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

[Hayduke27]

Here is a picture of my first chick to hatch. This is how I feel most Mondays...

 

[Noncentzter]

My hatch was over on Saturday. I had seven EEs hatch out of ten and six RIR mixes hatch out of ten, so my total hatch is 13.

 

[hockeydad6791]

16 for my total hatch. I set 36 & went into lockdown with 31. Just candled and no movement. Eggtopsy and all but 1 was a full chick. Looked normal except the yolks weren't absorbed and no internal pips from them either. Not sure what I did wrong. Of the hatched ones half born early and half on time. Temps were 102 most of the time except when I was opening to turn them and had a temp spike of 104 for about 5 hours on day 16. Humidity was 31to 36% durring incubation

 

[chippysmom327]

Just checking in with my final count; 10 out of 17 that made it to lockdown. My best percentage ever. They were all mixed breed mutts. 6 0f them went to a friend of mine to start her flock.

Isn't that such a cool feeling that you started someone's chicken keeping journey

 

[elorraine52]

Final count here;
6 chicks BCMxBR cross, one has a yellow spot on head
and
7 chicks blue marans!!!
Pretty good for a hatch I figured was doomed!! I almost gave up and unplugged the bator several times!!

 

[GerbilsOnToast]

Gilly the Guinea died today

I don't know how or why...I found her dead under the ecoglow.

The one I was keeping in my bra is still kickin...literally. I got some poly-vi-sol this morning and gave her a drop, and have periodically given her a drop or two of molasses water. I have her legs hobbled, and I made a neck brace out of Vetrap. She looks pathetic, but I didn't know what else to do. She won't eat or drink on her own, because she can't. So I have to hand feed her and water her, and I don't know how much I should be giving her

Up front - I've never hand-fed a chicken. I used to raise and hand rear parakeets, and I can tell you the feeding procedure for them after they're a week old, maybe there's something helpful in it.

1. Mix the feed with water to a medium gruel - it should not 'hold a peak' in the bowl, should be like thin applesauce and should be skin-temp warm. Set in larger pan of hot water to hold temp. Too hot can burn them, too cool (a parakeet) won't digest.
2. Mix about 50% more than you expect the chick will take.
3. Lay the chick on your non-dominant hand; stomach down, head extending past the side of your index finger (between finger & thumb, but much closer to fingertip) The crop should be laying on your index fingertip. You will feel it expand as it fills - keep checking as you feed.
4. Use a narrow spoon to offer feed to her - like a non-serrated grapefruit spoon. She should (eagerly) 'drink' it from the tip of the spoon. Don't pour it in, let her drink it off so she isn't aspirating the food.
5. Continue until the crop feels like a water balloon. It should not feel tight, nor overly floppy. With parakeets, it's every two hours and they let you know when it's time; I'm guessing the chicks will as well. Water is not given separately, it's part of a single feeding.

If she's active, you can hold her gently with your thumb. I'm betting that parakeets are a lot easier to feed than chicks, LOL!

 

[Happy Chooks]

The S shaped neck is wry neck. Try to get vitamins in that one too if you can. Once you start hearing clicking when they breathe, they are dying. I'm sorry for gilly, but you kept her comfortable.

I hear it clicking when it breathes.

I'm sorry.

Here is a picture of my first chick to hatch. This is how I feel most Mondays...

Congrats!

Final count here; 6 chicks BCMxBR cross, one has a yellow spot on head and 7 chicks blue marans!!! Pretty good for a hatch I figured was doomed!! I almost gave up and unplugged the bator several times!! e

Great job!

 

[Happy Chooks]

For those of you new to hatching and didn't have great results, most of hatching is learning your incubator. Make sure your thermometer is accurate. I use the brinsea spot check because it is super accurate. Most of all, keep trying. You will figure out what works for you.

My first hatch was not the greatest either.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

@Sally Sunshine . I posted this question earlier but I think it got missed. I set 15 chicken eggs plus 41 duck eggs ans some guinea eggs for the HAL. The chicken eggs are done now with a total of 9 out 15 hatched. The duck/guinea eggs are due this coming weekend and were included in my original count for the # of eggs set (I cleared this before including them). Should I wait until the duck/guinea eggs are done to report my total?

lets see what @mlmddh says

 

[mlm Mike]

Quote: You should turn in what has hatched, and update us after the ducklings and keets hatch. Thank You!