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

[darkbluespace]

LOL! They call me the crazy chicken lady! I'm hoping that Hope will attach herself to a new chick when it hatches. They are due in 2 more days!! Oh, she slept in my bed last night....it's the only way anyone in my house was going to get any sleep! Uuummm, I am the crazy chicken lady, aren't I?
Good luck with your current internal pippers! Hopefully they hurry up and do their external pip so you don't have to worry anymore!!
I wonder how it's going for Ruby...

Single chicks can be exhausting! She will definitely bond with the new chicks... awesome that you have more coming so soon. I had a single chick for 3 weeks last winter till I could hatch a friend for him! My most recent single chick was the quietest thing ever and it was several days old before the next chicks hatched.

 

[littlemissbatam]

My eggs are moving

 

[chickendreams24]

I am on lockdown of my second hatch now (two black oegb) but my question is about hearing them peep or seeing eggs move before pip or hatch. We didn't hear or see anything during our first hatch before pips and now I think every once in a while I fool myself into thinking I see something just BC they wiggle just a bit when you walk in the room. Is this unusual? Are the chicks not strong and healthy?

 

[darkbluespace]

Day 14.... I candled and have one more quitter. I still have 16 eggs and 10 have air cells that look good. The other 6 are the bigger eggs I put in another incubator with 20 to 25% humidity but their air cells are still really small. I fired up the cabinet incubator because it has two fans. I am hoping it will be enough to make a dent in those air cells, it works for my duck eggs!

 

[H4ndyman]

After my disaster with the power cut I was very surprised to find one of my eggs had an external pip when I got up this morning. This is now turning into the longest day at work EVER!!

 

[RubyNala97]

Sorry for the long multi-quote. This is such a great hatch-a-long!! (I think my fav so far)!!

amazing the good air cell has now dipped right down on 1 side and the chick has pipped. hoping tomorrow is hatch day. cant wait to see them...and then on sunday get the next lot under way, but dont tell my husband. After that lot I'm going to get him to hide the incubator, before we are over run with silkies. the next lot are local eggs from 4 partridge hens in with a silver partridge rooster and
a young reddish partridge rooster. Hope that gives us a better chance of getting some partridge chicks.
3 of the chicks out with Margaret, the surrogate hen, are white, or so i thought, but they are getting a few darker patches... is that what is called a paint?

Has the chick hatched yet? I'm drooling over the partridge eggs you described!! That's what I want!! I'm hiding the incubator after this hatch too. No more till spring...I'm asking for the brinsea octagon 20 for my bday/Christmas, so by spring I should have 3 incubators!!! Can't wait!!

Ruby and silkienrescues,
Some of the air cells on mine are taking up well over half of the egg and some seem like the membrane is loosely draping the chick. I know how you guys feel and wish the best of luck to both of you with your hatches!

What day for the eggs? Are they in lockdown? What you are describing is "draw down". It happens just before internal pip. The membrane draws down over the chick. You can see the outline of the chick if you look close and there will be movement, almost like a wave. Sorry, it's hard to describe but once you see it in person, you'll know just what I mean. Those eggs are super close! Today or tomorrow you'll get an external pip.

Well it's 22 hours since I found the first internal pip, no progress. I have marked where the beak was at each candle and it's 3 different places. Chick music is now on as I haven't heard anything from these 2. At the 24 hour mark I'm going to make a small hole. Chick 2 has its beak well in the air cell but no sign of an external pip. Ruby what's your time frame for internal to external pip?

Not long. I have never caught an internal pip! I used to not open the incubator, at all during lockdown. Then I started getting more comfortable being hands on. Then had successful assists. So I've been trying to see an internal pip for the last couple hatches. I candle before bed, no internal pip, then I wake up and have external pips! So the chicks must pip inside and then within 8-10 hrs pip external. Update when you can. I would put a little hole in the air cell to ensure that chick has enough oxygen.

I am on lockdown of my second hatch now (two black oegb) but my question is about hearing them peep or seeing eggs move before pip or hatch. We didn't hear or see anything during our first hatch before pips and now I think every once in a while I fool myself into thinking I see something just BC they wiggle just a bit when you walk in the room. Is this unusual? Are the chicks not strong and healthy?

I never see or hear anything before external pip! I worried when I first started hatching too. But mine hatch very healthy so I wouldn't worry.

Day 14.... I candled and have one more quitter.  I still have 16 eggs and 10 have air cells that look good.  The other 6 are the bigger eggs I put in another incubator with 20 to 25% humidity but their air cells are still really small.  I fired up the cabinet incubator because it has two fans.  I am hoping it will be enough to make a dent in those air cells, it works for my duck eggs!

Wow, I'm surprised. Are the shells very thick?? Post a pic of the air cells if you can.

After my disaster with the power cut I was very surprised to find one of my eggs had an external pip when I got up this morning. This is now turning into the longest day at work EVER!!

that's good news!

 

[H4ndyman]

Just got back in from work and my pipped egg is exactly the same as it was 12 hours ago. I take it that I just need to wait this out?

 

[darkbluespace]

Here is a day 15 air cell... The eggs are BIG, almost as large as a regular chicken egg. They are in my cabinet bator now. I hope 4 days in there will help!

 

[darkbluespace]

Just got back in from work and my pipped egg is exactly the same as it was 12 hours ago. I take it that I just need to wait this out?

They usually need 12 hours from external pip to absorb their yolk. I would start cheeping some encouragement to it... they often start making some progress!

I am curious about this chicken music @RubyNala97

 

[rosyamanda2000]

No. not drawdown. It's been like that since about day 10. Although, a lot of those eggs have since had the air cells drawn down so they are making progress, some have even internally pipped!!!