Silkie eggs, 5 more days... seem small?

[sheeshshe]

do you think these will live and hatch? I'm getting worried.

 

[loveourbirds]

I do think some of those will hatch, its hard to see from the pictures, but the first one looks excellent. don't get disappointed if they don't, it happens to the best of us sometimes.

 

[sheeshshe]

I will be disappointed, because I ordered these because I've been having a hard time hatching my own. They're genetically messed up, so I am trying to get another blood line in the mix. If these don't hatch, I'm done hatching eggs.

 

[loveourbirds]

your starting with one of the hardest breeds, and having eggs shipped isn't helping you at all. what is genetically wrong with yours, and what are you trying to accomplish?

 

[sheeshshe]

oh great. who knew they were hard to hatch.. sigh...

well, I inherited a couple from a friend to add to my flock, and they came from the same breeder. well, the rooster could only breed with the hen from the same breeder. My hen wouldn't accept the rooster, and the other rooster I had wouldn't breed because he had a yeast in his vent. vent gleet... so only those two were breeding, I suspected inbreeding because it was hard to get them to hatch, and out of the 4 that hatched, only 2 lived. And my hens had 15 under them at some point or other, all growing, and they didn't hatch either.. well to the point, the ones that did grow, they're lacking color in their skin and beak, so one of the chickens is carrying the non pigment gene for that. I've since gotten rid of the rooster as I suspected him as the cause, my hen didn't like him anwyays. so, I'm trying to get another blood line in the mix so that there will be some good gene pools in there to mix in.

I wanted to sell chicks locally, but nothing has gone right thus far

 

[loveourbirds]

maybe this will help. silkies are a weak breed, and the fully creasted ones are even weaker. for full crests, breeders used to cross them with polish; this cross causes "extruded skulls". this is basically a spot in the head where the skull does not form properly, as the chick grows the skull will fill in the hole. on the down side, if you mix these with other chicks in a brooder and they get pecked on the head, its usually over for them.

silkies are one of the most in demand breeds there are, but its for a reason. with silkies being one of the broodiest breeds, there is a lack of eggs. im not telling you what your trying is impossible, its what I do here.

where are you from?

 

[sheeshshe]

thanks a bunch, that does help. I'm from Maine. I just didn't know they were hard to hatch. I hatched other eggs just fine, so I figured it would be the same to add to my flock by hatching some. I couldn't find any locally. well, there are 2 days until hatching so we shall see how it goes. I hope they come out.

 

[loveourbirds]

i think you will have some hatch, I have my fingers crossed for you

 

[sheeshshe]

I sure hope so!!! Do I just keep them upright like that until they hatch? they'll hatch right in the egg carton, right? it just seems odd to keep them that way.

 

[loveourbirds]

day 17-18 lay them on their side, try to keep the pointy end laying slightly down. they should lay like this fairly easily on their own.