September 2023 Hatch-A-Long

[NCchickentender]

I could have sworn I posted in this thread...!

Anyway, to make this short I, too, had animals raid my coop. Mine was neighborhood dogs running loose. They tore the gate off a 10x10 dog kennel, killed every chicken I had! They broke into the cage inside the cage to kill all the babies. They are all gone!
Thankfully my hubby is a procrastinator!! lol I'd had surgery and it was his job to collect eggs but he didn't!! I had 13 eggs in the coop! The silkies hadn't started laying yet so none of those but the rest of the flock's eggs! Straight into the bator!!
Right now I'm counting down the hours til lockdown! I'll candle them to make sure they're all good but so far all 13 have survived. Hopefully I'll have fuzzy lil chicks soon.
I've got silkie eggs ordered now.

Good luck everyone! I hope we all have happy healthy chickies and duckies soon!

 

[NCchickentender]

The babies are now on lockdown. So far, so good! Seen movement and veins in each egg, their air cells are all getting bigger and in the big end but Holy Cow! This is the scariest time for me.
At the risk of sounding a lil crazy, does anyone else talk to their eggs? I'm not sure when their ears are functional but I still cheer them on every time I check on them.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I trill to the eggs, and chicks after hatch. It is a sound they make when they calm eachother. The trill is a vibrating "Wheee?"

 

[NCchickentender]

I trill to the eggs, and chicks after hatch. It is a sound they make when they calm eachother. The trill is a vibrating "Wheee?"

Can you make a quick video of the sound please? I'm sure I've heard it before with the big girls but I have no idea what I'm hearing

 

[AusHen]

I have my first pip. It's one of two on lockdown. Eagerly waiting for all my eggs to hatch to see which chicks have feathered or clean legs since that will tell me who daddy is, clean legs means 50% chance of being frizzle. Also all of Bella's chicks will be sex-linked, but not sure if the down of her chicks will show it.

 

[Honora]

I’m baaack…for my 5th hatch this year. My MIL had a broody hen quit sitting, so she gave me the eggs to throw in my incubator. So I have 6 in there, they look to be about 12 days along. She has Swedish Flowers and Buff Orps I think, so the chicks should be those or a mix.

 

[AusHen]

First chicken of the month is out. Looks like a little blue, clean legs so my frizzle is the dad. I think I'm seeing white feathers on its head which would mean a little boy, but its back looks light as well so I'll have to see it fluffed up

 

[NCchickentender]

Oh yay Babies!! One pip, 2 zipping and one chick this morning!! Woohoo!! Let's go babies!!

 

[Canadian Wind]

I'm still waiting on mine. I checked the eggs and she's definitely been tossing bad ones, and I did too yesterday. They *seem* close to hatching? I'm just keeping my fingers crossed. Was hoping to have had them earlier this week, since I'm trying to go to a livestock sale on Sunday and wanted to bring some.

 

[NCchickentender]

One of the zipping chicks has hatched! I think the other may not have made it. I can see inside the zip but it's not moving at all. There hasn't been any movement that I can see for the last 6 hours. I hope I'm wrong but I think it's gone. I've got 1 egg that has pipped so I'll be sitting on my hands