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

[Ciryluk3g]

Hi Ciryluk3g,

10 out of 12 sounds good, will be thinking of you so please keep us updated. Fingers and toes crossed particularly for your mini paints. Did you decide what caused trouble last time? 
How big do the large fowl silkies get?

Lea

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

 

[rosyamanda2000]

I've decided day 19 is my least favorite....late enough that something COULD happen but earlier than necessarily SHOULD happen. It probably doesn't help that I only have two at day 19. The wait is killing me!!!

 

[Ciryluk3g]

Day 19 I have some pips on the Miniature Paints I might add some of these eggs were so beaten by the postal system that they had saddle shaped eggs running from the fat end right down to the pointy egg on one side so excited they're pipping I put these upright in cut down egg cartons for lockdown so hopefully by doing that has improved my chances still no action on my 6 normal sized mixed bantam eggs yet but it's early days.

 

[rosyamanda2000]

OOOOooooo!!! Congrats!!! I'm so excited for you!! I am at work so I have no clue how mine are doing but I'm going to guess that they will make me wait!

 

[RubyNala97]

I've decided day 19 is my least favorite....late enough that something COULD happen but earlier than necessarily SHOULD happen. It probably doesn't help that I only have two at day 19. The wait is killing me!!!

Day 19 is the worst! It's the longest day out of all 20-21 days! I agree with you!

Day 19 I have some pips on the Miniature Paints I might add some of these eggs were so beaten by the postal system that they had saddle shaped eggs running from the fat end right down to the pointy egg on one side so excited they're pipping I put these upright in cut down egg cartons for lockdown so hopefully by doing that has improved my chances still no action on my 6 normal sized mixed bantam eggs yet but it's early days.

that's great to hear! I usually lay my shipped eggs down for lockdown. But this bunch are in bad shape. Do they fall over during hatch if they are in the upright position? And if one hatches, do they knock the other upright eggs over?

 

[silkienrescues]

Day 19 I have some pips on the Miniature Paints

I might add some of these eggs were so beaten by the postal system that they had saddle shaped eggs running from the fat end right down to the pointy egg on one side so excited they're pipping I put these upright in cut down egg cartons for lockdown so hopefully by doing that has improved my chances

still no action on my 6 normal sized mixed bantam eggs yet but it's early days.

OOOOooooo!!! Congrats!!! I'm so excited for you!! I am at work so I have no clue how mine are doing but I'm going to guess that they will make me wait!

Good luck both of you, look forward to some exciting news soon. Ditto Ruby's questions about the upright hatching, sounds like it would make hatching harder with gravity working against the chick, but air is also important. I take it if a chick pips in the wrong spot ou then lay the egg on its side ip up?
Lea

 

[RubyNala97]

I'm so disappointed. I candled my eggs quick last night and I've lost 2 more. I don't know how the chicks that are alive will make it, as the air cells are huge, going all the way down the egg. I'll take some pics tonight. Should I up my humidity a bit to slow growth? I'm loosing hope on any being able to hatch.

 

[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?

 

[silkienrescues]

I'm so disappointed. I candled my eggs quick last night and I've lost 2 more. I don't know how the chicks that are alive will make it, as the air cells are huge, going all the way down the egg. I'll take some pics tonight. Should I up my humidity a bit to slow growth? I'm loosing hope on any being able to hatch.

Oh thats not good news, how is your porcelain? It does seem these big aircells loose more moisture, that said I did a quick candle tonight also. the one with a gigantic aircell has lost 14.7% of its weight (lockdown tomorrow morning), the one with a good aircell has lost 14.6%?? Hatching worries me, but also how can that poor chick be growing properly with no space in the egg. Poor little chicks. I'm not sure the chick will reach the shell when it pips internally, if it can do that.
Do you have a recording of the chicks peeping? I think that did help my last hatch.

 

[Ciryluk3g]

Good luck both of you, look forward to some exciting news soon. Ditto Ruby's questions about the upright hatching, sounds like it would make hatching harder with gravity working against the chick, but air is also important. I take it if a chick pips in the wrong spot ou then lay the egg on its side ip up?
Lea

I'm unsure how it works but all the advice for badly misshapen aircells I have read suggests better results are to be had by hatching them upright so I'm trying it we'll see if it works 1 of the eggs I positioned upright has pipped so far think another may have pipped but I can't see too well as it's pipped facing the back of my incubator.. I put 4 eggs upright in the cut down egg cartons... The remaining 6 eggs have good aircells are laying down... 2 of those have pipped now... One has pipped the wrong end... I'm leaving it be for now I don't want to open the incubator and jeopardise the other eggs will keep an eye on it though if I get a window of opportunity where there are no eggs pipped I may take it out and help it along but for now I'm leaving it.