two chicks so far and questions

[rottlady]

so out of my 12 Barnevelder eggs (see my thread about using a Little Giant as a hatcher) I have 1 chick hatched overnight who pipped at 7pm and 1 chick who hatched at noon who pipped at noon yesterday

Chick who hatched at noon (pipped 12 hrs prior) hatched out with a ton of blood and blood coming frombody attachment. I got that stopped but it just lays in the incubator breathing and not anything else

Chick who hatched overnight (pipped at 7pm) is super active but completely uncoordinated. falls all over. Sometimes gets on it's back, sometimes sits on but with feet out front and sometimes staggers around peeping. I had left it in the incubator but now about 12 hrs later I took it out and have it in my bra simply because he was very unhappy in incubator, very unhappy in brooder and not sure he is any happier in bra LOL NOTHING makes this chick happy. I was not expecting it to eat/drink because most of you say they don't but I did try anyhow and no

I hatched out a TON of Button quail in the 80's. Once they are dry they are mobile, coordinated-mostly- and eat/drink

I've never had a chick so unhappy or one that hatched and did not stand quickly (like my first one mentioned above), but I have also never hatched out chicken chicks

I see no other eggs pipping. Today is day 23

Comments?????????????

 

[rottlady]

I'm at a loss. limp chick will probably die so have done not much with it. whiney I have tried everything and everywhere it wants no food no drink. which is understandable because it has a huge yolk belly and that usually means they won't eat/drink right off. I put it back in incubator because that is the warmest but It just bothers me all it does is cry. Now it IS a Barnevelder and in my brief experience with them they DO whine, complain and talk all the time but..​

 

[Autumnfae611]

Have you candled? Listened? and float tested your other eggs? Some of mine did not hatch until day 24 last hatch. I float tested them on day 23 and had several of them move around!!

 

[rottlady]

I am currently more concerned about the whiney chick who won't eat drink or settle then the other eggs. I have candled them yes dark shells all you can see is the air cell the rest of the egg is all dark. The breeder says this is what you see in Barnevelder eggs with full term chicks inside

I have not floated them no because I am afraid of drowning them. Eggs being porous and absorbing everything

 

[rottlady]

decided to open the remaining eggs

so here are the sad totals.

Chicks hatched 2 (limp chick and whiney) limp chick will likely die and whiney will if I cannot convince him/her to eat/drink. Although it is a very uncoordinated chick so ....

2 eggs with fully formed dead chicks but the shells were super hard. yolks not yet absorbed. air cells excellent in size. no internal pipping

2 eggs with nickel sized fetus

6 eggs nothing

These eggs were hand carried 6.5 hours not shipped


Next batch due to hatch starting tomorrow are both breeds shipped eggs let's hope for some less sad news

 

[azjustin]

Where are you incubating them at? There's a multitude of reasons why you had a bad hatch but I have a few theories based on the experiences of a good friend of ours.

6 eggs of nothing might be part of the problem also.

 

[rottlady]

all 35 eggs- started setting on 3 different dates- started in the brand new Hovabator still air. temp 99.5 - 100.8 humidity 40-55% (external probe thermometer/hygrometer) eggs turned 3 x a day (eggs allowed to sit at room temp for 8 hrs before setting

Day 10 4 eggs discarded (silkie X) as non starters

Day 17 1/2 of batch #1 the Barnevelders those 12 eggs moved to a Little Giant still air. temp 99.5 - 100.0 humidity 40-45% first day or two til I took paper towel out and it stabilized at aprox 50-65% where it stayed til today when I gave up

My house temp is 55-59 typically 55-57 and humidity of house around 40% (Temp is not negotiable in the house I don't have enough oil to go higher)

The breeder of the barnevelders said she never incubates at the humidity I did (but it is what I used very successfully in the 80's with button quail- hatch rates on shipped eggs was 80+% and on my own eggs 90-100%) she uses this profile instead -
Quote:

Day 18 50%

Day 19 55%
Day 20 or 21 60% never above 60% if at all possible and if goes above 60% try to get it back down

I try to keep the room the incubator is in at at least 65 degrees

Batch #2 which is USPS shipped Delaware and Legbar eggs is due to hatch tomorrow and I was just peeped at so there is life in there