Setting Eggs 12/28 - Hatching Buddies? Hatch-Along

[hokankai]

Don't count that comb against it just yet. I had one that had a very prominent comb and wattles at hatch and it ended up being a hen

 

[DraigAthar]

Yeah I've had some come out of the egg with big combs and end up girls, too. So you'll just have to wait and see.

Well, I set up the brooder box in the kitchen with the ecoglow, in case this early pipper comes out of the shell overnight! I think I see now why it pipped so early, though. It looks like it was actually just trying to pip internally, but it pipped very low on the egg so I think it may be upside down. Which means the beak isn't near the air sac, and it had no choice but to pip externally first. I've had to assist backwards chicks before, they have a hard time getting out. I am hoping this one will make it fine alone, because this particular egg is quite round. The narrow end is nearly as wide as the fat end, so hopefully that means it'll still have plenty of room to rotate in there and unzip.

 

[Sphinx]

I have had 4 or 5 eggs pip at the wrong end, and none of them ever needed assistance. I hope yours is the same way.

 

[eggorthechicken]

I got one so far and one trying in the small bator... There are 4 pips in the big one... and ms broody is sitting on 15 and iI think she steals them and tucks them under her lol

 

[DraigAthar]

Woke up this morning to a second pip, and that backwards pipper looks like it's trying to make progress, there's a bigger chip in the egg. Well, maybe the rest of them will hold off until I get home from work tonight, lol.

 

[eggorthechicken]

I've got 5 so far.. had to help the one that was turned the other way but seems ok right now.

 

[Sphinx]

Good luck to all the pippers. I hope you get to see your babies hatch.

I had two more hatch overnight. There's one left, but it's the egg that was 12 hours behind everyone else. It's still alive, but taking a break.

 

[DraigAthar]

Sphinx, I watched your live feed last night for a little while, I tuned in just in time to see one of them break out of the shell! Awwwww.

Hubby is giving me the play by play on email. Still only the two pipped so far, neither is making progress yet. Maybe they'll wait for me? LOL!

 

[laseterlass]

We are still going here. I miscounted thought I had twenty empties. Only nineteen till a few hours ago. Found another little gold cot in the bator. My backwards baby is still struggling along. Brooder during the day. Bator at night I bet his mama is the hen that runs backwards when she gets excited. She has to really think hard to come towards me with the food.

 

[DraigAthar]

We are still going here. I miscounted thought I had twenty empties. Only nineteen till a few hours ago. Found another little gold cot in the bator. My backwards baby is still struggling along. Brooder during the day. Bator at night

I bet his mama is the hen that runs backwards when she gets excited. She has to really think hard to come towards me with the food.

You have a hen like that too? I have one that walks backwards all the time, it seems to be tied to anxiety or excitement, like you say. Any idea what causes it?