pips and zip and LOTS of pics... Lockdown.......Hatch date 8/28

[Bananas]

I HAVE TWO PIPS!!!
I lost my bantam salmon faverolles (the ones that were actually supposed to hatch on the 28th)- threw the last one out last week.

But I have two of my own silver spangled hamburg eggs pipping! I just locked them down yesterday, they're not due to hatch till tuesday! I walked by the bator and heard a really loud chirp and just figured it was my 1-week old chicks in the hallway, but on second look...there was a pip! and another one!
Yippee!!!! These will be the first Hamburgs I've hatched out of my own birds. I'll post pics when my babies make it out

 

[Bananas]

Having fertile, purebred eggs of my own is no good! How the heck am I supposed to resist putting each and every egg my hens lay in the incubator? I'm surprised the hubby hasn't put his foot down yet! Lol

 

[Raisinghens]

Quote:
That's great Bananas ! I got 4 chicks yesterday and one pipping now which just leaves two and they don't seem to be doing anything but I will give them all today and tonight and then make up my mind whether I will carefully open them because I like to see what goes wrong.They were due yesterday.

 

[TXmom]

Congrats on your babies, Bananas and Raisinghens!!!

My Sammie has another baby!

That's 2 so far...1 little yellow one (RIR x Leghorn) and 1 little red one (RIR x Buff Orp). I think the 2 Silkie eggs are pipped...or working on it...I saw tiny little cracks. I hope they make it out!

 

[fasbendera]

We have pips, and zips. Called for an update and made them go out and listen. Pips and zips and then I get a phone call taunting me that they can even see a beak. I have a feeling I may not get my chicken back. Dad cut her nails yesterday. She thinks she is at a spa.

Going to pick up mom and babies tomorrow will get pictures as soon as I see them. I am so excited I don't know if I can sleep.

 

[ginbart]

Quote:

I know what you mean, I have a bator that holds over 600 eggs.

Thank God I only have 13 hens that lay.

My DH and DS like to eat eggs for Sunday breakfast so that helps. Plus I have people wanting to buy eggs and I don't have enought to sell let alone put in the bator. LOL

 

[cluck-addict]

COngrats everyone. Where are the photos?

 

[TXmom]

I love taking pics, but get really lazy when it comes to resizing and uploading and all that... BUT, you just have to see these adorable babies, so here ya go:

Here's the first baby, a cute little yellow fluffball (RIR x Leghorn), still exhausted and drying off...

Here she is little while later, nice and fluffy and checking out her surroundings...Mommy isn't too happy about us taking pics:

Here's the 2nd to hatch...little red fluffybutt (RIR x Buff Orp) with Mommy and Big Sis (they are all girls, of course,

)...

There's still a Leghorn egg under her but I don't think it's good. Still waiting on the Silkies to hatch...I saw both of their eggs cracked a little bit, being pecked from the inside...Hatch little Silkies, HATCH!

 

[Bananas]

Here's my little baby Silver Spangled Hamburg. I named her Loretta

I thought she wasn't going to make it because she was really weak (I mean weaker than a normal chick) and was bleeding from the umbilicus...I put triple antibiotic ointment on her navel and she seems like she might pull through. She's really unsteady on her feet still but I think she has a good chance if she doesn't get infected. I have one more egg that has pipped and I can see the little guy in there working

 

[muddipuppy]

So, I couldn't take it anymore and cracked open the four eggs I had marked "highly unlikely," as I am now moving into day 23 and nothing has happened. One of the eggs was infertile. The other three looked like they had formed embryos that died extremely young, probably during the first week. deep sigh. Reading my handy dandy "incubation trouble shooting chart" from hovabator, my guess is that a) the eggs weren't very fresh (they were v. inexpensive) and b) my temps were off.

I now know that I was already incubating a degree under and now wonder if my thermometer might now be accurate. Can anyone recommend a good thermometer? I'll still hold out another day for the other 8 in there, although I'm pretty doubtful. It's my first try; the exciting thing is that I might get to give it another go sooner than I expected.