The 5th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[jbher]

#4 just hatched! Beautiful gold laced English orp. Yay!

 

[jbher]

Yeah I inevitably pull the chicks out and put mine in a brooder so they dry. I find my hatcher humidity rebounds super fast. I try not to open it more than once per day to get chicks out. Some people say don't do it! But it works out for me.

Okay I am considering this. The humidity has shot up now with the recent hatches so I'm sure it would be fine. When I opened to pull out my bleeding chick the humidity hardly dropped at all. I wonder how they'd react going into the brooder at night? I have the bator and the brooder in my bedroom (until tomorrow). I have a heat plate, not a heat lamp - so there's no light except the little night light I have set up next to the bator. Wonder if they'd spaz out moving now. I think I'd only do the first two chicks. Hmmm

 

[jbher]

Night!!! Thanks for your help!!!

 

[mnhomestead]

I have 6 out with several more pipped! Getting a bit crowded in the incubator since I have the different breeds separated into baskets. The baskets work great to keep them separate, but makes it nearly impossible to grab chicks out since the whole basket would have to come out to grab the chicks, thus exposing pipped eggs to outside incubator air

 

[BroosterSpringsteen]

I forced myself to leave the house for a few hours and socialize. I came back to find 2 pips in Blue Polish eggs! I should leave more often.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

One of the Faverolles is almost out!!!

 

[ronott1]

I have 6 out with several more pipped! Getting a bit crowded in the incubator since I have the different breeds separated into baskets. The baskets work great to keep them separate, but makes it nearly impossible to grab chicks out since the whole basket would have to come out to grab the chicks, thus exposing pipped eggs to outside incubator air

Get a clean spray bottle with hot clean water in it. Open the incubator and mist twice. Take out a basket and put the lid back on. Take the chicks out of the basket, close the basket and put the basket back into the incubator adding two more mist sprays. Band the chicks and put them into the brooder.

Make sure to write the band colors down in your notes!

I will be dong this for this hatch. I have SG Dorkings and New Heritage Delwares in baskets. Lots of fun!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Day 2 of Easter 2014 Hatch Madness: I have lost count of how many have hatched...LOL I have about a dozen hatched from the first batch set to hatch 2 days early, none of the Easter batch has popped yet & I have another entire bator full set for the 21st that needs to find space in the hatcher. These chicks in Batch 1 better hurry up. Batch 3 needs the space!!! I am expecting to have 80-100 babies from the 3 batches once all is done.

You can't lose count, we need the total chicks hatched!

I think you made a good call. Keep us posted, I think the bleeding should clot though.

Ditto.

No pips yet I think I have a dead hatch no movement and hatch day is tomorrow pray for the babies and me I don't know what I would do if none hatched

Don't give up! If your temps are low, they will be late.

[COLOR=333333]POTENTIAL WEEPING EGG QUESTION? Hi, everyone! Quick question from a virgin incubatress (me!): We are on day 20 in lockdown with everything looking good in terms of temp and humidity in our Brinsea Octagon 20. One Welsummer egg has a tiny amber colored drop on the outside, but no sign of pipping, and by tiny I mean like the size of a pinhead. When we went into lockdown we were having a very hard time seeing through the eggshells, but none of the ones we left in smelled suspicious, so even if the candling was inconclusive, we left the eggs. Our 21st day becomes complete Saturday night around 8PM. So far, no one is pipping. Advice? Thanks in advance and love seeing everyone's pictures in the 5th BHC Hatch-Along![/COLOR]

I'd take it out. I can candle welsummers with a very very bright light.

Okay here is chick #2 that I had to cornstarch it's umbilical area frantically. It's not dripping and the chick is acting totally fine. Is it okay in the bator or should I put it in something on it's own?

Okay is that a prolapsed vent??? Is that what it is? I see a white dot which isn't that usually a penis or something when you vent sex??

It will be fine where it is, you have a soft bottom in the incubator. Should heal up for you quickly.

[COLOR=800080]Ahhhhh!!!! I just put my ear against the nest box and I heard a chick chirping!!!!![/COLOR] e e [COLOR=800080]I am so excited... I am shaking!![/COLOR]

Yay!

I'm 300 posts behind...ahhh...no way I'm catching up, so sorry if I don't reply to anything directed to me!!! Congrats to everyone who has chicks hatching!! My nose has been stuck to my bator since I got home this morning, with chicks popping out one right after the other. So far 3 of 4 Mille Fleur, 5 of 7 Silkies and/or Silkie/Polish crosses, and 3 of 4 Seramas. All other bantams have pipped, and one Cochin mix as well as an EE has pipped. The Seramas didn't hatch well, AT ALL. The first two came out with HUGE bellies...like a LF egg yolk was in there! I have no idea what is going on...they couldn't even stand without rolling over onto their backs, because their bellies got in the way. The third one to hatch did so too early...when it came out of the shell, its navel was BLEEDING!!! I quickly opened the bator, grabbed the baby, and rushed to my kitchen where I slathered corn starch on it. When I looked at the inside of the shell, there was blood in it! Is this normal? For a chick to hatch when it wasn't ready??? I currently have the chick in a coffee cup in my second incubator. It is just laying on its back, all curled in a ball as if it was still inside the shell.

I've had a chick like the one in the cup. It was fine with rest, but it took a day. I've not had the floppy chicks, but it won't hurt them to be on their back.

ok. I need opinions. Leave them in incubator or move to brooder? I don't want to hurt the eggs who are still pipping

If your humidity is high, you can do a fast grab. Have someone else open and close the lid while you grab chicks. Only take out dry chicks and don't do it if anyone is zipping.

1st two out- olive egger and one of the coronation Sussex. One zipped and resting, several pipped and chirping. So very happy! Thanks so much to the three of you leading this HAL and to so many more of you for the vast knowledge.

You are welcome! So many folks here have a wealth of hatching knowledge!

So how long does it normally take them to fluff up? My first one out still isn't 100% dry. And it hatched 5hrs ago.

Depends on the incubator. No fan - it can take a while. Fan - usually pretty quick. If they are sticky, they can look wet, but are dry.

I think my sick chick has sour crop. Her crop is huge and squishy. But no smelly face or tenderness. Would it be Sour crop or could it just be a side effect of being without food and water? She is acting back to normal running around, eating and drinking and pooping normally. Except for that crop

Sour crop usually has a fowl smell with it. If the chick is acting fine, you probably just have a piggy eater.

help!

I agree with Ron, get that chick in a cup. If that yolk sac ruptures, it will not make it. I've had it happen before and the chick bled out.

Well, my second chick hatched - with assistance. It is obvious now why it couldn't do it on its own. It has a severe cross beak, and was badly positioned. I'm surprised it managed to pip into the air sac. It also only has one eye- the head is greatly misshapen. If it didn't have the cross beak, I would see how it managed. But it won't be able to eat, so I'll have my husband euthanize it when he gets home tomorrow. I'm really sad - about this chick, and because I only have 1 healthy chick out of 30 eggs. So my hatch came down to this: 30 eggs set with terrible air cells. Most did not develop. Nine had some development, but quit before day 10. Two went to lock down under a broody. 1 healthy chick. I never want to hatch shipped eggs again.

I'm sorry. Culling a chick is never easy. Don't be discouraged on shipped eggs though. I've had great luck with shipped eggs and some not so great hatches. It all depends on the packing and the post office.

 

[Penny Hen]

this is my first hatch. i have 8 chicks total today. i dont think the others are going to hatch, it looks like they are underdeveloped in the shell or something. i think i see movement in there, but im not sure, and they dont look full like the other eggs. ill leave them in the incubator for a little while longer and then i think i will give up on them. anyone else have this happen? ill have to get a photo.

i have one chick that is quite small and came out sticky and with crooked toes. that makes 2 with crooked toes from this batch. i splinted them both and the larger chick is having no problems walking now, but the little chick now has spraddle leg. im at a loss as to what to do =( he cant stand. i tried keeping them together (searched for solutions online) but that isnt doing anything for him. does anyone have any suggestions?

Use a bandaid to create a hobble. It will keep his legs centered under his body. Be sure he is not on slick surfaces.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I forced myself to leave the house for a few hours and socialize. I came back to find 2 pips in Blue Polish eggs! I should leave more often.

Watched pot never boils. Hatching is sllllloooooooowwwww. Best to keep busy!