- Jun 3, 2011
- 30
- 0
- 22
Only at my house could things go so crazy with a first hatch! I feel like I have learned just about everything I need to know and faced every situation possible with this hatch!
My eggs were due to hatch on Wednesday night at 6:37 pm. I had 2 hatch on Thursday just before noon and my daughter and I got to see them hatch, 1 on Friday morning right as I woke up and one on Friday evening just as I walked in the door. It was like they waited each time until one or both of us were at the incubator! I had two that pipped and then just stopped and when I opened them, they were already deceased. I was about to take the eggs out of the incubator yesterday (Saturday) and I heard a little peep when I picked up an egg. I turned it over and there was a little pip. I quickly returned it to the incubator! I went to the Appalacian Living Festival here and when I came back, it had done nothing else. Now this is my first time incubating eggs. I have only had chickens myself since March of this year. I have read DO NOT help. However, my friend Dana who is an expert told me that 24 days into incubation, it was running out of yolk sac and it was probably weak and going to die anyway. I took my fingernail and chipped a little piece of shell away and out popped a little beak! I left it alone for about an hour and it was doing nothing. So, I carefully chipped the entire eggshell off. Then I carefully removed the outside shell membrane. Finally, I located the umbilical cord so I would know where it was. I wet my fingers in warm water and moved its little head and a foot and wing through the inner membrane and it finally pushed out. I carefully gathered up the little chick with it's umbilical cord and wrapped it in a warm towel. I began to feed it sugar water. It was so weak from the lack of yolk sac and the traumatic and cold birth. I stayed up with it until almost 2 AM and it was so weak. I fell asleep and woke up around 4:20 AM and it was up and trying to walk around. It is still a little weak acting but it is doing great! It loves to be held and is SO incredibly sweet. It is TINY....smaller than a C size battery! I got a mixture of Serama, D'Uccle, Silkie and Bantam eggs shipped to me so I have no idea what this one is. We got some really cute mixes in the 5 we got to hatch though!
I had 10 viable eggs the week before but only 3 that I had marked as viable hatched and 2 that I had marked as NOT viable DID hatch. I dont know what happened to cause them to die, to cause 2 to die once they pipped and why it took a total of 24 days and 3 hours! I have duck eggs in another incubator right now and I am hoping for a much more smooth hatching with them!
My eggs were due to hatch on Wednesday night at 6:37 pm. I had 2 hatch on Thursday just before noon and my daughter and I got to see them hatch, 1 on Friday morning right as I woke up and one on Friday evening just as I walked in the door. It was like they waited each time until one or both of us were at the incubator! I had two that pipped and then just stopped and when I opened them, they were already deceased. I was about to take the eggs out of the incubator yesterday (Saturday) and I heard a little peep when I picked up an egg. I turned it over and there was a little pip. I quickly returned it to the incubator! I went to the Appalacian Living Festival here and when I came back, it had done nothing else. Now this is my first time incubating eggs. I have only had chickens myself since March of this year. I have read DO NOT help. However, my friend Dana who is an expert told me that 24 days into incubation, it was running out of yolk sac and it was probably weak and going to die anyway. I took my fingernail and chipped a little piece of shell away and out popped a little beak! I left it alone for about an hour and it was doing nothing. So, I carefully chipped the entire eggshell off. Then I carefully removed the outside shell membrane. Finally, I located the umbilical cord so I would know where it was. I wet my fingers in warm water and moved its little head and a foot and wing through the inner membrane and it finally pushed out. I carefully gathered up the little chick with it's umbilical cord and wrapped it in a warm towel. I began to feed it sugar water. It was so weak from the lack of yolk sac and the traumatic and cold birth. I stayed up with it until almost 2 AM and it was so weak. I fell asleep and woke up around 4:20 AM and it was up and trying to walk around. It is still a little weak acting but it is doing great! It loves to be held and is SO incredibly sweet. It is TINY....smaller than a C size battery! I got a mixture of Serama, D'Uccle, Silkie and Bantam eggs shipped to me so I have no idea what this one is. We got some really cute mixes in the 5 we got to hatch though!
I had 10 viable eggs the week before but only 3 that I had marked as viable hatched and 2 that I had marked as NOT viable DID hatch. I dont know what happened to cause them to die, to cause 2 to die once they pipped and why it took a total of 24 days and 3 hours! I have duck eggs in another incubator right now and I am hoping for a much more smooth hatching with them!
