Sept Silkie hatches (Great Hatches)

[RubyNala97]

Yeah hmm I hadn't thought of looking it up that way. Thanks that's a good idea. And yeah I know its always a gamble. But I was very disappointed in that seller. The eggs were not good. He sent body checked eggs, misshapen eggs, porous, and some that were half the size of others I'm sure they were pullet eggs which he denied. Some of the eggs you could see he had used steel wool or something to scrub them clean that there were scrapes and scratches covering the whole egg. I will never be buying from him again. I thought he was trying to make it right. I did research and every problem there was with my eggs could be caused by poorly cared for birds. It's sad that he cares that little about his name and business.

Some people are just in it to make the $. Or I've come across people with animals in filthy conditions, feeding them only bread, not proper nutrition, tons of males over breeding females. And they think just because they supply shelter and water for the animals that they are doing a great job!! So it sounds like you were just unlucky with finding a bad egg in the bunch! (pun intended). When I inquire on eBay, I always ask for a website or Facebook page or a BYC member name. Surprisingly every time I've asked they have given me the info. Then I can see pictures of their stock and the living conditions. I'm really hoping you get a couple and girls too!! Good luck. What day are you on again?

  I was thinking maybe next Spring or Summer when I have broody hens that can hatch 'em out for me : )

Me too. That would be great! They really are so gorgeous!

 

[chickendreams24]

@RubyNala97
That's a good idea I think I'll do that. It sounds like a really good idea thanks. Lol about the bad egg comment. I hope I get a couple hens too. Well tomorrow should be last candle and lockdown on two eggs but I think they've quit we'll see. The rest should lockdown in a week

 

[darkbluespace]

i dont ebay much but my partner says put a negative comment on straight away if something was wrong, most ebay sellers want good feedback and will do everything to correct the situation and then you can remove or moderate your negative feedback....at least that's what i think if ranted on about after receiving a second rate product! It could be the number of buyers is so high they dont care but at least the word is out. they may change practice.

Ruby my partridges are doing well, up to day 10 and this morning i will candle again. have 9 great, 1 so so and 1 i think no go- the blood ring, 1 early quitter. I took photos of the blood vessels 2 nights ago and am trying to see if it predicts those who pip the wrong end.
this is the article- long winded and starts more positive then gets less convincing but I like the idea of having some prewarning that a chick may have trouble. http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/IND43968518/PDF. Also found some great info on the triggers for hatching, seems they hear each other, may even feel each other tapping or hear chirps thru bone conduction rather than air conduction...so eggs should touch each other. There are also complicated hormonal signals such as thyroid hormones, steroids and carbon dioxide driven stimuli.
After plowing thru it all I concluded, let eggs touch each other, and was going to try top find a recording of chicks tapping to play the day before hatching, this will help synchronize them to hatch together. other than that its all too complicated and out of our hands! Found nothing on what makes the blood vessels recede, but will keep looking.

good luck with the quails, are they the tiny ones or bigger than silkies?

Darkblue you little ones sound like they are doing very well, hatching sounds exhausting I'm not surprised they look a bit down on day 1.

my older silkie chicks look so scruffy now, feathers and fluff everywhere...this is normal? do they have an ugly duckling phase?

They definitely have an awkward stage... when those head feathers are coming in they look so funny. My oldest four were given an open container of water this last week and they must have dunked their heads while trying to drink. They looked ridiculous but then their heads totally fluffed up and they look so much better. I may do that regularly!

 

[RubyNala97]

They definitely have an awkward stage... when those head feathers are coming in they look so funny.  My oldest four were given an open container of water this last week and they must have dunked their heads while trying to drink.  They looked ridiculous but then their heads totally fluffed up and they look so much better.  I may do that regularly!

How big was the container? Because my oldest male has the dirtiest crest!! I tried to clean it with a wet paper towel but he was not happy about it! I was trying to figure out how to dunk his head in water without getting it in his eyes/nose. That sounds like the perfect solution!!

i dont ebay much but my partner says put a negative comment on straight away if something was wrong, most ebay sellers want good feedback and will do everything to correct the situation and then you can remove or moderate your negative feedback....at least that's what i think if ranted on about after receiving a second rate product! It could be the number of buyers is so high they dont care but at least the word is out. they may change practice.

Ruby my partridges are doing well, up to day 10 and this morning i will candle again. have 9 great, 1 so so and 1 i think no go- the blood ring, 1 early quitter. I took photos of the blood vessels  2 nights ago and am trying to see if it predicts those who pip the wrong end.
this is the article- long winded and starts more positive then gets less convincing but I like the idea of having some prewarning that a chick may have trouble.  http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/IND43968518/PDF. Also found some great info on the triggers for hatching, seems they hear each other, may even feel each other tapping or hear chirps thru bone conduction rather than air conduction...so eggs should touch each other. There are also complicated hormonal signals such as thyroid hormones, steroids and carbon dioxide driven stimuli.
After plowing thru it all I concluded, let eggs touch each other, and was going to try top find a recording of chicks tapping to play the day before hatching, this will help synchronize them to hatch together. other than that its all too complicated and out of our hands! Found nothing on what makes the blood vessels recede, but will keep looking.

good luck with the quails, are they the tiny ones or bigger than silkies?

Darkblue you little ones sound like they are doing very well, hatching sounds exhausting I'm not surprised they look a bit down on day 1.

my older silkie chicks look so scruffy now, feathers and fluff everywhere...this is normal? do they have an ugly duckling phase?

I missed this post!! Sorry! I am excited to read that link you provided. Each little thing that happens during hatch time has a specific and significant function!! That's why it's best for the chicks to hatch by themselves. But of course, throw in human factors and that's not always possible. I was reading about co2/oxygen and the internal/external pips and it was all fascinating. My quail egg pipped last night around 10 pm but no progress yet this morning. I need him to hurry up so I can set the second half of these eggs. First set was weighed and went in last night!! Good luck on the eggs!!

 

[darkbluespace]

How big was the container? Because my oldest male has the dirtiest crest!! I tried to clean it with a wet paper towel but he was not happy about it! I was trying to figure out how to dunk his head in water without getting it in his eyes/nose. That sounds like the perfect solution!!

It is just a 16 oz container from the store that my fresh mozzarella came in. I put a rock at the bottom so it would be a little harder to knock over. I love their puffy heads!

Also, does chick music work on quail? ; )

 

[GitaBooks]

My eggs are hatching! They're finally hatching! Just the first little pips right now, but still. Either it was my mom talking to them (I talked to them over and over and yet just an hour or so after Mom did it they start hatching), or maybe they sensed the pressure change outside. Its really storming, and they started hatching as soon as it started storming.

 

[darkbluespace]

My eggs are hatching! They're finally hatching! Just the first little pips right now, but still. Either it was my mom talking to them (I talked to them over and over and yet just an hour or so after Mom did it they start hatching), or maybe they sensed the pressure change outside. Its really storming, and they started hatching as soon as it started storming.

Yay!!

 

[GitaBooks]

Oh wow.... that was awesome. A little dude just hatched!!!!!!! So precious and so amazing!


Hatching

Hatched



Keeping warm on my hand (I'm writing with only one hand right now)

 

[silkienrescues]

Oh wow.... that was awesome. A little dude just hatched!!!!!!! So precious and so amazing!


Hatching

Hatched



Keeping warm on my hand (I'm writing with only one hand right now)

oh Gita he/she is lovely, is that a little black spot? how are the others?
Ruby how are the quails doing? Hopefully the extended wait will just help set the air cells.
I have hit a snag with humidity, 5eggs not loosing enough weight, 1 lost too much, so I have it in a plastic bag with a wet tissue, and am running the other ones in a dry incubator, at about 20%. weigh in again tomorrow. Have also sanded the blunt end of those eggs with an emery board, but dont want to wash the bloom off for fear of leaving them exposed to infection.
It was confusing as to why last hatch I had to keep in high humidity the whole way thru, while this and the first one needed to be drier. I think my middle hatch were washed by the seller before shipping. The eggs were really clean and felt slippery, and they didn't get the slight brownish patches on them the others have as they incubated.

 

[silkienrescues]

oh no just refreshed the air in the bag with the egg that has lost 14% of its weight and its blood vessels have all disappeared, I feel sick did I kill it by not refreshing the air often enough? It was barely moving this morning, maybe it wasn't well anyway. This is a small egg and can be candled really easily its very see through so I assume its a thin shell.
Has anyone else used a plastic bag to stop an egg loosing too much moisture? How often did you refresh the air in the bag?