The 6th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[wornoutmomto3]

So I noticed this pip nearly 5 hours ago, and still no progress. I do still hear cheeping. At what point should I try to assist the chick?

In past hatches I have had chicks pip, zip, and pop in just over an hour and others take almost 24hrs. There was one that pipped then got stuck zipping and need some help out. That little chick took over 30 hours. Each chick is different. At this point I would advise patience. Keep an eye on the little guy and let them work. There is a really good post on BYC for assisted hatching. I don't remember the link, but it will walk you through step by step if assistance is needed.

edited because I found the link:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

 

[SandraBH]

My hatch is complete. Here are my stats. Olive Eggers, they were a bit camera shy. BCMs, BCM/Silky crosses and a couple of Buff Orpingtons that suddenly appeared after DW went to the feed store (not included in my stats)

Cute! I went to get layer feed on Friday and came home with four chicks...I told my mom...I slipped and fell and they stuck to me like burrs...what was I to do? Oops

 

[Happy Chooks]

I had two more hatch including the one which I dropped and cracked half way while locking down. So up to 43/52 on lockdown.3 more have pips.

Now tough call! One egg pipped almost  24 hrs ago. Can't seem to zip. I left it alone and was thinking it's dead. Took it out to candle and there was loud cheeping. So put it back but the membrane has completely dried up and is yellow/brown. I remember when I first saw it pip yesterday, there was a little blood on the pip site. Shall I open the shell and rescue? Its been almost 3 hrs now since I put the egg back, so a total of 27 hrs since it pipped.

If the membrane is brown, the chick is stuck. Go very, very slowly around the pip and stop if you see blood.

 
I HAVE A PIP!!! Only one, but 1>zero!

Finally!  Now hoping for more.  The pip is on one of the question marked eggs too. 

Can you typically hear cheeps after a pip, or am I crazy?!

So I noticed this pip nearly 5 hours ago, and still no progress.  I do still hear cheeping.  At what point should I try to assist the chick?

Way too early to think about helping. Wait, and sit on your hands.

 

[Amyloumomof2]

i have my eighth egg zipping right now, but when it's done how do you tell which eggs still are viable. Do I even bother? Day 21 was Saturday at noon for me.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Congrats to everyone with chicks, and chicks hatching!

 

[Junibutt]

Congratulations!

Hatch Update:
So worried when this morning when we had no pips. (Day 21-22)
Now we have 5 out of 6 eggs pipped. They'll be officially late, but I can deal with that much better than 0 hatching. (Especially when I couldn't think of what went wrong.) My best guess is that my broody was sitting on these eggs when the temps dipped down to the teens at night. I remember her water freezing solid many nights, so perhaps the initial incubation temps were lower than normal & delayed the hatch.

The hatch-a-long eggs were moved to our incubator so new replacement (science project) eggs could be incubated by the broody. it looks like we'll be getting our Easter chicks just a little late. Meanwhile, the broody is continuing to sit on the new eggs.

Just look at that determined little face!

Our Queen Cookie is enjoying breakfast in bed. Both water & food have been moved within stretching reach, so she never has to leave the nest. She also learned that we remove her waste right away, so when we go out to check on her, she makes a special poop just for us. (Always right on cue. I never imagined a chicken could learn to poop on a schedule. I seem to learn something new every time we hatch!)

Some chicken are smarter than we think and others plain dumb. Congrats on your hatch and Happy Easter!

 

[Dcat]

My final count of hatched chicks was 27. Although im happy with the chicks I am not happy that I lost so many babies. I know what I did wrong and I Wil not be incubating that way again. Everyone that hatched is health and growing, even the three I had to help. So to show off a few of these cuties, here's my grandaughter showing off her Easter duds.

 

[gevshiba]

What breed are the chipmunk chicks?

Speckled Sussex

 

[Junibutt]

I would say, get a paper towel and wet it with warm (99F) water and wring it out good. Take the egg out, wrap the paper towel around the "bottom" half. Gently remove the "top" of the egg in a circle replicating a zip....but do not help the chick out of the shell. Put the opened egg with the damp paper towel back in the incubator, upright if possible. The chick needs to push itself out of the shell......this is assuming that once the egg is open the chick is still breathing.

If the membrane is brown, the chick is stuck. Go very, very slowly around the pip and stop if you see blood.
Way too early to think about helping. Wait, and sit on your hands.

Thanks, I just checked on it again and a tiny piece of shell is off but not the membrane inside it. It is not brown but pale yellow where the piece fell off, but I think the membrane has become too tough for the chick to break or the chick is weak. Its still cheeping though. I will give it another half an hour and then go in.

 

[Math]

gutted. Somebody knocked over my incubator (which was on a backwards facing chair out of the way and kids only allowed in supervised) all four of the eggs in lockdown smashed. Only one had been viable but was dead, it's yolk was still up absorbed and one of it's blood vessels had ruptured in the fall.
I was really hoping that one little salmon favorelle would make it.
Luckily I have some three week old chickies here to console myself and a friend has four one day olds I can get Monday. But it's not the same as hatching your own.
Bator went in the bin as the yolk from two of the undeveloped maybe eggs had gone into the motor and it was making noises.
Expensive painful learning process.

rip sweeties.

I'm so sorry that happened. Try again and tell everyone to be careful.