
- line the wire bottom with no-slip shelving liner
- leave the hatched chicks in the incubator for at least 24 hours
- only open to remove chicks

For now, I'm putting some Sebrights under my broody hen and letting her do all the work.

That sounds like a good plan with the exception of the last two and the addition of doing a low humidity incubation method, that's pretty much how I do it.

 

[scflock]

All in all, it was a good learning experience, but also very stressful. We have six healthy little guys, and I shielded my daughter from some of the more painful aspects, but I'm a bit too new to this and tenderhearted for the realities of seeing the weaker ones pass away. I need to be realistic about losing some, and prepare myself emotionally for that!

If we do this again, I'm doing a lot of things differently, like:

- have a hygrometer!!!!
- have sponges for extra humidity, as needed, located where I can easily re-wet
- line the wire bottom with no-slip shelving liner
- leave the hatched chicks in the incubator for at least 24 hours
- only open to remove chicks

For now, I'm putting some Sebrights under my broody hen and letting her do all the work.

I'll chime in. I read through all of your posts, and I empathize with you. I've been through all of that, and culling is hard. Letting them die in the shell is hard, too, but at least it's emotionally easier on you. Incubating is artificial, so there are always going to be things that don't go exactly like they should. The more you do it, the more you will minimize the casualties, and the more you will get used to the ones that don't make it. It never gets easy to lose them, but you learn to accept that it's better that way. I actually think your whole list looks good, but that's where AmyLynn and I differ is on the last 2. Well, that, and assisting. Don't tell her I assisted the last one in my last hatch

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'll chime in. I read through all of your posts, and I empathize with you. I've been through all of that, and culling is hard. Letting them die in the shell is hard, too, but at least it's emotionally easier on you. Incubating is artificial, so there are always going to be things that don't go exactly like they should. The more you do it, the more you will minimize the casualties, and the more you will get used to the ones that don't make it. It never gets easy to lose them, but you learn to accept that it's better that way. I actually think your whole list looks good, but that's where AmyLynn and I differ is on the last 2. Well, that, and assisting. Don't tell her I assisted the last one in my last hatch

You assisted?

OMG!!! I am so proud of you!

LOL
On a more serious note, I think it all depends on the person, where your theory of death out/in the shell comes in. Yes, either way it is hard, but for me, personally, after a pip it would be harder for me to loose a chick in the shell than loose a chick after I have assisted a hatch. In theory I would not see the death or suffering of the chick in the shell, so if you go by that yes, it's theoretically psychologically easier, but logically I know that death was just as suffering and no less painless than outside the shell, just visually hidden. On top of that, in my mind at least, I would be questioning if the death was neccessasry or if I could have prevented it by a little assistance. And that will drive a person crazy. So for me, death in the shell would be/is worse than death after assisting because I feel I at least gave it a chance. I have never, thank God anad knock on wood) had a chick die in the shell after pip or during zip. And I have only had two die after assisting. One was a 25 day hatch and I don't think anything could save him, and one died a week later (with the exception of pasty butt seemed healthy and active up to the last 48 hours before death, so he did not suffer a week+) and I believe he had digestive problems so apparently there was more to his struggling to hatch than I could forsee. Over all I will probably always choose assistance over chance if I feel there is an issue, but with that being said, I do know when to stop assisting and how to assist too.

A lot of people differ with me on the last 2...lol darn conservatives...lol

 

[scflock]

You assisted?

OMG!!! I am so proud of you!

LOL
On a more serious note, I think it all depends on the person, where your theory of death out/in the shell comes in. Yes, either way it is hard, but for me, personally, after a pip it would be harder for me to loose a chick in the shell than loose a chick after I have assisted a hatch. In theory I would not see the death or suffering of the chick in the shell, so if you go by that yes, it's theoretically psychologically easier, but logically I know that death was just as suffering and no less painless than outside the shell, just visually hidden. On top of that, in my mind at least, I would be questioning if the death was neccessasry or if I could have prevented it by a little assistance. And that will drive a person crazy. So for me, death in the shell would be/is worse than death after assisting because I feel I at least gave it a chance. I have never, thank God anad knock on wood) had a chick die in the shell after pip or during zip. And I have only had two die after assisting. One was a 25 day hatch and I don't think anything could save him, and one died a week later (with the exception of pasty butt seemed healthy and active up to the last 48 hours before death, so he did not suffer a week+) and I believe he had digestive problems so apparently there was more to his struggling to hatch than I could forsee. Over all I will probably always choose assistance over chance if I feel there is an issue, but with that being said, I do know when to stop assisting and how to assist too.

A lot of people differ with me on the last 2...lol darn conservatives...lol

Easy there, Queenie, not going to make it a habit. I assisted for two reasons. First, I have never had one instance of curled toes or splayed legs in the new incubator, so once a chick pips, they hatch. Second, I think it was my fault that the last chick was having trouble. When I took the chicks out that had been in for 36 hours, two pipped eggs were left. The first exploded out, but the second had a large pip hole and the beginning of a zip, but it had been rolled over onto the hole and was under the pile of chicks. The membrane had dried around the edges, but the chick still had a lot of energy and was chirping loudly. I didn't have time to read the assistance thread, and decided to take the minimalist approach. I peeled back about 2/3 of the shell around the air sack, leaving the membrane intact, then pulled back just enough of the dried membrane to unstick it from the chick. It kicked the rest of the way free within an hour, but still had a small piece of shell attched at the umbilical cord. Since it was the last in the incubator, I left it in overnight and told myself it would either make it or not. The next morning, the shell was gone and the cord had dried up. Off she went to the brooder, and is living happily ever after

I still don't believe in assisting

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I still don't believe in assisting

Yes, you doooo.... you did it!! No taking it back. There's a time and place, and you knew it was the time. Your padawan insticts are working. It won't be long now, young Jedi!

 

[scflock]

Yes, you doooo.... you did it!! No taking it back. There's a time and place, and you knew it was the time. Your padawan insticts are working. It won't be long now, young Jedi!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Yeah, that sounds about right!!!

 

[scflock]

Yeah, that sounds about right!!!