She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[WalnutHill]

You guys have to hear this! I got up at 4:30am to check on the pea chicks. The one I assisted was laying down flat, wing floppy & flipped back, head shaking and beak open. I thought he was basically dying. He was warm but lifeless in my hands. So I petted him and talked calmly to him. I kept dipping the tip of his beak in water with save-a-chick in it. Then I'd point his head back so he could swallow. I did this for about 15 mins. He couldn't sit or stand. So I just laid him back down. I went to go back to sleep for a couple hours. Thinking I'd have to bury him or worse put him down myself, in the morning. I questioned if I should have even got him out of the shell. But I realized since he was chirping in the shell he needed a chance. Well I woke up 2 hours later and he was standing, walking and drinking on his own! I couldn't believe my eyes! I showed him where the starter was and was poking at it with my finger and he started eating too! He's the biggest of the 3 and I can't believe the 180 in only 2 hours. He's even picking on his siblings! Wow-it's been a miracle!! Also I went to shut down the incubator. I had 2 eggs in there that I was 99.9% sure died before lockdown but kept them in the extra bator just incase of that .1%. Well I candled them and one is dead but one is moving!! The air cell is just drawing down now. It looks to be 2 days behind, developmentally, then the others. Is that possible if they were all set together? Ok, sorry about the novel! I'll stop rambling now!

Awesome! Yes, turkeys are sometimes like that, once in a while one seems to take a little longer and need a little more help in getting started. While I could just allow them to die, since most of my turkeys are raised for meat, every one that lives and grows is worth saving.

I generally tag my breeders before they are two weeks old, and none of the challenged ones make it into that category.

Congrats on the late addition, and yes, if the egg was old or had been chilled before incubating then it could easily be behind. Nice to be able to know what is happening inside, isn't it?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I love all movies!!!!! and I like SC love me some random trivia!!!! I am seriously addicted to Trivia Crack. I love it!!

I played that for quite a while and then everyone stopped playing it..lol

Distance makes the heart grow fonder

Uh huh....lol

 

[WalnutHill]

My first few hatches, I assisted 5 or 6. Had to cull all but two before they were 5 days old. All were late hatchers. Culling a cute, fluffy chick is tough, and is just not something I want to do again. Since buying the Brinsea, I have not had to cull any, but I also have a drop dead shutdown of day 23. I see Amy's side, too, and your experience is a perfect example of success, but I have had far more heartbreak than success. I felt bad for WV on her last chick. Early on, when she said it was dragging it's leg, I knew what was coming. I know you want to give them every chance you can, but you end up getting so attached to the one you are trying to save that it's even worse when you have to put it down. That's why I don't assist, but you assisted and it worked.
"She said, he said... no one's wrong"

That is the beauty of this thread. Late assists...no. Hard to hatch assists...yes, wholeheartedly. I put two birds together that make the equivalent of a mule, what should be a nice utility turkey. But the cross makes VERY large poults and if I don't help them out, all the crosses die and only the purebreds live. I have a specific goal in making the cross, and over 2 or 3 generations the egg size should increase so that they can hatch naturally, at that point I will either stop assisting or will tag only natural hatchers for the breeding flock.

I've already raised incubation temps a hair to get them to hatch earlier (and a touch smaller) and it helped, but I don't want to chance imperfect development.

 

[WalnutHill]

You guys have to hear this! I got up at 4:30am to check on the pea chicks. The one I assisted was laying down flat, wing floppy & flipped back, head shaking and beak open. I thought he was basically dying. He was warm but lifeless in my hands. So I petted him and talked calmly to him. I kept dipping the tip of his beak in water with save-a-chick in it. Then I'd point his head back so he could swallow. I did this for about 15 mins. He couldn't sit or stand. So I just laid him back down. I went to go back to sleep for a couple hours. Thinking I'd have to bury him or worse put him down myself, in the morning. I questioned if I should have even got him out of the shell. But I realized since he was chirping in the shell he needed a chance. Well I woke up 2 hours later and he was standing, walking and drinking on his own! I couldn't believe my eyes! I showed him where the starter was and was poking at it with my finger and he started eating too! He's the biggest of the 3 and I can't believe the 180 in only 2 hours. He's even picking on his siblings! Wow-it's been a miracle!! Also I went to shut down the incubator. I had 2 eggs in there that I was 99.9% sure died before lockdown but kept them in the extra bator just incase of that .1%. Well I candled them and one is dead but one is moving!! The air cell is just drawing down now. It looks to be 2 days behind, developmentally, then the others. Is that possible if they were all set together? Ok, sorry about the novel! I'll stop rambling now!

Oh, and turkeys really want a mommy...maybe peas are the same way? I bet they'd do great with a broody. A turkey poult left alone is cold, afraid, trembling, and depressed. Snuggle them and they perk right up. Sorry, SC...maybe not your style but if I go through the trouble of heating the incubator for 4 weeks, the little guys are going to get a lot of attention afterward. After two or three weeks they just go to the coop and they become turkeys.

 

[scflock]

Oh, and turkeys really want a mommy...maybe peas are the same way? I bet they'd do great with a broody. A turkey poult left alone is cold, afraid, trembling, and depressed. Snuggle them and they perk right up. Sorry, SC...maybe not your style but if I go through the trouble of heating the incubator for 4 weeks, the little guys are going to get a lot of attention afterward. After two or three weeks they just go to the coop and they become turkeys.

Hey, I'm a big ol' softie once they hit the ground, but that first jump is up to them

 

[WalnutHill]

Hey, I'm a big ol' softie once they hit the ground, but that first jump is up to them

My chickens are on their own. I know I made challenges for the turkeys, so I try to get them over that hump.

Once I have the GQF up and can't see inside, maybe I will leave things be a little more. Or not.

 

[rossfam06]

I played that for quite a while and then everyone stopped playing it..lol

Uh huh....lol

You wanna play??? I am always looking for some else to play with!!! LoL!!! I sound like such a kid.

 

[scflock]

Uh huh....lol

I like these little online personality assesments, so here we go. My gut feelings on some key players

Amy: No offense, but you and I both know that we would despise each other in person

WV and sidewing: We would do shots

Ruby and Ross: They would wave at me when they walked by, but they would keep walking. Ruby would cover her kids ears

Walnut would be my mentor, and once she fed me she would never get rid of me

BYC 910: We'll be sitting by the lake, fishing rods in hand, drinking beer

silkiecuddles: Would pray for me

gachooks: We would love each other for about an hour, then we would get on our own nerves. Who could handle a female scflock?

HiyokuInNippon: Not certain, but pretty sure she would hate me, too

Yorkshire: Hmmmm? Can't quite figure her out. I think she finds me amusing, but annoying. Our incubation techniques are almost identical, but I think she prefers talking to Amy

I may venture more guesses as the names come to me

 

[scflock]

You wanna play??? I am always looking for some else to play with!!! LoL!!! I sound like such a kid.

I have never heard of that before. Sounds fun

 

[rossfam06]

I like these little online personality assesments, so here we go. My gut feelings on some key players

Amy: No offense, but you and I both know that we would despise each other in person

WV and sidewing: We would do shots

Ruby and Ross: They would wave at me when they walked by, but they would keep walking. Ruby would cover her kids ears

Walnut would be my mentor, and once she fed me she would never get rid of me

BYC 910: We'll be sitting by the lake, fishing rods in hand, drinking beer

silkiecuddles: Would pray for me

gachooks: We would love each other for about an hour, then we would get on our own nerves. Who could handle a female scflock?

HiyokuInNippon: Not certain, but pretty sure she would hate me, too

Yorkshire: Hmmmm? Can't quite figure her out. I think she finds me amusing, but annoying. Our incubation techniques are almost identical, but I think she prefers talking to Amy

I may venture more guesses as the names come to me

I might actually talk and hang out with you....you never know.

I have never heard of that before. Sounds fun

YOU would love it!!!!!!!! Its an app you can get!! You should get it! Then we will dual!!