Starting a hatch September 21....hatch along?

[itsren]

I'm nervous about mine now. Yesterday I went into lockdown 1 day early because the eggs would start rocking on their own at various times. I took the turner out, settled them in the incubators and went into lockdown. Other than brief rocking from one shortly after lockdown, they haven't moved at all.

Today is day 18. Here's hoping that the process of opening and putting them in lockdown when they were rocking didn't mess them up. Day 17 seemed so early for rocking. I'm hoping that they were just rocking in response to being turned so frequently and now that the turner has stopped they have just settled down. My incubator was turning every 45 minutes and I would see them rocking in between turns (not caused by turning - everything would stop, and then suddenly and egg would rock)

 

[lareynadenada]

I have 3 eggs in various degrees of hatching RIGHT NOW! one has a large hole and the little chick is trying with all it's might to get out, another has a smaller hole and all i can see is a tip of a beak.. and the 3rd egg is just pipping now.
The 1st egg has been hatching since last night around dinner time and still isn't out... I'm wondering if the poor chick is just exhausted and isn't able to hatch out anymore... I'm thinking that if this chick isn't out completely by dinner time tonight, that i might give it a little help. Thoughts? or does hatching routinely take 24 hours or so? I'm totally unsure what to do here.

I was expecting a fully hatched out chick this morning and Nadda.

I know what everybody says is to leave them alone, helping usually hurts more than helps, plus opening the bator brings down your humidity and can shrink wrap your other chicks

 

[LukeandAli]

What breed are the cute little brown eggs from? And I like how you put the egg carton sections in an egg carton top, I may have to try that. Are you going to leave them in the cartons for hatching? I know a few people that do saying that it's easier on them, but I'm too nervous to try.

I'm actually not sure if the little brown eggs are from my barred rocks or my gold hens (not sure what breed as the person we got them from proved not to be reliable with chickens....at least 3 of the 7 "hens" we got from him are actually roosters). They are "junior" eggs as the girls just started laying. They are a little small, but, they are fertile and I thought I'd give them a try.

This is my first time hatching in egg carton. I've seen other people do it and love it, so, I figured I'd give it a try. I'm thinking it will keep the newborn chicks from knocking the eggs around too much and that it will give the chicks the stability they need to get into position for hatching. I'm hoping the egg carton lid will catch most of the mess and keep the carton pieces from falling over.

 

[FarmMomof3]

We have 3 hatched chicks!! YAY! We went into town today (bought some roosters at the farm auction!) and when we got back 2 were hatched out completely and the 1 egg that had the largest hole was still stuck inside. We i just turned the egg over a tiny bit and the chick wiggled out. I think that gravity was just playing against him, and being so tired from trying to break free all night long and most of the day today.. just was a little to much for him. But he's fluffed and fine now.
I have a 4th egg that has pipped and the tip of it's beak is sticking out so by tomorrow morning we should have a 4th chick.
I attempted to intergrate the new chicks in with a broody mama hen that has 3 weeks olds... but she wouldn't have it.. she tried to attack them. so now i have to set up my brooder and put them in there until they are big enough to be on their own. which is a bummer.. i was hoping mama hen would take over mommy duties. So currently the hatched chicks are still in the incubator until I am able to get some wire to put over the brooder box... as i have to put these babies in the some chicken hut as the mama and her babies.. but i don't want them hurt. I'm about to go do that.. then I'll transfer the new chicks into the brooder, wait for the 4th to hatch then when it's fluffed i'll put that one in too.

Anyways.. I better get a move on here.. it's getting dark out! I'll post pics when i can.

 

[FarmMomof3]

So we only have 3 chicks that hatched out.. the 4th i accidently shrinkwraped.
They are under the heat lamp right now.. and happy as clams!

 

[LukeandAli]

I've only got a second to hop online, but, I had to tell you all that I've got one hatching right now!

I wasn't expecting them until tomorrow, but, I'm glad I locked down early (because some of them looked a little big). Leghorn egg #9 is pipped and working on zipping! Hopefully having one hatched will encourage the others to get to work!

I'll try to get back on in a few hours and update. Hoping and praying for a good hatch!

 

[Tanichca]

Lockdown starts for me in 2 hours! I candled last night, 11 eggs are still viable, out of the original 21.

There's one weird egg- a very big leghorn egg. The baby is roughly the same size as the other babies in other (far smaller) eggs, but there's a LOT of extra space in there. Could it hatch later than the others if there's so much extra yolk in there?

 

[LukeandAli]

Update! I just went to check on #9 because I was hearing a lot of noise and #6 was hatched! I didn't even know #6 was pipped! The little guy/gal is so cute and it keeps talking to #9.

 

[LukeandAli]

Another quick update: Leghorn egg #8 is pipped and so is LB2 (little brown egg #2)! Leghorn egg #9 is making some progress. The chick from #6 is doing great! I've decided that I love hatching in the egg carton pieces. So far, no mess at all and it is easier to tell when a chick has pipped because the egg color contrasts with the egg carton color (so it is easier to see shell pieces that have fallen off the egg). The chick that already hatched even left the "lid" of its egg on top of the bottom part when he/she hopped out. LOL. I'll post pix when I can. The chick is perfectly adorable and solid buttery yellow.

 

[itsren]

Congrats to those of you have chicks now!

FarmMomof3 - sorry about your last chick.