~ Silkie Hatch-a-Long August 2015 (SHIPPED EGGS GONE WRONG!!) ~

[darkbluespace]

I can do that! Thank you so much!

Here is one... https://mbasic.facebook.com/notes/f...beth-white-via-cheryl-shires/548615281826504/

 

[chickendreams24]

@GitaBooks
Thanks

Sorry couldn't help but show off my babies. Feel free to guess on silkie sex they're 11 weeks I think the partridge is a cockeral.

 

[darkbluespace]

That's great!!


I candled my eggs before I set them in the incubator, 2 nights ago. The air cells were horrible!

Some were detached and rolling right down to the pointy end! Others were whacky shapes and shifting to the left and right. I'll admit, I've never set eggs that have looked so messed up. I'm going to treat them like little nicu eggs and barely touch them till hatch time. I'll candle on day 7 and see if air cells have reattached. I need lots of luck this hatch!!

Sorry to hear about their rough start. Crossing my fingers they surprise you!

 

[H4ndyman]

Sorry to hear about their rough start.  Crossing my fingers they surprise you! 

X 2

 

[littlemissbatam]

Day 7... time goes so slowly when incubating!  I think I have a quitter but I kept it in for now.  A few of the bigger eggs are loosing moisture slowly... not sure if I should do something about it.  I had humidity at 30% which is working for most of the eggs.

Really it's been going by fast for me and it's my first time

 

[darkbluespace]

Are you trying to lower humidity on the two or increase it?
What is that beautiful blue egg you have in the incubator?? I've never seen a chicken egg that blue before!

I was going to see if I could lower the humidity for those bigger eggs, but I don't think it is going to happen.

That blue egg looks like a plastic Easter egg to me : )

 

[silkienrescues]

I believe multiple there were multiple issues involved... I started with 24 eggs 1 started oozing and I removed that egg very early on it exploded after I threw it... removed all of the early quitters and clears at day 14... 10 in total so then I was left with 13 that made it to lockdown.... I had 7 Silkie eggs altogether 3 from one seller (mixed random colors), 4 from another seller (paint x black carrying paint) also had 4 Japanese bantam eggs and 2 eggs that were sold as a random mix of purebred bantams (1 chocolate Orpington and a cuckoo Marans egg)... I had issues with humidity at lockdown but not sure that was my issue since some people hatch dry and humidity didn't drop that low 45% or so I had some eggs with terrible aircells far too big yet the Japanese Bantams aircells were far too small... I guess in my efforts to correct one problem I created another... Funny enough all of my living chicks hatched out of the eggs with the worst aircells, one of those eggs that hatched was very porous too like the ones most websites advise are never gonna hatch.

I ended up hatching 5 Silkies altogether.. 1 black, 1 Partridge and 1 White (from the random mixed colours) and 2 black silkies (from the paint to black eggs), my Chocolate Orpington and Cuckoo Marans bantams also hatched by themselves... 1 Japanese Bantam pipped but eventually had to be assisted it died 5 days later.

I had 5 eggs that failed to hatch so I eggtopsied them... 1 Paint Silkie was malpositioned, the other was just dead in the egg in the right position.... I eggtopsied the 3 Japanese bantam eggs too... 2 were underdeveloped and the other was in the correct position but dead in the egg... Japanese bantams have a lethal gene that gives them short legs so may explain the deaths of 2 of those.... all 5 eggs also looked shrink wrapped so I believe combination of things.

For this hatch following advice on my incubator settings I changed the temperature setting and seem to be having better results

I'm guessing you dropped temp a little?

 

[WVduckchick]

Well, the liquid looks like it not free in the air cell, and I think I can see him pushing up on the membrane, but not poking through

That's good. I think I'd wait till tomorrow to lockdown then.

 

[silkienrescues]

Did I say I wanted to buy another brinsea out loud?? LOL. you're reading my mind. Yes, I talked to Walnut about the one she has for sale. I was at the beach yesterday and typed a bunch of replies on this thread and my reception cut out and they were lost! I wanted to tell you to make sure the children's vitamins don't have iron in them. Can you buy the sav-a-chick online? If you ever wanted me to mail you a couple packs, let me know. I'll look up the ingredients because I have a couple packs here. Maybe you could find or make something similar. I am prepared to assist these eggs, as you said. I feel that responsibility after all the shipping damage. I just hope they internally pip. I don't know how you found that beak under the membrane but you did a great job!! I'm scared to go into the membrane if they don't break it first. How are they doing, by the way? Is your hatch totally done now? Next spring I'll be hatching a ton but I'm "supposed" to be done for the year!!
Looks like a saddle shaped air cell! Was that egg shipped? That shape is normal for shipped eggs. I'm concerned about the fluid you are seeing. Are you sure the chick is alive? And are you sure it's fluid in there? Have you gone into lockdown?
Yup, I agree.

Yes you did!
Will check the iron, it may well be, although this was supposed to be just vitamins.
thanks...I'm doing a bit of research into savachick, problem is I will need it in 3 weeks and post from the US is slower than that. there must be something local.
The 2 little girls are ding great, legs all good now.
I found the pip because i saw the wet area, otherwise would have been none the wiser...just follow the bleeding rule is all I can say, otherwise I dont think it did harm to take off shell.

 

[Griffin Nest]

Hi everyone! OP again.
Looks like it's about hatching tome for everyone. I just went into lockdown this morning. I moved all of the eggs that made it into the hatch bator. The hatch bator is still air because I don't like having to clean fans or having the hatching chicks dry out too fast.

6 eggs made it into lockdown. I had a quitter on day 13, and the rest never started (probably died during shipping).

Day 11



Day 14



Day 17





The eggs are moved to the hatch bator which runs on a light and a dimmer switch. I don't use this for incubation but it's perfect for hatching since the temperature doesn't have to be completely accurate. Its running a steady 99-100 with 70% + humidity. Im really excited

First silkies ever!