Peachick...1 from 1st batch (pic)-8 more go to hatcher today!

[newbiecaroline]

Hey I'm back...got my chicks...and I see they did good? now you have a pip...going back and forth from new chicks to your hatch...what a fun day! lol

 

[arlee453]

I still have the two pips - if they don't start progressing soon I will probably intervene given it's the end of day 22 and they've both been pipped almost 12 hours now.

I've gone ahead and moved the cam over to the brooder so you can see the babies running around. I went ahead and moved them over. I'll probably start doing peafowl cam during the day and brooder cam at night.

I hope these last two make it - I am not holding out much hope for the others as there is no hint of pips or peeps, but will candle one more time after these last two and see if there is any movement or not before I decide to abandon hope on them.

Next up will be the peafowl eggs - 6 of them will go in the hatcher for a due date of the 17th in a couple weeks, then another 8 are due on the 25th.

-S

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi Susan,
Since you've been going in and out of the bator while the hatch was going on, that might be necessary.

I'm confused as to why you pulled out chicks before the hatch was done?

Was someone in distress?

Good luck with the rest.
Lisa

 

[arlee453]

I had one egg that pipped low and no progress for almost a whole day so I did pull that egg out, and the ones that had hatched at that point too while I was at it.

It was too late to help the low pip - chick was 100% formed and yolk absorbed - I think it just suffocated as it didn't pip in the air cell.

My bator holds temps and humidity very steady even when you open the lid for a moment. It's a plastic cooler and I think the height/large interior space of the cooler, coupled with the superior insulation as compared to styrofoam makes it more forgiving of opening the lid during incubation.

The humidity dropped maybe 2% and then back up with in a couple min after I closed the lid. Never dropped below 70% since I closed the humidity vent holes and added my sponges back on day 19.

Also, I dry incubated this batch - didn't put any water in the first 19 days at all. Humidity held between 40-50% - the ambient humidity with vent holes completely open the whole time. It was somewhat of a test hatch for me. I would have added humidity if it had dropped much lower, but as it was I wanted to try the dry-incubation method. I used the egg carton hatching method for the first time too. Not sure if I like the egg carton hatch or not - it made it harder for the camera to get a good view of the pips, but I did like how the eggs were held steady and not bowled around so much. I'm somewhat ambivalent about the carton method.

If these last two come on through I'll have 16 of 28 - still over 50%, and if you take out the 5 clears then that's 16 of 23 - 70%. Not bad for shipped eggs - and considering how many clears I had, and two or three of them had totally loose yolks, I'm thinking these had a rougher ride through the PO than other shipped eggs I've gotten.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi Susan, What do you mean by 'low pip'?
Pipped in the wrong end and can't get out?
I'm sorry to hear that.

Lisa

 

[arlee453]

Yeah - low down on the egg as it sat in the carton - not in the air cell. (the eggs were in the cartons, large/air cell end up)

I almost reached in there sooner to get that one, but I was hesitant to open that bator TOO soon. Sort of wish I had as it was a really pretty blue chick too. But, it's always a toss up as to intervene or not and how soon. I know some here decide never to intervene...

 

[arlee453]

Final tally:

28 eggs went into the incubator 3 weeks ago
5 eggs tossed on day 10 - all clears
1 egg tossed on day 19 - a quitter
22 eggs went into IBW mode
1 egg pipped low, baby smothered
16 lively babies in the brooder!!

5 eggs never pipped - 4 looked pretty well formed, but never pipped into the air cell and had died in the shell. One was a quitter that I didn't catch when candling. Some of these eggs were very thick shelled and I couldn't see a thing on them.

So, 16 of 23 that started forming - 70%....not too bad for shipped eggs!

Thanks Lisa for the lovely eggs!

 

[arlee453]

It's time for the first batch of peachick eggs!!

I moved 5 over to the hatcher today. A quick candle showed me 4 that looked good, ONE that has already broken through into the air cell (!) and one that obviously quit about 1/2 along.

So, IBW again.... I'll move the webcam over again as soon as I see the first pip on these eggs. There is a longer hatch window for peachicks - can be anytime between Saturday and Monday.

 

[arlee453]

A day late and starting to lose hope.....I got a ZIPPER in the peachick eggs!! Whoohoo!!

 

[arlee453]

Introducing.........

Our newest addition! Hatched out just after midnight today - so ALMOST a whole day old!

I THINK this one is going to be white. With the genetics of the parents, I believe we will have approx 25% whites.

Anyway....here's the pic!

Still waiting on the other 4....I'm trying not to lose hope, but it's AWFULLY quiet in the bator. They all looked good back last Thurs even when I put them in hatch mode... so I'm sitting on my hand for a couple more days

The Amers are doing well - we're down to 15 though. I'm afraid that one was a victim of my over-zealous niece. They came to visit on Mother's day and were told not to mess with the chicks. While I was gone, apparently she came over here anyways (from my MIL's apt that attaches on to our house) and my MIL caught her with her hand in the brooder picking up the chicks. Next day when doing a head count I noticed I was one short and feared the worst. I'm not sure if the chick was trampled from the chicks trying to run away from my neice (think about that fish-killing girl in 'Finding Nemo'...

) OR she 'loved' on one a bit too much. Worst thing is she is 8 yrs old - not a 3 yr old who may not understand the difference of living vs stuffed animal, etc... I hate to jump to conclusions, but there were 16 completely healthy chicks BEFORE she came sneaking over here, and only 15 left after she left...