September Hatch-A-Long!

[DeannaA]

Since my turkey was early, I don't have anything hatching until next Friday. Langshan for me and Bresses for a friend. 3 of 4 Langshans and 4 of 12 Bresses developing. I was hoping my friend's Bresses would do better. My Langshans that hatched a couple weeks ago, are so big now. They visit the other chicks' brooders sometimes. I go in there and have 15 in the one that had 13 and the another one will be down to 11. I go back in the morning and everyone is back in the rightplace. It's not like the giant Langshans can hide in the Mille Fleurs and Bantam Cochins. They all get along. I am still tuned to the emergency cry. I can sleep thru all of the chirps, cheeps and cricket purring but as soon as one cries, I'm up.Early this morning my lone Isbar cried. I went running in and all he wanted was a cuddle.

If it had been later, I wouldn't have minded but it was still dark. So the little guy did chicken chores with me. Only dropped him in poop once, OK, maybe twice. Tough little guy.

Chicken chore buddy.


This is the one trying to hide in my 2 week old Mille Fleurs and Cochins. They are less than half his size.

 

[familypendragon]

I am not sure which one is my Isbar as I suspect it is a splash and blends with all the other pale chicks - but I think its probably my chirpy friend that likes to sit up at night with me and watch Fringe, LOL! She ducks when she sees cars on the screen.

 

[familypendragon]

Oh, almost forgot - one of my white leghorn crosses just hatched!

 

[jklyles1]

Wrong end PIP..no progress. First hatch + First assist ..omg. I chipped away a little of the shell. There is a pencil eraser size hole in the white membrane. I didn't mess with the membrane..just the shell. Its moving..chirping loud but not making any progress with that darn membrane yet. Im leaving it alone for a while. Will check in a couple hours. And i'll post a pic in the morning

 

[Mamagigi]

Our 32 chicks started hatching yesterday morning. Well some made their initial pips to let us know they were soon to hatch. Overnight 16 of them made their appearance. It has been a LONG night of worrying ~ 1st time hatcher here. Our double yolked Silkie egg bore 1 live, 1 dead. One of our Blue Andalusian chicks was mostly out of the egg and nicked a vein. (I'm guessing because there was blood all around it when I woke up this morning.) 16 left to hatch and only 2 Leghorns have not made any pips in their shells but definitely still kicking as they are rocking like crazy. They are all chatting away with one another in the brooder and incubator this morning.

I need to go bury these 2 babies but it's still dark. I'm really bummed because the BA was all but her butt & feet out of the shell. She seemed kinda weak when I went to bed so I left her in the incubator thinking it would be safer than with the others that are trying to run around. Just want to cry.

 

[jklyles1]

Thought i would lay down for 2-3 hrs..get back up to check and BAM! It had a tiny pip at 2am...6am..fully hatched! And appears to be a boy



Here is the assist. It looks bad. It did nothing in the 5 hrs after I removed some shell so I tried to moisten the membrane and stretch it a little. It barely tore and started bleeding. Just a drop but enough for me to stop. Im happy for the live chick but sad for this one. Any advice on helping this one more?

 

[DeannaA]

I am not sure which one is my Isbar as I suspect it is a splash and blends with all the other pale chicks - but I think its probably my chirpy friend that likes to sit up at night with me and watch Fringe, LOL! She ducks when she sees cars on the screen.

Watching Star Trek. It's like the drive in for these guys.

Oh, almost forgot - one of my white leghorn crosses just hatched!

Our 32 chicks started hatching yesterday morning. Well some made their initial pips to let us know they were soon to hatch. Overnight 16 of them made their appearance. It has been a LONG night of worrying ~ 1st time hatcher here. Our double yolked Silkie egg bore 1 live, 1 dead. One of our Blue Andalusian chicks was mostly out of the egg and nicked a vein. (I'm guessing because there was blood all around it when I woke up this morning.) 16 left to hatch and only 2 Leghorns have not made any pips in their shells but definitely still kicking as they are rocking like crazy. They are all chatting away with one another in the brooder and incubator this morning.

I need to go bury these 2 babies but it's still dark. I'm really bummed because the BA was all but her butt & feet out of the shell. She seemed kinda weak when I went to bed so I left her in the incubator thinking it would be safer than with the others that are trying to run around. Just want to cry.

I'm sorry about those two. But excellent hatch, especially for your first time.

 

[familypendragon]

Thought i would lay down for 2-3 hrs..get back up to check and BAM! It had a tiny pip at 2am...6am..fully hatched! And appears to be a boy Here is the assist. It looks bad. It did nothing in the 5 hrs after I removed some shell so I tried to moisten the membrane and stretch it a little. It barely tore and started bleeding. Just a drop but enough for me to stop. Im happy for the live chick but sad for this one. Any advice on helping this one more?

I forget the time frame on this little one, How long since it pipped? Unfortunately I have become the assist queen as I have had lots of malposition issues with my rare breed eggs. One trick I use with an assist that is getting air already is to coat the membrane in coconut oil (others use antibiotic ointment with NO pain killers in it) It makes the membrane totally translucent and I can easily see when the blood vessels have been fully absorbed so I know how far along the chick is without opening the bator. Remember that from pipping it can take up to 36 hours normally to absorb all the yolk etc. From my experience - if they are going to be OK, they will let you know when they are ready to come out by getting suddenly really chirpy and struggling. I let them try to get out on their own. If they become glued to the membrane by the time they want out I will get them out of the bator and use warm water and q-tips to rehydrate and peel off the membrane. I haven't kept track, but I'd say I've easily done 25 assists in my short hatching career. All that have been perky and chirpy before "hatching" have lived. I have only had a few that didn't make it. The biggest thing is to NOT RUSH. Once they are breathing, there isn't much that waiting can hurt - but plenty that rushing can hurt.

 

[familypendragon]

Oh, my two eggs both were beautiful fluffy chicks when I woke up this morning. Only 2 eggs that were in the hatcher - do I get to call that my first 100% hatch?? LOL! My 2 Breda are next to go into lockdown tomorrow.

 

[goodomen]

Well i think out of seven eggs i got 2 that hatched the most sociable little fuzzballs I've. Ever owned! I have one other egg that started to pip the day my 2 hatched...but now it its been over 24 hours,i belive that chick just didnt make it. When i go home tonight, ill attempt to see what went wrong. The other eggs remain intact and motionless.