September Hatch-A-Long

[Iko127]

@Iko127 Congrats on the super cute chicks!! Fuzzy adorable!!

Thank you!

 

[Iko127]

Most of my chicks were sticky too. I didn't have a way to measure the humidity so I think it was wrong during lockdown. It took them all well over 12 hours to fluff out and the last which I has to assist the hatch, didn't fluff for over 24hours. When I transferred them to the brooder, I rubbed them with a rough towel to help separate the glued down feathers. The last one to hatch was also very floppy. I left her in the incubator for the first day until she was moving around a bit more though she was wobbly for a few days. She's still smaller than the others but otherwise totally healthy and feathering out well.

The part that I don't understand if it was just the humidity is I dry hatched just like was advised and had humidity @ 70 for lockdown, which I thought was the way but maybe I shoudl have only had it at 60. I still think my temp must have been high because my chicks pipped on day 19 and hatched on day 20. Not sure if you can ever figure it all out...lol Its just not easy, which is why people can still make money on chickens. I read to that sticky chicks can be a result of dry hatch but I had high humidity and dry for different hatches and had sticky chicks both times. I'm thinking maybe it isn't humidity and maybe temp or just need better equipment...lol My wobbly neck chick seems better with his neck and head but still having issues with left leg. My bad foot chick is taped but not sure if its more than just the foot. All I can do is try. Guess time will tell. I figure they have another day before large consumption of food and water is a must. I help them get a drink as often as I can and hold them by the food to peck. I keep updates!! Good luck to all.

 

[FoxholeFarm]

The part that I don't understand if it was just the humidity is I dry hatched just like was advised and had humidity @ 70 for lockdown, which I thought was the way but maybe I shoudl have only had it at 60.  I still think my temp must have been high because my chicks pipped on day 19 and hatched on day 20.  Not sure if you can ever figure it all out...lol   Its just not easy, which is why people can still make money on chickens.  I read to that sticky chicks can be a result of dry hatch but I had high humidity and dry for different hatches and had sticky chicks both times.  I'm thinking maybe it isn't humidity and maybe temp or just need better equipment...lol  My wobbly neck chick seems better with his neck and head but still having issues with left leg.  My bad foot chick is taped but not sure if its more than just the foot.  All I can do is try.  Guess time will tell.  I figure they have another day before large consumption of food and water is a must.  I help them get a drink as often as I can and hold them by the food to peck.  I keep updates!!  Good luck to all.

Weird... I tried to go for a high humidity but I know that it wasn't constant because my last chick was shrinkwrapped. She was first to pip and last to zip. In fact I had to chip the entire shell away for her and snip through the outer membrane most of the way to get her out. Scary stuff for my first hatch!

 

[Iko127]

With all that if I had a place to put them I would be getting 40 more!!! I could have cream legbars, blue andalusions, copper marans, silkies and easter, olive eggers!!! All for $50...I'm crazy I guess but can't believe all 40 for that money

I guess that's why I'm not rich...lol

 

[Iko127]

Weird... I tried to go for a high humidity but I know that it wasn't constant because my last chick was shrinkwrapped. She was first to pip and last to zip. In fact I had to chip the entire shell away for her and snip through the outer membrane most of the way to get her out. Scary stuff for my first hatch!

I know it was a little scarey for me on my second time around! I had to help 5 out. Not fun

 

[duluthralphie]

My duck is the MOST commited duck you will ever meet! And a bit too smart too. The first time I tried to put eggs under her I was a bit too late and I messed with her nest and that freaked her out. Then when she started laying eggs again I started taking them to see if I could keep her from going broody and then she went and started laying eggs under the shed and sat on them for 6 weeks or more, till they rotted and I finally could block her out from under there. This time she is back in the chicken coop (she was our only duck for a while) and just started sitting a few days ago. I just hope I can sneak the eggs in and she won't notice but she is very suspicious and notices if you mess with her nest. She wants to be a mama so badly and is so determined, so I hope she will let me help her. We'll see!

You could always do what I did with Myrtle, buy some chicks and put them under her in the middle of the night..... Of course she might get suspicious when the chicks refuse to swim....

It would only take a couple chicks to make her happy.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have an egg I thought was due on the 15th, it is not early but I didn't write a date on this one. looks like the 13th, maybe. In the air cell no pip yet, so a couple days out. mom was BCM, dad is Isbar. hen is sitting on it. Dad is blue so I hope chick will be blue.

 

[darkbluespace]

You could always do what I did with Myrtle, buy some chicks and put them under her in the middle of the night..... Of course she might get suspicious when the chicks refuse to swim....

It would only take a couple chicks to make her happy.

I would but she doesn't really like chickens so I don't know how she would take to chicks, probably not well. I think ducks will go over better and I wanted some more Anconas because I only got black and brown in my last hatch and I think 4/6 are drakes

At night she doesn't sleep like chickens do so I will try sneaking the eggs in at some point when she is off for a snack.... I hope it works!

 

[darkbluespace]

The part that I don't understand if it was just the humidity is I dry hatched just like was advised and had humidity @ 70 for lockdown, which I thought was the way but maybe I shoudl have only had it at 60. I still think my temp must have been high because my chicks pipped on day 19 and hatched on day 20. Not sure if you can ever figure it all out...lol Its just not easy, which is why people can still make money on chickens. I read to that sticky chicks can be a result of dry hatch but I had high humidity and dry for different hatches and had sticky chicks both times. I'm thinking maybe it isn't humidity and maybe temp or just need better equipment...lol My wobbly neck chick seems better with his neck and head but still having issues with left leg. My bad foot chick is taped but not sure if its more than just the foot. All I can do is try. Guess time will tell. I figure they have another day before large consumption of food and water is a must. I help them get a drink as often as I can and hold them by the food to peck. I keep updates!! Good luck to all.

I thought sticky chicks came from humidity being too high during lockdown

I have been doing lockdown around 55 but sometimes it dips a little below that. I saw someone on here who did lockdown at 80% and their babies were practically covered in glue.

 

[duluthralphie]

I would but she doesn't really like chickens so I don't know how she would take to chicks, probably not well. I think ducks will go over better and I wanted some more Anconas because I only got black and brown in my last hatch and I think 4/6 are drakes

At night she doesn't sleep like chickens do so I will try sneaking the eggs in at some point when she is off for a snack.... I hope it works!

Ethel does not like chickens either. She will run off every chicken she sees if it is close to her food. BUT she allows her "turkens" (the chicks she raised) to eat right next to her. For some reason she does not know her babies were/are chickens.....I am waiting to see if she still likes the "turkens" now that she has natural born babies of her own.