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Ok everyone, I am not touching the bator! But it has been over 12 hours and still no zip. The chicks are still not moving in the shells this morning. But I am not going to touch it!

Love the sign, Linda.

And I don't start to think about touching the eggs to help until at least 12 hours after a pip and no progression.

If I do assist at this time I realize I will likely have to assist with everything to come because opening the bator will mess with the humidity.

If I intervene, I turn the shower on in the bathroom hot to get it steamy in there (no fan, keep door closed), turn the sink on to warm water and then bring an egg in. With moist fingers I peel the hard part of the shell away, leaving the membrane. If you see a lot of blood vessels in the membrane, stop, and put the chick back in the bator. There will be some blood but shouldn't be a lot. If there's only a bit of blood in the membrane, I then peel it back where the chicks beak is to "birth" the chick. Then I wrap in warm damp wash cloth and put it back in the bator. Those chicks will be kinda gross and sticky for a few days after hatch and are generally weaker.

I always add about 1-2 tablespoons of plain white sugar to a quart waterer the first day for increased calories. I go down to 1 tbsp the next day, then a teaspoon, then half tsp then none.

The sugar does increase poopy butt but really does wonders for weak chicks.
 
Also, I was having a bit since Bator is one of the terms not to be used in some chicken circles. I really hope
Chickadoodle has a great hatch!
I think with so much discussion on this forum, and all the typing, it's only a natural progression that lots of things have been abbreviated - i.e. bator, roo, POL, DD, DH. Some of that I refuse to use. Plus, I'm a pretty good typist. No need for 2 finger pecking here.

finally laying has picked up enough to hang the sign. My mom made it and the "made fresh daily" is a little joke we share in the winter when she is reluctant to take all the eggs I have.

Nice sign.
Same price I sell mine for. I've sold enough to friends, coworkers and area businesses that I haven't had to do a sign yet but thought I might have to from time to time.
My daughter bought me a sign but written into our new ordinance, they say I can't sell eggs without a business license. They never said anything about people with signs selling tomatoes, although I guess they could. I'm on a busy road so if need be, I could probably get a sign up early on a Saturday and get it down before the 'powers that be' would notice.
I've switched all the flocks to organic feed and their forage has always been organic so I'm going up to at least $4.

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If I intervene, I turn the shower on in the bathroom hot to get it steamy in there (no fan, keep door closed), turn the sink on to warm water and then bring an egg in....


I always add about 1-2 tablespoons of plain white sugar to a quart waterer the first day for increased calories. I go down to 1 tbsp the next day, then a teaspoon, then half tsp then none.

The sugar does increase poopy butt but really does wonders for weak chicks.
Good tip on the steam room. I'll remember that one.

When I had shipped chicks, I would put agave nectar in the water for a couple days. Just enough to barely taste it.
I start them off with probiotics in the water. If a chick was with a healthy broody, it would get probiotics from her feces.
 
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LL


thumbsup.gif

Lovely sign-- espeically the yolk yellow!! Cheery.

I read yesterday a place in the mid west where corn is $5-6 for 50 pounds-- here 50 pounds id about $14. Trains are not getting thru with the artic cold . . . . Wish I could charge $6 for my eggs. . . .

We are enjoying eggs and ham for breakfast . . . . spiral ham was on discount!!
 
Ok everyone, I am not touching the bator! But it has been over 12 hours and still no zip. The chicks are still not moving in the shells this morning. But I am not going to touch it!

Can you see the pip? Watch it to see if the membrane is turning brown. Also, the chick should be making noise. It is not recommended to help until 24 hours after pip and no zip. What usually happens is one will pip early and then sit thee. then you will see other pips and some of those will hatch before the one that pipped early. Later(and this just happened yesterday with a BYCr in California) some will hatch when you did not even see a pip.

Check my Signature file below this post. There is a guide to assisted hatching that goes into detail on helping. You are not at the help stage quite yet.

Love the sign, Linda.

And I don't start to think about touching the eggs to help until at least 12 hours after a pip and no progression.

If I do assist at this time I realize I will likely have to assist with everything to come because opening the bator will mess with the humidity.

If I intervene, I turn the shower on in the bathroom hot to get it steamy in there (no fan, keep door closed), turn the sink on to warm water and then bring an egg in. With moist fingers I peel the hard part of the shell away, leaving the membrane. If you see a lot of blood vessels in the membrane, stop, and put the chick back in the bator. There will be some blood but shouldn't be a lot. If there's only a bit of blood in the membrane, I then peel it back where the chicks beak is to "birth" the chick. Then I wrap in warm damp wash cloth and put it back in the bator. Those chicks will be kinda gross and sticky for a few days after hatch and are generally weaker.

I always add about 1-2 tablespoons of plain white sugar to a quart waterer the first day for increased calories. I go down to 1 tbsp the next day, then a teaspoon, then half tsp then none.

The sugar does increase poopy butt but really does wonders for weak chicks.
I do not use sugar water but give them Baby drop vitamins without iron if they look sickly at hatch. For pro biotics I give them plain yogurt and have fed them scrambled eggs.

Pasty butt

Plain yogurt
scramble eggs
baby vitamins
Grit for baby chicks

Be careful you do not pull anything out of the vent when cleaning pasty butt.
 
Love the sign, Linda.

And I don't start to think about touching the eggs to help until at least 12 hours after a pip and no progression.

If I do assist at this time I realize I will likely have to assist with everything to come because opening the bator will mess with the humidity.

If I intervene, I turn the shower on in the bathroom hot to get it steamy in there (no fan, keep door closed), turn the sink on to warm water and then bring an egg in. With moist fingers I peel the hard part of the shell away, leaving the membrane. If you see a lot of blood vessels in the membrane, stop, and put the chick back in the bator. There will be some blood but shouldn't be a lot. If there's only a bit of blood in the membrane, I then peel it back where the chicks beak is to "birth" the chick. Then I wrap in warm damp wash cloth and put it back in the bator. Those chicks will be kinda gross and sticky for a few days after hatch and are generally weaker.

I always add about 1-2 tablespoons of plain white sugar to a quart waterer the first day for increased calories. I go down to 1 tbsp the next day, then a teaspoon, then half tsp then none.

The sugar does increase poopy butt but really does wonders for weak chicks.
Thank you SCG. I will wait awhile and if there is still not progress I will attempt to help and use the bathroom shower method. Thanks for the tip on the sugar in the water!
 
Can you see the pip? Watch it to see if the membrane is turning brown. Also, the chick should be making noise. It is not recommended to help until 24 hours after pip and no zip. What usually happens is one will pip early and then sit thee. then you will see other pips and some of those will hatch before the one that pipped early. Later(and this just happened yesterday with a BYCr in California) some will hatch when you did not even see a pip.

Check my Signature file below this post. There is a guide to assisted hatching that goes into detail on helping. You are not at the help stage quite yet.

I do not use sugar water but give them Baby drop vitamins without iron if they look sickly at hatch. For pro biotics I give them plain yogurt and have fed them scrambled eggs.

Pasty butt

Plain yogurt
scramble eggs
baby vitamins
Grit for baby chicks

Be careful you do not pull anything out of the vent when cleaning pasty butt.
One of the pip's looks like it is getting a little brown by the shell. The other one I cannot see into it is on it's side but has only made a little hole. The hatched chick is pecking away at the other one's shell and pulling it off. Thanks for the info on vitamins and pasty butt.
 
nutridrench has brought thru more than one unhappy new hatcher for me as well as restoring/saving hatchery mailorder chicks!!! Oh, and it's all natural too. Also handy for adult birds recooperating from all kinds of stuff.
 
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I have a 70 year old neighbor that I introduced to the joys of keeping chickens. It started when I first moved here and went to my closest neighbors to introduce myself and offer eggs. They loved them and would call when they ran out to see if they could get some more, offering to pay, but I never let them. The husband is the one that built them a pen and bought the first hens he had. They were aged BSL hens that were close to the end of their productive life, had lice, were wormy, and thin.
sickbyc.gif
To make matters worse, he paid too much for them. I helped him get them in good shape, then offered to grow out some younger birds for him. He built me an auto-waterer and doors for my nest boxes. That was several years ago, and the BSLs have since died, but his newer ones are beautiful and healthy. He's a sweet man.

Late yesterday afternoon, he called to ask if I would find someone that wanted his chickens. He has been suffering with back pain and lately it has been debilitating. He needs surgery but no local doctors will attempt it. The wife can't take care of him and the house and the yard and the garden and the dog and the chickens. He knew that I had been getting rid of some of mine and asked if I would re-home his. I went to his house last night and took his 8 hens and 1 rooster off the roost and put them in with my layer flock (no room for quarantine
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.) I told them both that I would keep them until they found a doctor and have the surgery, then he can have them back. I also told them that anytime they felt good and wanted to ride over to my place, they could visit with their chickens and bring treats if they wanted.

I hate it for them, they are nice people.

ETA: I also offered to supply them with eggs, again.
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nutridrench has brought thru more than one unhappy new hatcher for me as well as restoring/saving hatchery mailorder chicks!!! Oh, and it's all natural too. Also handy for adult birds recooperating from all kinds of stuff.

Rooster Booster makes some nice vitamins too.
 

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