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

[Sueg4332]

ducks would have starved to death.
I had a cat raise to chihuahua puppies for me once. All the vet told me the pups would die. The milk wasn't good enough for pups. Wrong!!!! the puppies thrived as good as the 5 manx kittens she had. The funny thing is at the time it was time for the kittens and puppies to go to their new homes . The cat didn't even look for the kittens. But she hunted high and low for the chihuahua pups. In peoples coat everywhere.
I think it was because the kitten didn't mind very well as they got older, they were getting way to indented. The puppies on the other hand followed her around, and if they were playing and she called them, they came just running to her with kisses and hugs.
The great difference between puppies and kittens. and a mothers love. It was great to watch...

It totally amazed me ducks would be that smart to suckle on the cat. The bond doesn't surprise me.....

 

[TJChickens]

Ok, Incubation Question:
I have the Farm Inovators Pro Series Incubator 4200, ciculated air, egg turner, blah blah...
Ive hatched literally dozens & dozens of egg in this bator I really like it and for the most part ive perfected how I like incubating. I usually hatch my own eggs, from my flocks. I bought an 18 pack that was mailed from only about 4hrs from me... the air cells were a bit detached but all but 4 developed up untill the last week, then died in the egg. I then bought another 10eggs and had them shipped from Connecticut to California. I let them rest longer than the 1st shipped batch before putting them in. All but 1 developed & showed great movent when candled at day 7 & day 14... yesterday was day 21 and only 2 have hatched so I candled and I believe the rest are dead in the egg :-(
I have 95% to 98% hatch rate on all my other eggs (not shipped). Does anyone have any input on what may be happening here? The first batch were Brahmas and this last batch were D'uccles, if that matters...? I really dont think its the moisture content in the egg, like there drowning at first pipe (its never been an issue in my others) Any and all input is welcome... I'm really upset this last batch did not make it!
Thanks all

The majority of shipped eggs that I have received with loose air cells have done exactly the same thing. Often, the only ones I can save are those that I've noticed the internal pip ans I can help from there.Most often, they die at day 19-21 before pipping....That's been my experience...And the distance they were shipped doesn't seem to matter. I've had them just as messed up from two hours away as across the US.

 

[Penny Hen]

So sorry for your hatch! Tried quail earlier this year, but many shrink wrapped even at 40 % humidity (it dipped while I was at work). Hopefully your next hatch will be perfect!

I have to save up for it but I am going to get a reptile humidifier to solve that problem. You program it for the humidity you want it to hold and fill the water tank. The humid air is pumped into the incubator. It runs about $60 to $70 dollars depending on who you buy it from. Extreme low humidity was one of the problems but a fluxuating temp between 89 to 100 throughout the day was the most damaging. Of my Bantam Welly eggs it turned out that all but two were scrambled and those two didn't develop. The easter eggers had a few scrambled and some had blood rings. I still have to eggtopsy the last 8 that made it to lockdown. Only 4 of the quail developed at all. Have to open them up and see what happened too.

 

[TJChickens]

It totally amazed me ducks would be that smart to suckle on the cat. The bond doesn't surprise me.....

Are they REALLY suckling? Or do you think they are just doing that preening pinchy thing that ducks do? Are they actually getting milk?

 

[TJChickens]

Trying to catch up here after too many days of animal drama to sit at the computer....


Here is an update on the HAL cockatoo....his eyes are just starting to open Eating every three and a half hours now! And sharing his brooder, (in his own container), with the two call ducklings that took me 4 days to hatch. Assistance needed all the way....

This is a picture of the cockatoo right after eating. Note the full crop! Be glad you raise chickens

And the little calls

These are the the little guys from shipped eggs with very bad air cells...

 

[redneckchic]

The majority of shipped eggs that I have received with loose air cells have done exactly the same thing. Often, the only ones I can save are those that I've noticed the internal pip ans I can help from there.Most often, they die at day 19-21 before pipping....That's been my experience...And the distance they were shipped doesn't seem to matter. I've had them just as messed up from two hours away as across the US.

Ok well thanks for the feed back... that seems to be what im getting as responce. Glad to know its probly not anything im doing or not doing. Im hardly new to incubating eggs, however this spring has been my 1st experience with shipped eggs. I knew there would be more loss of course, guess I just didnt realize how much. How do you know when they have pipped internally? When you can hear them cheeping inside... or can you tell from candling?

 

[Gardeningmama]

Trying to catch up here after too many days of animal drama to sit at the computer....


Here is an update on the HAL cockatoo....his eyes are just starting to open Eating every three and a half hours now! And sharing his brooder, (in his own container), with the two call ducklings that took me 4 days to hatch. Assistance needed all the way....

This is a picture of the cockatoo right after eating. Note the full crop! Be glad you raise chickens

And the little calls

These are the the little guys from shipped eggs with very bad air cells...

They are precious...every one of them! Congrats on the two Calls. My drama starts again tomorrow, with 5 Calls due, already looking like 1 quitter today, ugh! I swear when this is over I'm gonna hatch a batch of chicks just to prove to myself that I'm not crazy and I can successfully hatch something!

 

[TJChickens]

Ok well thanks for the feed back... that seems to be what im getting as responce. Glad to know its probly not anything im doing or not doing. Im hardly new to incubating eggs, however this spring has been my 1st experience with shipped eggs. I knew there would be more loss of course, guess I just didnt realize how much. How do you know when they have pipped internally? When you can hear them cheeping inside... or can you tell from candling?

I candle at least once a day during so called lock down. I mist the inside of the incubator when I open it and don't seem to have any problem with humidity loss. I feel it's important to have a good idea of what's going on inside eggs that started out with bad air cells. Even if the cells look pretty normal by the end. It has helped me to have the shipped eggs in their own incubator while my home grown eggs are in a different incubator.

 

[SilkieSensation]

[COLOR=800080]DH had a lone Blue Wheaton Ameraucana hatche after the ice storm in SC.  We were surprised that any hatched after electricity was lost during incubation.  The chick he named Stormy was given stuffed Care Bear and a wash cloth to cuddle up to.  He brought it out to the brooder coop after several weeks and it still crawled into the the little container with the stuffed animal and wash cloth even though it was placed with other chicks its size.  He also runs to DH when he goes into the coop to feed them.  I found out that DH would let the chick sit on his shoulder when he was working the computer at work, thus he is accustom to being handled by him.  Now we think Stormy is a cockerel and is still acting like more of a pet.  Hopefully he will be a good rooster to our pullets that are a few weeks younger.[/COLOR]

We had a lone hatcher over the winter. It spent a moonth in a box in my daughter's room with a bath poof to snuggle. She named it Puffers. It then moved to the livingroom for another month with 2 different groups of meaties that quickly out grew her. When she hit 2 months old, she joined the layer coop with my polish & silkies when they went out. Puffers will come up to you & talk to you until you pick her up & snuggle her. She still doesn't think she's a chicken. She's convinced she's a people...lol

 

[TJChickens]

They are precious...every one of them! Congrats on the two Calls. My drama starts again tomorrow, with 5 Calls due, already looking like 1 quitter today, ugh! I swear when this is over I'm gonna hatch a batch of chicks just to prove to myself that I'm not crazy and I can successfully hatch something!

Oh no! You have to go through that again!!! I hope it goes better this time. I have a few more call eggs being shipped here next month. I think I'm officially crazy to put myself through this on purpose again. I had a little golden pheasant hatch out in the incubator today all by himself as it should be! What a pleasure
Best of luck with your hatch, I'll be thinking about you. Please let us know how it goes....