Valentine's Day 1st Annual Hatch Along

[gogetter]

I'm in lockdown. Remaining eggs are 4 white leghorn mixes, 2 blue easter eggers, and 2 brown easter eggers. I had 4 clears and 3 early quitters. All these eggs are wiggling. Now this is the most agonizing waiting period! I love the chick pictures! Can't wait to share my own!

 

[emvickrey]

Any pics Alaskan?
So is it possible for a chick to peep not pip! On day 18.... I swear I heard a cheep....or I could be chicken lady gone crazy?

I"ve hear peeps on lock down day. I've had pips on lock down day. I also usually have a little higher temp because I have still air bators.

 

[Alaskan]

Any pics Alaskan?
So is it possible for a chick to peep not pip! On day 18.... I swear I heard a cheep....or I could be chicken lady gone crazy?

Only pic is that first one I posted. I am scared to open the incubator again... I have everything just right, and don't want to mess with it. Pictures through the incubator window don't look all that great.

Hopefully, since I painted the toenails of my first olive egg chicks, and all the rest that are pipped are Marans and one Leghorn, there should be no confusion of which are which breeds in the morning.

I am still very much hoping that lots more of the eggs hatch, as well as the rest of my olive eggs!



As to peeping, YES, they can peep before they pip.

Peeping means that they have gotten at least a tiny hole through the membrane, and are breathing in the air cell part of the egg. Sometimes they can sit there for well over a day, peeping, before they get the strength to pip, then unzip, then hatch.

Some hatch slow and some hatch very fast.

I always find it super frustrating. I always need to make sure that I spend very little time looking into the incubator.

I am a 'fixer' as well as impatient.... so I need to run away from the incubator so that I can sit on my hands.

 

[emvickrey]

I'm in lock down too. I have orpington eggs and the rest are silkies and sizzles of my own. The orpington eggs were shipped. And amazingly so all that was sent have developed and made it to lock down. I"m hoping they all hatch as well. I'm wanting to build my orp pen back up. I have a total of 40 orp eggs. Most are english orps. I"ve got a couple silkie eggs from another breeder but most are my line. Not all those orp eggs are for the valentines hatch along. Most of them were set after the val hal set date.

Unfortunately none of my splash were fertile and I had set alot of those. At least half of what I had set was for this hal. The day after I candled and discovered none of their eggs were fertile I went to the pen to try to figure out why and found the roo dead. He was acting just fine and dandy as usual that day and the next morning dead in a corner. So I suppose whatever was going on with him not breeding the hens is what did him in. I wish he had acted sick so I would have taken him to the vet and hopefully fixed him.

I have 2 cockerels that I"m gonna put in that pen. There are 6 hens and a pullet in there. Maybe it was too much for them all. Who knows. I"m taking the 2 boys for a vet check before I add them. I did have one of them in that pen but I figured it would be better to get the vet check first. It's too bad there is no roo in there since I'm getting 2 to 4 eggs a day. Goes to show we all need a back up roo. Those extra boys aren't so bad to keep around after all.

 

[emvickrey]

Only pic is that first one I posted. I am scared to open the incubator again... I have everything just right, and don't want to mess with it. Pictures through the incubator window don't look all that great.

Hopefully, since I painted the toenails of my first olive egg chicks, and all the rest that are pipped are Marans and one Leghorn, there should be no confusion of which are which breeds in the morning.

I am still very much hoping that lots more of the eggs hatch, as well as the rest of my olive eggs!



As to peeping, YES, they can peep before they pip.

Peeping means that they have gotten at least a tiny hole through the membrane, and are breathing in the air cell part of the egg. Sometimes they can sit there for well over a day, peeping, before they get the strength to pip, then unzip, then hatch.

Some hatch slow and some hatch very fast.

I always find it super frustrating. I always need to make sure that I spend very little time looking into the incubator.

I am a 'fixer' as well as impatient.... so I need to run away from the incubator so that I can sit on my hands.

Painting the nails, how long does that last? I"ve been trying to figure out how to keep the different breeders separate so I know who came from who's lines with the english orps i'm hoping to hatch. I bought some small zip ties I was gonna use. They can always be clipped off and replaced when they grow out of it. I planned to use different color for each breeder. I like to try to keep records of any I get from somebody else. sometimes I can remember but with the english orps they came from people I don't know and I couldn't quote their names right now without looking in the paperwork for it. Old age can be cruel.

 

[Alaskan]

last year I used food coloring for the first , maybe two weeks, then switched to zip ties. If you put the food coloring dot on the top of their head it lasts longest.

They grow way too fast in the first few days for the zip ties for my preference... annoying have to keep cutting them off and replacing them.

I used permanent marker on toes before, I think that lasted a week.

 

[Alaskan]

oh... I have used nail polish before, but that was on duck feet, and so long ago that I can't remember how long it lasted.

I heard someone used small hair bands doubled on the leg, like a leg band. More give than a zip tie, so lasts longer.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Painting the nails, how long does that last? I"ve been trying to figure out how to keep the different breeders separate so I know who came from who's lines with the english orps i'm hoping to hatch. I bought some small zip ties I was gonna use. They can always be clipped off and replaced when they grow out of it. I planned to use different color for each breeder. I like to try to keep records of any I get from somebody else. sometimes I can remember but with the english orps they came from people I don't know and I couldn't quote their names right now without looking in the paperwork for it. Old age can be cruel.

I love using zip ties, easy to put on and easy to snip and replace larger... I found with the new chicks that they are a bit heavy and clunky tho... ever try the small rubber bands they use for making bracelets? Think they're called 'loom bands' or something like that... I double them over and slip them over the new chicks foot, light and easier for them til they get their sea legs under 'em... they're cheap, t9ns of colors and snip off as well... just an idea...

 

[emvickrey]

There are those small rubber bands that are colored for like little girls hair or maybe those that kids use to make those bracelets. The first set of orpingtons are all the same breeder. The other chicks that will hatch are mine and they're silkies so no problem telling the difference in those. I have color dots on top of the eggs right now. I'm hoping it all works the way I have it planned. When I have 2 different sets hatching I'll use both bators so I can keep them separate. The last set are mottled so maybe those chicks will be easy to tell apart. They are the last to hatch too. I have lavender and bbs due to hatch at the same time from 2 different breeders and I plan to use both bators to hatch them.

I get all worried till the day arrives and find out I had nothing to worry about all along. I thought of using the rubber bands at first but was afraid they might get them off and eat them. I could use a marker to mark their legs different colors. I'll just to have to see what works at the time.

 

[emvickrey]

There are those small rubber bands that are colored for like little girls hair or maybe those that kids use to make those bracelets. The first set of orpingtons are all the same breeder. The other chicks that will hatch are mine and they're silkies so no problem telling the difference in those. I have color dots on top of the eggs right now. I'm hoping it all works the way I have it planned. When I have 2 different sets hatching I'll use both bators so I can keep them separate. The last set are mottled so maybe those chicks will be easy to tell apart. They are the last to hatch too. I have lavender and bbs due to hatch at the same time from 2 different breeders and I plan to use both bators to hatch them.

I get all worried till the day arrives and find out I had nothing to worry about all along. I thought of using the rubber bands at first but was afraid they might get them off and eat them. I could use a marker to mark their legs different colors. I'll just to have to see what works at the time.

Oops, you just said that.