The 8th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!!!!

[Jessimom]

Keep the photos coming!! Lots of adorable babies!!!

I hope everyone had a nice Easter!!!

 

[CuzChickens]

You might be a chicken lover when......

I had a Buff Orpington egg pip and zip this morning, but then something happened, and she couldn't get out of the shell. I avoid help-outs as much as possible, and since she was breathing, I decided I would give her till bedtime tonight to get out on her own. Today I watched YouTube videos on broody hen clucks and started practicing my cluck, a throaty cluck in the back of my throat. Tonight, I tried out my cluck on her. She hadn't made any progress, and she was cheeping less. When I clucked, she moved and cheeped back, and we talked to each other for five minutes. I knew she needed encouragement and I felt I was giving it. I came back and clucked to her several times that hour and by bedtime she was out. Coincedince? Maybe. I look forward to testing this theory to see if maybe I helped and practicing my broody cluck.


This morning I had one help-out. She had a lot of extra fluid in her shell, and once she pipped it crusted on her and glued her to the shell. After helping her out, she was still super sticky but I put her in the bator to dry off. After a bit, she had glued to the bottom and was being trampled by new hatchlings. I got her off managing to keep her from losing fluff as I pulled her off and gave her a warm bath with no soap, just water and then put her in my Styrofoam bator that only had seven BO eggs due on Sunday, she was not moving much, and I wrapped her in a rag to dry her. After an hour she wriggled out of the rag and began flopping about everywhere. After spending 5 hours in the incubator, I put her in the brooder. I realized tonight that she is walking on the edge of her feet, so I made band-aid boots and I'll see how she is doing in the morning. I realize now that my humidity was also probably a factor. I've had fun treating her, I am in my element with chickens and she put my skills to the test, but I'm pretty proud of myself....

Thanks for reading!

 

[katsdar]

You might be a chicken lover when......

I had a Buff Orpington egg pip and zip this morning, but then something happened, and she couldn't get out of the shell. I avoid help-outs as much as possible, and since she was breathing, I decided I would give her till bedtime tonight to get out on her own. Today I watched YouTube videos on broody hen clucks and started practicing my cluck, a throaty cluck in the back of my throat. Tonight, I tried out my cluck on her. She hadn't made any progress, and she was cheeping less. When I clucked, she moved and cheeped back, and we talked to each other for five minutes. I knew she needed encouragement and I felt I was giving it. I came back and clucked to her several times that hour and by bedtime she was out. Coincedince? Maybe. I look forward to testing this theory to see if maybe I helped and practicing my broody cluck.

This morning I had one help-out. She had a lot of extra fluid in her shell, and once she pipped it crusted on her and glued her to the shell. After helping her out, she was still super sticky but I put her in the bator to dry off. After a bit, she had glued to the bottom and was being trampled by new hatchlings. I got her off managing to keep her from losing fluff as I pulled her off and gave her a warm bath with no soap, just water and then put her in my Styrofoam bator that only had seven BO eggs due on Sunday, she was not moving much, and I wrapped her in a rag to dry her. After an hour she wriggled out of the rag and began flopping about everywhere. After spending 5 hours in the incubator, I put her in the brooder. I realized tonight that she is walking on the edge of her feet, so I made band-aid boots and I'll see how she is doing in the morning. I realize now that my humidity was also probably a factor. I've had fun treating her, I am in my element with chickens and she put my skills to the test, but I'm pretty proud of myself....

Thanks for reading!

Wonderful, and I have a bator song I sing to the eggs and they know my voice when they hatch and when I sing the song they come running it is so cute. That also helps for when some make a jail break and I can call them never thought about learning to cluck

 

[candirroberts]

I only had 2 hatch, final count but I am thankful they have each other. They were shipped eggs. I have already purchased 2 dozen from a local place so that I can go pick them up in May. She has me down on her calendar. So until then Chick Town as my son calls it has a population of 2.

 

[CuzChickens]

Wonderful, and I have a bator song I sing to the eggs and they know my voice when they hatch and when I sing the song they come running it is so cute.  That also helps for when some make a jail break and I can call them never thought about learning to cluck

Aww, a bator song sounds adorable! Oh, the things we do for our chickens. I gave up trying to look like a normal human being am while ago. Chickens are in my blood and everybody I know that isn't on BYC thinks I'm a total geek.

 

[pjnbill22]

Our final count is 63 of 90 eggs set. We have new Legbars, Easter Egger, Black Copper Marans, Olive Eggers, Blue Laced Red Wyandottes, Chocolate Orpingtons, and Jubilee Orpingtons. We had an incubator spike, then quit, so we lost several eggs that were well developing at day 17-18.
Spring fever is ongoing here- 2 of 3 bators are already full with Assorted turkey, Silkies, Seramas, White-faced Black Spanish, Lavender Orpington, and Jubilee Orpington eggs. Oh my!

 

[CuzChickens]

Those breeds sound heavenly! I want at least half of them.

 

[Happy Chooks]

@Happy Chooks

It doesn't look like splayed leg. Have you given it any vitamins? Poly-vi-sol NO IRON can't hurt. Is it falling over backward? (wry neck?)

Is the hock joint swollen or red?

 

[Phage]

72 set, 18 infertile,
Leaves 54 of which 45 hatched.

 

[Cynthia12]

Looks like it's doing what I call the paddle walk. Wouldn't hurt to go ahead and give vitamins as suggested. My guess those little legs will be stronger by morning.