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

I've culled my eggs that were not developing and I'm down to 17 eggs, some of which will hatch after April 1st. There is only one white egg left, but it's very lively. I have 5 dark brown eggs, a beige one, a green one (all local, from the Chicken Girls in Forestville via Andy's market) and a set of light brown eggs (Rock Island, shipped hundreds of miles, half of them had rolling air cells, a few also had hairline cracks). It's very hard to candle brown and green eggs with my little flashlight, there might be veins and eyes and whatnot in there, but I just can't see them.
The eggs have turned dark inside except for the air cells, it's day 13 for them.

I'm looking forward to hatch day for my mystery chickens.
 
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This hatch has been hard. Not sure what happened but the chicks were mostly late and some still aren't done. We have 5 eggs left in the bator now two haven't pipped. I hope they make it but I suspect one is dead already. I have three assisted chicks in the bator right now including one that I believe had fluid in his lungs based on his gasping for breath.

Out if 36 eggs that went into lockdown one slw/buff orp mix died while zipping, we lost 4/5 of the my pet chicken eggs that went into lockdown a couple may have been around day 18

So far we have 16 healthy chicks in the brooder with two healthy assists in the bator and the one little gasping chick, a SLW, it doesn't seem to be working as hard to breathe I hope that's a good sign but I wont be surprised if it passes away. I have been up all night so far waiting for the little ones to be ready to be assisted. Idk what's going one with this hatch @Sally Sunshine if you could help me figure out what happened I would love the help. Idk how to describe it. It's like sticky chick but worse even our own eggs were pipping in the wrong spots completely backwards. The eggs were water logged but it was more the consistency of slightly soft jello or jam. I have not encountered this before. Ugh please any ideas I don't want another hatch to go this way again. The egg even holds its shape when the membrane is removed.

Any advice on the hatch or the little gasping chick would be greatly appreciated. Thank you guys.

Strangely my 1st broody due yesterday/today is also late and has no peeling or anything at this time. Although in an oops we did discover that one of her eggs is pipped but at the wrong end too.
Have another broody due tomorrow for the hatch-a-long and then the first one and the last of the chicks. Will then give my final number.
 
Oh I also forgot to mention that when little gasping chickie finally got out of his/her egg I noticed that it had a lump above its right shoulder by its neck. I now realize it's probably the crop. However it was quite large and its obvious to me that the chick was swallowing the icky goo. What made it more odd was that the bulge had clear air bubbles in it visible through the skin. I've never seen anything like it. I should have gotten pictures but I was just trying to keep the little thing alive. Using paper towel I wiped it's mouth every time it seemed full of fluid I also wiped it's nares repeatedly. I found that when I pushed on the bulge/bubbles(then not realizing it was the crop) I could hear the bubbles come out. While the chick held pieces of paper towel in its mouth I vommited the chick and tipped it down for a couple of seconds at a time, changing the paper towel piece as needed.

I also managed to get some electrolytes in it. Via a few very small bits of water I used my finger nail to give it.

The chick has barely opened its eyes except a few times and has been mostly unresponsive until the last time I wiped it's flare I got a small feeble cheep and it was the most beautiful sound. It is currently laying in a basket in the incubator on its side with a piece of paper towel under its beak and nare to collect any fluid the chick has come up. I have changed this paper towel once since coming up with it.

I got the chick out at 2-2:30 am and it is now 5:30 am and it's still alive. I must go to sleep although a part of me feels guilty for doing so. Will post more tomorrow if I forgot anything and will give an update on gasping chickie and the rest of the hatch.

Please keep them in you thoughts and prayers as this is a new experience for me and with gasping chickie especially I'm just going on instinct.

Goodnight all Happy Easter
 
@mlm Mike Final count 28
Congratulations! Thank You!

mlm
@Sally Sunshine

Final count
30 set
13 to lock down
7 hatched

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Congrats. on the 7! Thank you!

Couldn't help my self just put 42 more eggs in the bator. All barnyard mixes. The barnyard mixes I hatched for the hatch along. Went to there knew home today my moms friend bought them all. She was in love with them.
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You should join us over on the April hatch a long: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...april-hatch-a-long-hosted-by-mike-sally/0_100

Quote: Do it Banti!
 
Looks like my hatch is finally over.

Set-101

Lockdown-89

Hatch-67

I'm pretty happy with this hatch :) my shipped eggs did good and out of 9, 6 hatched so I now have 6 new beautiful silkies. I also ended up with 5 new, surprise lavender ameraucana babies which will grow out and replace some of my blacks for future breeding. AND I have 3 new varieties of turkeys now. Some mottled blacks, a few silver dapple, and one royal palm (husband has already laid claim to her and named her Queenie lol).

Congrats to everyone on their new babies! I'll try to post pictures later on :)
 
Final baby count for me is 21 live babies


out of 50 kind of sucked but most of the ones that didn't hatch were the ones I got from someone else.... UGH very disappointed I wont get his hatching eggs again 3 live babies out of 30 of his eggs...
 

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