Setting the week of August 22 (or so... ) Everyone join!! You know you want to!

[Denise661]

Don't know I was saying lockdown at 8 AM today for me cuz it's till 8PM!
Well came in to check on the temperature of the eggs and guess what?! They want out!! I see a little chip on the egg so I just placed them on lockdown!

 

[Sahwithchicks]

How can you tell your eggs have internally pipped if they are on lockdown? I know lockdown is on day 18... But should you wait to see if
They have internally pipped first?

 

[XxPandaxX]

they need air to chirp, so if u hear chirping, you know they've internally pipped and are probably getting ready to externally pip

 

[chicksooner]

assuming everything went according to plan...what day should I expect to hear/see some action?

 

[Sahwithchicks]

Sooo seeing the chicks beak for the first time around the air pocket doesn't necessarily mean the chick has pipped? I am certain I am on day 18 with this egg and I noticed to beak opening and closing near the air pocket... Which is not something I witnessed before. Just wondered if that meant it had pipped early and might be a Bad sign, or if there was a certain way to check with out reopening the lid. Haven't heard peeping.

All the research in the world hasn't prepared me for the paranoia of lockdown

 

[Texasmja]

assuming everything went according to plan...what day should I expect to hear/see some action?

9-13-12

 

[chicksooner]

9-13-12

Thanks.

 

[DustinT]

Sad news...out of the 8 from the first set 2 made it and are healthy happy chicks....One had unzipped it's egg then just sat there for a full day! Turns out even with 70-75% humidity my chicks were drying out faster than they could hatch. I helped that one out of its egg this morning. I had to use warm water in a spray bottle to loosen the shell that was stuck to its feathers. That was at 6:20 this morning. She passed away around 6pm. Another had unzipped about 1/4. Did an eggtopsy and it was pretty well dried and stuck to the shell. This was day 24 and I had one egg that had not pipped. I opened that one up and it looks like it prob. made it to day 20 or early 21 then died.

I have an idea on what went wrong. I moved the eggs into the fridgabator for lockdown, which over all went well, but... I believe the problem comes from the heating element I used. The fridge has its own fan to circulate air, which isn't very powerful but enough to keep an even temp every where in the bator. The heater I used also has a fan, which is much stronger than the fridge fan, this was the prob. Even with the high humidity the extra air circulation dried the poor chicks out to fast.
I cleaned out the bator and changed out the heater for a reptile heat mat run by a hot water heater thermostat. Lockdown on set 2 is tomorrow night. I will candle them as I put them in the bator, but last time I checked them I had 5 very healthy chicks growing in set 2. Hopefully I don't have to change anything else before lockdown on set 3.

Congrats to everyone that has new chicks and good luck to everyone going into lockdown.

 

[XxPandaxX]

I feel so proud right now ! Another chick is peeping in its egg !! Hopefully when I wake up I'll see my 1st chicken ever ! Tis going strong, loud chirping ! Day 21 starts at midnight

 

[LuvinChickens]

So, my wee little lone bantam egg has started to chirp and tap, tap, tap. How long should I let this go on without helping? It has been about 10-12 hours.

Also, for those of you with chicks in the brooder, watch them to make sure they have no "problems". I had a chick two hatches ago that had a mental problem. It would roll onto it's back like clumsy chicks do, but it wouldn't struggle to get back up. It would just lay there and wait for momma to come and flip him over. Well I had watched a 40 minute show and when I went to check on them the chick had flipped over and it's head had ended up in the water dish. The chick drowned. I was devastated and felt like a horrible mother. So my advice is to check them and make sure nobody has a brain problem.