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

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: This egg that is zipped? if its this far zipped get it out its ready,
you may need to wash it with warm water and dawn, but dont get water in nares!
if it ruptured yolk see the assist article, there is a example of chick that has ruptured yolk

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I need help. One of my Khaki Campbell ducks pipped on the side of the egg facing down - not wrong end just facing bottom of incubator. I didn't realize he was pipped so I don't know how long. I do know he has been wiggling ALOT and making lots of noise for over 4 hours. I noticed the egg was kinda turning colors so I turned it over and realized then that he had pipped and there is a dark sticky substance down that side of the egg and it looks like maybe the membrane is drying out? He is not wiggling the egg any more but now that I can see his beak, he is still moving a little but I think he's exhausted! What has caused the egg to turn colors like it has? What is that sticky stuff on the outside? And do I try to help him out now or give him more time?

Ducks take a long time to absorb, if there is alot of fluid you can use a qtip and sop up any excess fluid at nares so he dont drown. only open a chip of the hole away above the beak to get the qtip inside to the nares. (nostriles) and then follow the assist article, give him time, just watch how all the others are progressing, when did this one pip in EASTERN time?

 

[CherokeeFlats]

We had one hatch on Saturday and one hatch on Easter Sunday. So far, only one has made it but, one is better than none!!!

 

[Arielle]

My results: 7 of 8 OE's and my one Wheaten Maran. The other three eggs don't look good now - so I'm probably done.

Are Maran's harder to hatch? I guess I should ask on the Maran thread.

It was fun!

YEs-- the marans have a thick paint and that seems to effect incubating, especially if shipped. I have low hatch rates on shipped eggs; a little better in my incubator, and far better under a broody!! Some poeple carefully remove some of that paint top to bottom like water melon stripes using a nail file very carefully and disinfect the shell after all that handling. SOme marans breeders have no problem hatching -- for me the darker the egg, the harder to hatch.

GOOD MORNING ALL!! I need to check on the chickens and head to work. I will catch up later. Have a wonderful day. Hug a chick today!

Will do and back atcha.

 

[jbenson]

last pip hatched over night. 8 babies. The other 4 eggs have done nothing. I'm leaving them while I'm at work all day and candling this evening if I don't see anything external when I get home. I've had some weird issues with the d'Uccles. They seem to be really fragile in the incubation stage. Had a lot more early quitters than I'm used to.

Out of 40 set, 19 were clears (this I attribute to the cold temps during collection and the time they were sitting prior to incubation - some up to 3 weeks to get a full 'bator with 3 hens) and 2 were blood rings on day 7 that never developed. Had 3 more early quitters by day 14. 12 went into lockdown, 8 hatched. I will update this evening if anything changes, but I kinda doubt it will. This is my first year hatching this breed from my own stock. Fertility seems good, viability of chicks that hatch has been great. I'm thinking this next batch I won't candle them more than once before lockdown and I might leave them in the turner to candle to see if handling them less helps. There's only 7 of them in there right now and they were super fresh when they went in, so I'm hoping for a better hatch of them in 3 weeks.

Anyone with experience with d'Uccles have any tips? DH wants these to be our primary hatching breed, but with the low numbers they've been pulling, I'd need a lot more birds to make this feasible.

 

[Sclark73]

End count is: 83 set, 34 hatched. Many problems with this hatch, infertility, calibrating a new home made incubator and well just some didn't make it. Some pipped but died after, some were close and died at lockdown which I figure happened when I moved from one incubator to another. Overall I'm satisfied with the results as it has enlightened me on some thing that I can do different. Mainly not purchase eggs from 2 of the farms as their eggs only hatched 4 total. The third farmers eggs had the bests results outside of my own eggs which all but 2 hatched. Lesson learned.
Here's a pic of them so far minus the ones still drying in the bator.

 

[roostereggs]

Final results (I left 2 BCM in there just in case, but no movement for a few days).

31 set, 15 to lockdown, and 9 hatched. I got none of my 6 BCMs, but I have 9 of the cutest ever Rhodebars!

 

[HarrietB]

This egg that is zipped? if its this far zipped get it out its ready,
you may need to wash it with warm water and dawn, but dont get water in nares!
if it ruptured yolk see the assist article, there is a example of chick that has ruptured yolk

Thank you so much for the help, i didn't want to help it just in case it wasn't ready and I caused more damage! It is certainly moving about allot and is very noisy! if you tap on the lid of the incubator he gives really big pushes. Ive done an assisted hatch before so I will see if i can give a little bit of help to this little one and get him cleaned up, hopefully its not allot

 

[HarrietB]

Thank you so much for the help, i didn't want to help it just in case it wasn't ready and I caused more damage! It is certainly moving about allot and is very noisy! if you tap on the lid of the incubator he gives really big pushes. Ive done an assisted hatch before so I will see if i can give a little bit of help to this little one and get him cleaned up, hopefully its not allot

Further to this, ive just had a little help, he is is a bit of a funny position, so ive only loosened the egg a little and have popped him back in so he can have a wriggle and get himself into a position to hatch. does this seem okay, Im reluctant to whisk him out just incase! Do we know how they can get a ruptured yolk? he has been in lockdown for the past few days

 

[BadgerHill]

My hatch finished with 10 out if 12 eggs. The last one hatched yesterday around 9 am. It was great fun participating! I will post pictures later today