Should I help?????

[Mrs. Feathers]

By the way.....
Congrats on your hatch dusky.
Isn`t it fun?

 

[bufforp89]

I have sort of mixed feelings about helping eggs. The day after Christmas I opened a bantam cochin egg that had pipped and then nothing for 16 or so hours and the result was a vigorous healthy chick who is no different from the rest, Im not even sure who it was anymore.

On the other hand I opened a pekin egg this past spring and the results were less then encouraging. It was the last to pip out of 15 or so eggs that all hatched fine. 24+ hours went by and the duckling was still peeping and rocking the egg and having more eggs that had to go into the bator I decided to open it. The result was a partially blind duckling that I had to hand feed, take to work with me and was generally a pain in the neck (I didnt have the guts to cull back then but since have). She lives as a normal duck now with 2 other ducks that have become very bonded with her and it has worked out like a dream but given the choice again I wouldnt have opened that egg.

I guess its a risk that you have to be willing to make.

 

[magicpigeon]

I don't help chicks hatch, to be honest. To put it this way, "better to walk on bare floors than have the rug pulled out from under you". I get squeamish and leave it to the birds

 

[dusky]

All three peeps are in great shape! The first is a feisty little one, the other two are pretty sleepy. Those ameraucana types always seem to hatch first for me and are the most vigorous and alert. They're all snoozing under the lamp now. I can't wait till they fluff out nicely.

I had these three eggs in separate corners of the hovabator. As you can see the first peep decided to do a little re-arranging.

These two pipped in the late evening on Day 21.. after the first one hatched at 6 in the morning on day 22, they pretty much exploded out of the eggs! I noticed the membranes lost the papery look and looked more moist and soft... how much humidity do I have to pump in there?? These chicks came from monstrous eggs! I was worried they couldn't get out.

Sorry this picture isn't so good! I'll update when they're less sleepy and wobbly..

I originally intended on hatching out a dozen of these eggs for my dad's friend, but I am so terribly attached since I spent so much time agonizing over these eggs. Ugh. He already has 20 chickens, just let me add to my little flock of twoooo!

And I named them.....