Thread formerly known as Hatch day is today

[stillmecle]

I don't have the noids to cull anything. You're a better woman than me.

I had to kill one the other day. It was hard to do. It was barely alive though when I did it and I couldn't watch it try to breathe and move anymore. I put it in a walmart bag, tied it up tight, took it out to the trash can and then I had to figure out how to cull it so it just closed my eyes and hit it several times against the garbage can, I knew it died through that,

 

[ChristineR]

This is the method I'm using for my first hatch ever.

According to Pete's guide, you leave everything be until there is an external pip, so I've left temp & humidity the same for now, rather than doing a standard lockdown at x number of days prior to hatch date. Hope this works out for me. It makes me nervous because I'm gone all day long, so there could be an external pip and I might not see it for hours. So, I will probably raise the humidity before I leave tomorrow morning even if an external pip hasn't happened yet.

They aren't due until Saturday, and I'm glad they aren't early (like Uno and the quail that I got poor hatches out of due to trusting an uncalibrated thermometer that worked last fall), they were hatched on lockdown day. I consider this fact to be an excellent arguement for the method of choosing lockdown based on candling results, and not a time table (like 3 days before due date). Iain and Pete and others use this method, but until recently, I have not.

 

[JulieNKC]

Love, love the roman tuffted. She is sweet... her mate was killed by a predator. He was disabled though... his legs splayed when he was a baby. We have named the female Mama Goose and she protects this batch / flock she came with. She is pretty quiet except around her nest / eggs which were not fertile. I didn't get her another mate yet since I'm worried about too much noise from them. I had the kids handle the geese a lot when they were young so they would be people friendly.

She is beautiful! And littler than I expected, I hope my 2 monsters turn out like her.

Oh... and fyi... Blue egg #1 externally pipped a big dimple about an hour ago. Egg #2 is almost there, as I can see the beak hitting shell through the shell without candling (if that makes sense).

I just noticed I have a dead swedish flower hen. I suspect foul play. It was fine this morning. I heard some weird peeping about an hour ago and looked out into the garage and didn't see anything weird.

What a bummer.

I had my blue breda chickens hatch early. Out of 4, one lonely little chicken lived. I have decided that I am only going to use my LG still air has an incubator only, no hatching. It seems that everytime I hatch in there, things die. I should have some BEIs hatching Sunday or Monday and then some Pekins and Runners shortly after that,

Waz u got goin

Sorry about the chicks sm.

I'm sorry, CG. Whatever decision you make will be the right decision for the duckling.

x2

This is something I haven't heard of...lockdown based on candling results? What is it you are looking for to determine the time to lockdown? Seems that idea would help deter drowning babies if the humidity should spike early during lockdown. It makes sense that incubation variables can affect the actual hatching time, rather than a calendar. I like to move mine from the main incubator into a hatcher....this idea would probably increase the outcome of doing so.

I lockdown when I start getting internal pips, not by days.

I had to kill one the other day. It was hard to do. It was barely alive though when I did it and I couldn't watch it try to breathe and move anymore. I put it in a walmart bag, tied it up tight, took it out to the trash can and then I had to figure out how to cull it so it just closed my eyes and hit it several times against the garbage can, I knew it died through that,

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Culling is apart of breeding and incubating. Here are a few hopefully helpful ways.

Newly hatched and small chicks/ducks:
Sharp kitchen sheers are quick & humane
A small bowl with a lid add vinegar and baking soda close lid


Older birds there is really only one humane way that's an ax or another very heavy and sharp instrument to remove the head.

Remember when culling for any reason to keep it as quick and human as possible to lesson the trauma on the animal as well as you.

 

[sbost]

I forgot you asked how old the roman tuffted was... she was about 5 months old here. And yes, I think she is a nice size. We have enjoyed having the geese and look forward to adding more later.

 

[70%cocoa]

Really sorry that your duckling hasn't come good, CG. Very sad. I agree with putting the little thing out of its misery. Tought though.


Sbost, the air cell at the fat end of the egg should grow bigger and bigger throughout the incubation. By the end it should be about a third of the egg. The duckling will break into this in the last couple of days of hatching. It will breathe the air in the air cell.

 

[sbost]

Really sorry that your duckling hasn't come good, CG. Very sad. I agree with putting the little thing out of its misery. Tought though.
Sbost, the air cell at the fat end of the egg should grow bigger and bigger throughout the incubation. By the end it should be about a third of the egg. The duckling will break into this in the last couple of days of hatching. It will breathe the air in the air cell.

Thanks for elaborating. I feel like the more I research, the more confused I get. I really want to candle the eggs more to figure more out but then I'm scared I'm handling them too much. I know some of mine have space at the bottom too. Whether they have died or if they don't fill in the bottom till towards the end?

I also thought lockdown meant taking them out of the egg turner and putting them undisturbed in the hatching place? I was planning on moving mine out of the egg turner on day 25 to the hatching incubator for lockdown. Also should I try and put something under each hatching egg for easy cleanup since I am going to have them hatching intermittently for a month?

Sorry for all the newbie questions...

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

My WH eggs are going into lockdown in 3 days, and theirs still a bit of room left, more then usual... Is this normal? I will try to compare it to the metzer farms chart....

I also have 11 rouen eggs, and 3 WH eggs in. out of the 6 WH, only 3 grew.... And I think their pure! If their daddy was the rouen, they would have all been fertile, he doesnt mess around with the ladies

And! Someone emailed me from craigslist, and ordered 3 ducklings

Can someone catch me up?

 

[Iain Utah]

Blue egg #1 has not stopped working at hatching since it started peeping yesterday. It is zipping now, even though none of the others have even externally pipped yet (although some are very close)!

I can see yellow hair and pink beak. It is zipping perfectly along top of day 21 line and the membrane looks really good.

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

What breed is t at lain?