The 7th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-A-Long!

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
Seven Cream Legbar eggs from my best hen.

 

[Razadia]

I just want to rip my hair out right now!

I woke up to my son looking into an OPEN incubator. He didn't mess with the chicks, but he may have compromised my entire hatch. That boy is a ninja. I don't hear him when he gets out of bed in the morning and I didn't hear him go in the other room. Now I have a fully zipped chick that's stuck. It can't push the top of the shell off. The membrane is stuck to it all the way around!

I added more water before I closed it.



The chick that pipped the wrong end died sometime last night. I figured it would go one way or the other.

In other news from the incubator. Panda Chick! IT has spots over both eyes, but it moved before I could get a pic.

 

[henless]

Seven Cream Legbar eggs from my best hen.

Congrats! I hope they all hatch!!

I've got 38 Cream Legbars from 5 of my hens. This will be my first hatch.
I just hope some of them hatch!!

 

[sjturner79]

I just want to rip my hair out right now! I woke up to my son looking into an OPEN incubator. He didn't mess with the chicks, but he may have compromised my entire hatch. That boy is a ninja. I don't hear him when he gets out of bed in the morning and I didn't hear him go in the other room. Now I have a fully zipped chick that's stuck. It can't push the top of the shell off. The membrane is stuck to it all the way around! I added more water before I closed it. The chick that pipped the wrong end died sometime last night. I figured it would go one way or the other. In other news from the incubator. Panda Chick! IT has spots over both eyes, but it moved before I could get a pic.

You can use a q-tip to moisten the membrane with water or cooking oil. If that doesn't release it, you can also take the small part of the shell off the check and just let it kick its way out of the larger part of the shell.

 

[JoyfulPromise]

I just want to rip my hair out right now!

I woke up to my son looking into an OPEN incubator. He didn't mess with the chicks, but he may have compromised my entire hatch. That boy is a ninja. I don't hear him when he gets out of bed in the morning and I didn't hear him go in the other room. Now I have a fully zipped chick that's stuck. It can't push the top of the shell off. The membrane is stuck to it all the way around!

I added more water before I closed it.



The chick that pipped the wrong end died sometime last night. I figured it would go one way or the other.

In other news from the incubator. Panda Chick! IT has spots over both eyes, but it moved before I could get a pic.

If the membrane is really dried on that zipped egg you will have to help it. I would take the egg out and wrap it in a warm wet paper towel to help re-moisten the membrane, then carefully try to unstick/loosen the edges of the membrane around the zipped part. Then put the egg back in the incubator and see if the chick can get out by itself. You may have to assist more if it is really stuck. Good luck!

 

[Happy Chooks]

YAYAYYAYAYAYA its that time already!!! Morning Happy Chooks!!

Morning Sally!

I just want to rip my hair out right now!

I woke up to my son looking into an OPEN incubator. He didn't mess with the chicks, but he may have compromised my entire hatch. That boy is a ninja. I don't hear him when he gets out of bed in the morning and I didn't hear him go in the other room. Now I have a fully zipped chick that's stuck. It can't push the top of the shell off. The membrane is stuck to it all the way around!

I added more water before I closed it.



The chick that pipped the wrong end died sometime last night. I figured it would go one way or the other.

In other news from the incubator. Panda Chick! IT has spots over both eyes, but it moved before I could get a pic.

You will have to help the zipped egg. That chick is stuck. Use a warm, damp wash rag and very carefully peel the membrane away. Once you free the chicks head, it should be able to get all of the way out on it's own.

 

[GitaBooks]

Hi all! I'm thousands of posts behind! No way I can catch up. I'm sure there are lots of hatching stories and lots of lock down ones. GO CHICKIES GO!!!!!!

For me - Lock down today! I started this HAL with 60, took out 15 of my 19 silkies. My rooster was not doing his job in February. Took out all the Trader Joe eggs. Was ready to lock down the rest, and I dropped a Spitzhauben chick. I opened the Brinsea when it was tilted and this one came loose. It bled EVERYWHERE and soon died.

That leaves me with 15 Spitzhauben, 15 Bantem Blue EE eggs and 4 of my own silkies. Lots of Wonky air cells, but I laid them all flat and will hope for the best!

This is my first hatch in the Brinsea - let's hope it goes better than my LG or my deathbator!

As a side note, my deathbator is actually hatching chicks. 17 eggs in, 5 have hatched, 2 more are pipped. Let's hope I wake up to more chicks!!

Happy hatching everyone!!

I'm sorry about the chick that died. I hope the rest of your little guys do well. I want to see pictures of little Spitzhaubens.

Only 3 out of the 8 fertile eggs made it to lock down. such a disappointment after a good test hatch, my incubator did spike to 102 several times during this incubation. Hoping all the 3 hatch then I'll get them 3 more from feed store to make an even number

. It's chicken math and hubby doesn't get it LOL!!! hope i'll get some speckled sussex to add some color to the flock.

I love the sussex, especially the speckled version. They are so cool as teens when the white starts leaking among the brown.

4 chicks now!

Congrats!

OK I went on lockdown last night around 11pm and I already have a baby born, the baby looks good but WOW that seems really fast. Should I worry because the others do not seem to be too far behind.... After only 4 hatches I have gone from "hurry and be born" to "SLOW DOWN and take your time" LOL

Some chicks are just so ready to get out. Don't worry about the others, they'll listen to the sound of the hatching chick and get to work.

We are READY! anticipation is at a high level for our Seniors and Staff

That's so awesome. Keep us updated.

This morning makes day 19.5 and... not one external pip. I know I have no excuse whatsoever to be panicking yet but I'm totally panicking. My first hatch of 20 eggs resulted in 2 chicks. My second hatch of 18 eggs resulted in 7 chicks. Now, my third hatch of 24 eggs resulted in 2 chicks. I can feel the hope just trickling away for my 30 EE eggs in the incubator. Come on guys, give me sign of life!

I feel the same way about mine! I lost so many during my test hatch and I'm almost afraid to even think about my eggs now. But don't give up yet, they're just getting ready. The quiet before the storm.

Up to 5 pips here - 3 Silkies, plus the two Wheaten AM's that pipped last night.

Still looking for the first pip on the Jubilee Orps, Bielefelders, and Swedish Flower Hens.

Congrats to all those who already have hatched chicks!

I am a bit frustrated with the Ova-Easy incubator as it seems to struggle SO much to get humidity over 55%!!

I had the same trouble last week with my first hatch - it does great up to 50%, then struggles to 55%, and runs constantly with little to no results trying to get up to 60%! It has the automatic humidity control and reservoir, which is definitely working, and the evaporation tray is filling up with water, but just doesn't seem to be raising the humidity like it should.

I finally got it to go up over 60% by opening the door quickly and splashing some hot water on a folded papertowel that I have lining the floor in front of the hatching tray. When the chicks start hatching, it does go up a little, it got up to 67% once last week during the hatch, but if it drops between hatchings, it struggles again to raise the humidity again to a decent hatching level! Anyone else on here have experience with one of the Brinsea Ova-Easy cabinet incubators, and any tips on humidity control during lockdown?

I've never had that sort of incubator, but congratulations on the chicks that hatch! I hope the rest make it out well.

You guys are freaking me out with the early hatches - I am not ready for them to hatch yet! I keep whispering to them, "Wait, wait, go slow..."

- Ant Farm

Yeah, they don't need to rush it.

I just want to rip my hair out right now!

I woke up to my son looking into an OPEN incubator. He didn't mess with the chicks, but he may have compromised my entire hatch. That boy is a ninja. I don't hear him when he gets out of bed in the morning and I didn't hear him go in the other room. Now I have a fully zipped chick that's stuck. It can't push the top of the shell off. The membrane is stuck to it all the way around!

I added more water before I closed it.



The chick that pipped the wrong end died sometime last night. I figured it would go one way or the other.

In other news from the incubator. Panda Chick! IT has spots over both eyes, but it moved before I could get a pic.

I'm sorry about the chick you lost, but wow that little chick in the last picture is SOOO cute! I love the black on the eyes. Sometimes I wish the adult chickens kept their chick pattern more.

 

[Razadia]

Thank you both for reminding me that it IS ok to help in an emergency. Turns out it was worse than just stuck. It was glued in. No blood (obviously since it had fully zipped) and yolk was completely absorbed. It's back, neck, and head were glued to the membrane and in places the shell was glued to the membrane. I went ahead and helped it out completely. It's now back in the incubator. There's still a strip of membrane on its head and in a few other places and it has some crazy hard bits of 'fluff'.

 

[Razadia]

Quote:
I hope it does keep its pattern. That one is just too cute to let go.

 

[Penny Hen]

Had 3 more quail hatch but lost 4. Forgot to account for the birds exhalation raising the humidity. I turned the fogger off last night and still the humidity was 84% this morning with the fan running all the time. I am going to put a waterer in the incubator because it looks like I have got to move the brooder to my bathroom because the basement i to cool at the moment for me to get above 78˚ with my heating pad brooder. That and one of the cats have a morbid facination with the sounds coming from the incubator. I was bent over in the incubator removing the dead birds and venting the excess moisture when he leaped and hung from my butt meowing at me. OUCH! Had one that hadn't absorbed the yolk and I bandaided so it wouldn't step on it. Put in a a nursery plastic container to put new hatches in so the quail farther along aren't trampling them. Have one that group that I don't think is going to make it. Don't have any polyvisol or Nutri-Drench. Got to run to the store on the scooter and get some. Got him to drink a few sips of water. Will get a few more down him when I take down the waterer for the the rest of the quail chicks. Chicken eggs are hanging in there now pips yet. I still have at least half of the quail eggs . As eggs closer to the hotter bulb keep hatching I keep moving the other eggs into their place.



This one was dead under a pile of quail between one of my big rocks that I use for a heat sink and the wall.



This one is dead out in the middle of the floor of the incubator. I think the excessive humidity and heat got this one. If anyone knows different let me know. I have another one still living that is extending the legs behind him and arching like this that I am trying to save.