"Springing in the Chicks" 2016 April Hatch-a-Long Hosted by Mike & Sally

[tao chick]

Some of the runners: -Kathy

Aww! If I sell some chicks and make room here somewhere I'm getting ducks. I just picked up 6 cornish to raise for meat. I already bit off more than I can chew with them. I know they grow fast and I'll need to house them separate soon.

 

[mlm Mike]

Quote: Hopefully the rest be will heavy on the pullet side to even things out a bit!

And now we wait. My last Ancona that pipped first didn't hatch for another 60+ hrs after it broke through. Beak can be seen just above the pip.

Nice photo chaos!

Broody momma #1 Apricot- first time out with her chicks. They are a week old

Adorable.

Quote: Glad you're silkies keep getting quicker!

Miiiike? Why have my all but one of my baby ducks stopped swimming? And while I know an adult can have a bad experience in a pond (snappers went after them) but what can I do to make my adult girl swim? And from all that I see, a duck is a duck, but a drake is the boy, and a duck is the girl. Never called a hen. Is that right?

Is the drake bothering too much when she tries? If he is, she might stop going for swims. I've always referred to my the males as drakes, and the females ducks. Don't know if they are called hens or some other name also.

 

[Chaos18]

Hopefully the rest be will heavy on the pullet side to even things out a bit!

Nice photo chaos!

Adorable.

Glad you're silkies keep getting quicker!


Is the drake bothering too much when she tries? If he is, she might stop going for swims. I've always referred to my the males as drakes, and the females ducks. Don't know if they are called hens or some other name also.

Morning Mike. How goes it?

 

[BullChick]

Hopefully the rest be will heavy on the pullet side to even things out a bit!

Nice photo chaos!

Adorable.

Glad you're silkies keep getting quicker!


Is the drake bothering too much when she tries? If he is, she might stop going for swims. I've always referred to my the males as drakes, and the females ducks. Don't know if they are called hens or some other name also.

He doesn't bother her at all. I am surprised when he mates her.
Okay on the name thing. I wanted to be sure I wasn't torturing myself for nothing.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

@Chaos18 Final results Americaunas 15 set, 15 at lockdown, 13 hatched Mixed barnyard 25 set, 23 at lockdown, 21 hatched Total at lockdown 38, total hatch 34

Seems like a good hatchery to me!!

I have 7 chicks out and 3 pips of the 19 that made it to lockdown... and one of the chicks isn't going to make it. It's neck was twisted and locked in place (though it managed to pip and zip on it's own), and once it was finally able to turn it's head around, it's head and neck were very swollen. Since it was badly saddled, I hatched it upright in an egg carton. Once it decided it wanted to come out of it's cradle, that's when things got really bad... it hadn't absorbed it's yolk. Although I've got it back in it's shell sitting in the egg carton, it doesn't look too promising. It appears to be fading fast. The other 6 look fine, and I'm really hoping the other 9 will come along soon. Tonight will suit me just fine... Speaking of tonight, I have to call it a night. Have a great one, everyone!

Sorry to hear I hope the rest come out good

Here is Milk with her babies. Their daddy is Quacker's lol

So cute!

Finally, there is veining in a Silkie egg from one of my girls!!! I feel like I have waited forever for this, I am so excited to start populating the world with more Silkies! I am just dying to see what will hatch from my eggs!!!! My 6 Silkie eggs, 4 or 5 Cochins are going into day 20 and I have 2 internal pippers! One of my mystery eggs quit on day 18 or so and come find out it was an Ayam Cemani! Bummer! I still have one left, I was given them as extras, if you can believe it. I thought that maybe that was what they were... I hope the one left hatches because then I can spend an absurd amount of money trying to hatch a partner/flock for it! I think that was the plan Also, I hatched another 2 sticky ducklings and I could really use some advice. The last ones I hatched I have not been able to fluff up! I have bathed them, brushed them, put them in my incubator with two fans (that will fluff up anything else). And it has not worked. Later their feathers come in weird and not like a normal duck. Honestly, I don't own a hair dryer, but I will go get one if that is the solution. I just don't understand, they are perfectly normal and healthy otherwise.

Good luck with the Silkies, sorry about the ducks

Broody momma #1 Apricot- first time out with her chicks. They are a week old

Awww

 

[Lucky Lemon]

Well, it's been roughly 14 hours since my first pip (in the wrong end), and nothing is happening. At what point should I be worried???

In other exciting news, I have pips in most of the other eggs and they are all in the right spot.

 

[tao chick]

Well, it's been roughly 14 hours since my first pip (in the wrong end), and nothing is happening.  At what point should I be worried???

In other exciting news, I have pips in most of the other eggs and they are all in the right spot. 

As long as your humidity and temps are good, don't worry. I always consider pip to hatch as a >24 hour process but am usually surprised by quicker hatchers.

 

[Lucky Lemon]

As long as your humidity and temps are good, don't worry. I always consider pip to hatch as a >24 hour process but am usually surprised by quicker hatchers.

Thanks! I'm just worried about this one since s/he pipped in the wrong end. Maybe if the other ones start hatching they will encourage that one!

The entire classroom of kids is huddled around the incubator cheeping at the eggs to encourage them. It is SO precious!

 

[jnr005]

As of this morning 3 out of my 5 silkies have hatched. I have another piped and nothing so far out of the cracked egg. (If that hatches it will be a happy surprise). They were from eBay and are white silkies. 2 are yellow down and one is silvery white. I'm assuming they will all turn white, but this is my first experience with silkies so not sure how colors work out.

I think one of my morans has vision issues or something. Peeps like he's constantly lost...doesn't seem to react to my hand grabbing, won't leave the heating pad area for food or water. He was one I had to assist in hatching and has slightly sprayed legs. Not sure he will make it, but we are giving him Gatorade and egg yoke to try to keep him going. Told my daughter to expect he may not last the week. Really bummed bc I only had 3 of 8 Moran eggs hatch.

As for the 11 eggs that didn't hatch, nothing other than one oozer yesterday (yuck!) going to toss them once my silkies finish but at this point they are at day 24 so I don't have much hope for them anyhow.

 

[chicken hawk 33]

Three external pips on my broody muscovy.but no progress this morning