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

[Gardeningmama]

This Edible Easter Contest was the toughest contest to judge so far. So many amazing entries, and we had a very difficult time narrowing this one down. I am not a creative person, so you all have exceeded my expectations of this contest!

We looked at creativity, use of materials, as well as the final look of the Edible Designs to judge the winning entries.

1st Place goes to:

madicakes

2nd Place goes to:

chiklee

And 3rd Place goes to:

LadyCluck77

Congratulations to the winners and Thank You to everyone that participated!​

CONGRATS ALL!!!!

I sooo want one of those cupcakes!

 

[quailtrail]

I need help!! My son called me at work that one of our chicks looked dead. I had to convince him to touch it. The chick opened its eyes but that was it. He was born Friday so 4 days old. Active this am now very lethargic. Little reflex when I picked him up. I used a syringe to feed it water. Took it well. I remembered I had Save a Chick packet so I mixed some up and he took a few more. I noticed the bedding was wet. Changed it out quickly dropped the lite back in and placed him back under the light. Now he's laying there asleep but appears to be breathing faster than normal. What else can I do???

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I need help!! My son called me at work that one of our chicks looked dead. I had to convince him to touch it. The chick opened its eyes but that was it. He was born Friday so 4 days old. Active this am now very lethargic. Little reflex when I picked him up. I used a syringe to feed it water. Took it well. I remembered I had Save a Chick packet so I mixed some up and he took a few more. I noticed the bedding was wet. Changed it out quickly dropped the lite back in and placed him back under the light. Now he's laying there asleep but appears to be breathing faster than normal. What else can I do???

I dont think anything more than you are, his vent isnt pasted shut correct? keep him warm and dry good luck with him.

 

[ronott1]

I need help!! My son called me at work that one of our chicks looked dead. I had to convince him to touch it. The chick opened its eyes but that was it. He was born Friday so 4 days old. Active this am now very lethargic. Little reflex when I picked him up. I used a syringe to feed it water. Took it well. I remembered I had Save a Chick packet so I mixed some up and he took a few more. I noticed the bedding was wet. Changed it out quickly dropped the lite back in and placed him back under the light. Now he's laying there asleep but appears to be breathing faster than normal. What else can I do???

There is supposed to be a spot that is 95 degrees where the chicks can warm up in. The rest of the brooder is a bit cooler so that they can move from the cool to the warm if need be. It sounds like yours was too cold, which can happen if they get wet.

Get a thremometer and make sure the temperature is correct. You can also observe them to see how they are behaving. Huddled up is too cold, separated and scattered around the brooder is too hot.

You will need to watch this one, it may develop pasty butt if it was cold.

 

[mlm Mike]

Both of the special needs chicks that hatched died today.

The silkie/polish wasn't a surprise. Found it dead this morning...surprised it lasted as long as it did.

The other one who kept kicking her legs back and over her head was a surprise, though. She was talking up a storm when I got up this morning. Went to feed her two hours later and she was gone.

At least I have 46 healthy babies, though!!!

I'm sorry to hear this.

 

[Happy Chooks]

OK my total count is 55 which kinda sucks if you start with my original 118, but not too bad if you start from the 79 i had once i pulled clears and you remember that almost all of them were eggs shipped during temperatures far below freezing.
3 silver duckwing
2 turkeys
3 chocolate old english bantam
2 black copper marans
3 ameraucana
2 lf frizzle cochin mix (from my flock)
1 blue marans
1 black mottled belgian d'anver
1 blue mottled begin d'anver
2 wheaten marans
2 splash silkie
4 araucana
3 sizzles
1 blue laced red wyandotte
5 bielefelders (possibly mixes- from my yard, 4 look like bielefelders one doesn't)
8 egyptian fayoumis
4 exchequer leghorn
8 that i must have forgotten to write down when they hatched - oops lol - seem to remember having 2 olive eggers hatch, and the rest are just the breeds above.

SO not the best hatch rate, but I am ok with it. the biggest hit i think was the araucanas- I bought 25 of them but the package arrived severely smashed and only 4 of them wound up hatching.

Wow, that's quite the assortment!

@HappyChooks /@Sally Sunshine

Humidity down to 66% and falling at the rate of 1% every hour. Day 20 starts in 2 hrs from now. Since none of my eggs have pipped so far, is it safe to open the bator quickly to add water and close it right away?

Yes, but be as quick as you can!

What can I do for this little ones vent? It has been like this since it hatched. It came out fast and I had to put it in a cup to absorb it's yolk. Now it just had poop stuck. I gently washed with warm water. It's acting totally fine. Eating and drinking. Of course now I put it back in the brooder and another chick went to peck it's vent. Ugh. Help please :-(

That doesn't look like the vent, it looks like the umbilical. Put some neosporin on it or Vetericyn wound spray. It will need to be brooded separately until it's healed.

Okay, so I broke a rule.

I don't believe in helping breeder chicks hatch. I think you are taking vigor out of your flock if you do. I don't mind if it is a layer, or a meat bird, but not with a breeder.

My Easter hatch went well. They started piping on Friday morning, early, and by Saturday afternoon I moved the chicks to the brooder. I always try to leave unhatched eggs in the bator for a few days in case I have some late hatchers. I needed the hatcher cleaned out for another batch, so on Sunday evening, I took an unhatched egg out of the bator and just as it was about to be tossed, I heard a faint peep. It is from my breeders, but I just couldn't stand it. I candled to find the air cell and opened a hole. The chick had internally pipped, the membrane looked good but the chick was not moving. To make a long story short, I stayed up till 2am working the little booger out, thinking the whole time that I would end up culling it because it wouldn't help at all. Whenever I touched it, the chick would peep, sometimes loudly, but it wouldn't try to get out. It never kicked, it never pecked, it just sat there waiting for me to get it out. I finally was able to free it from the shell. The yolk was fully absorbed, it was sticky, but the bird was well formed, physically. It was a bit "mushy" but otherwise looked good. I gave it a bit of physical therapy (gently stretched it's neck, wings, legs, etc.) and some PolyViSol. I put it in a cup with it's legs under it and left it in the bator. When I got up Monday morning, the chick was out of the cup and walking around the bator! I moved it to the brooder and if it weren't for the blue food coloring I put on it's back, I wouldn't be able to tell it from the others. Now, I still won't use it for breeding, but I have to admit that I am glad that I didn't toss the little darling.

What the heck, I guess I'm just an old softy, afterall...........

I understand your feelings. Every once in a while, you get one that tugs at you.

Oh my goodness, my cockerel crowed for the first time, then second, then third! I have never had a rooster. Now, when will this boy start making fertilized eggs? He is just over 5 months old is all. He isn't acting like I've heard roosters act, like sharing food..he's a pig. He runs off with the treats so the others won't get it. lol..I think it may be a while yet before he is a real rooster.

When the hens accept him and let him mate. HRIR's are gorgeous, congrats! I love my roosters, wouldn't go without one.

Both of the special needs chicks that hatched died today.

The silkie/polish wasn't a surprise. Found it dead this morning...surprised it lasted as long as it did.

The other one who kept kicking her legs back and over her head was a surprise, though. She was talking up a storm when I got up this morning. Went to feed her two hours later and she was gone.

At least I have 46 healthy babies, though!!!

I'm sorry they passed, but better now than later. You have a lot of healthy babies to be thankful for!

I guess I am still hatching.... Well, not me, but broodies and the Brinsea Mini Advance Ex incubator. I did set the broody eggs a day late and the incubator eggs two days late.

Three chicks hatched under two broodies on Easter, the singleton in one nest got smushed with hen traffic, but the other two are mothered by a banty EE who isn't allowing ANY hen into HER bucket.

Sparkle the House Silkie is still on her assigned eggs but no pips as far as I can see. She's done very well for the first three times I gave her eggs but this time...... Not sure .....

However, two eggs in the Brinsea hatched this morning so I am pretty jazzed. So far, I have three live Penedesenca chicks and one live BCM chick.

I subscribe to the belief that ANY chick hatched is a miracle!

How's that wild turkey egg doing?

I need help!! My son called me at work that one of our chicks looked dead. I had to convince him to touch it. The chick opened its eyes but that was it. He was born Friday so 4 days old. Active this am now very lethargic. Little reflex when I picked him up. I used a syringe to feed it water. Took it well. I remembered I had Save a Chick packet so I mixed some up and he took a few more. I noticed the bedding was wet. Changed it out quickly dropped the lite back in and placed him back under the light. Now he's laying there asleep but appears to be breathing faster than normal. What else can I do???

It probably got chilled from being wet. You can warm it up with a blow drier on medium heat and medium speed.

Quote: Hey, I was going to say all that. Super ditto!

 

[DCchicken]

I need help!! My son called me at work that one of our chicks looked dead. I had to convince him to touch it. The chick opened its eyes but that was it. He was born Friday so 4 days old. Active this am now very lethargic. Little reflex when I picked him up. I used a syringe to feed it water. Took it well. I remembered I had Save a Chick packet so I mixed some up and he took a few more. I noticed the bedding was wet. Changed it out quickly dropped the lite back in and placed him back under the light. Now he's laying there asleep but appears to be breathing faster than normal. What else can I do???

I will sometimes stick them back in the incubator for a day or two if they look like they are going downhill. The constant temp and moisture of the incubator will help the chick recover. You don't have to worry about other chicks bothering them either.

 

[czoellner]

Quote:
Terrible just terrible. STarted with 24 eggs. 11 at lockdown, 5 hatched, died. Left with 3 and 1 of them concerns me. I am so depressed over this whole affair. Seems like when I just started my first and second hatches everything was super fast and good. Got over 70% hatch rates.... This time I have like a 95% loss. Just sad sad sad.... We had a temp spike one day, don't know if someone played with the settings or what but I had hopes.... Then the power outage from H#$%.... and when I got home from work the temps were at 66 degrees! I got everything back up and good. On lockdown those 11 were all wiggling and moving around. Looking good.... Then this.... I just sat there and cried when I was candling them again, wondering what happened.... The 2 that died, 1 had the yolk sac dangling out and I tried to keep him/her secluded from the others and confined so as not to pull anything. But when she cheeped it looked like that sac got bigger and bigger. Then another one just keeled over in front of me and died. No cheep, no spasm, nothing. I checked it all over and could find nothing wrong with it.... I have one more that has a bit of sac still hanging, but it's dried and hard... But, I TERRIFIED of hurting it but trying to snip it off.... What if it's not quite dried all the way inside and I snip it and he/she bleeds to death? Now the guy up the road that was wanting all these chicks said that since I only have 2 or 3 to give him, he'd like to wait until I have more to supply him with so he's passing on these 3.... I feel bad since they were for someone else, not me. .... ... Oh the joys and sorrows of hatching babies....

 

[PAchickenlover]

Help!!! Please, one of my chicks that had hatched had splayed legs. I put splints (band-aids) on it right after it hatched. I took the splints off and the little legs are no better. Is there anything else I can do for it or should I just cull it? It gets around some but not near as good as the others.. Is there any hope?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Help!!! Please, one of my chicks that had hatched had splayed legs. I put splints (band-aids) on it right after it hatched. I took the splints off and the little legs are no better. Is there anything else I can do for it or should I just cull it? It gets around some but not near as good as the others.. Is there any hope?

You need to leave the splints on for several days at least. I normally leave them on until they fall off. (about a week) Hobble the chick again.