Valentine's Day 1st Annual Hatch Along

[Ravynscroft]

So far, I've had 50% and 11% hatch rates with bought but dirty eggs... and 100 % hatch rates twice with my own clean eggs. I need to stop setting other's dirty eggs do I can win some hatching contests!

I've had good and bad w/shipped, but first time I had poo on shipped... I don't set my own if poo on them... I just can't handle so many DIS... it's too sad for me...

I'm happy to report that my baby who pipped on the wrong end made it out with patient careful help. It pipped, I opened an air hole. It got stuck zipping, I popped the top of the shell off. Then it got stuck to the membrane age I had to peel it off a little more. But it finally freed itself from the 2nd half to the shell just before midnight on Valentine's day. It's looking just as healthy as it's siblings and with them in the brooder, eating, drinking, pooping, chirping! Hooray! I know some say not to help... But I had to help one die this hatch. I figure it's only fair to help one live! It made me feel much better! Here she is with my other baby.

Great save!! And VERY SWEET pic!!
I say it's a judgement call and to each their own... but when you know they won't make it without help, I'd rather give them a chance than to deny one...

 

[StephensonC]

Thanks for the advice about the iodine. I will put it on the baby's stump.

I cleaned my incubator parts with a toothbrush and water. I will let it dry and then wipe the surfaces down with a bleach solution and let them air dry. My incubator tray and mesh got really dirty this time. I had a LOT of eggs in there and one of them pipped and died and and then got rolled upside down. I think all the fluids in the egg were running down into the tray and it got pretty smelly. I already pulled out the last 4 eggs and cleaned the incubator. Having something that yucky around the house drives me nuts.

Mine was horrible this time too! It smelled SO BAD!! I tried not to breathe while I was cleaning it. lol I'm like you, I HAD to get that thing cleaned.

 

[haTHOR]

When I left this morning I had 11 of 12 out and healthy! No feet issues, no hatching issues. I worried so much about my IncuView as it was my first time (and bators in the kitchen, where it gets hot at times) but I am REALLY impressed.

 

[ochochicas]

If by "dirty" eggs you mean eggs with poo on them, I've hatched them and they seem to do just fine. I've actually done an experiment and incubated some poopy eggs (not super poopy, but just a little bit) and also some eggs that I had wiped the poo off with water. They all hatched.

This hatch I got some eggs from a neighbor and they were very dirty. They live in a muddy run for starters. The nest boxes are full of semi-clean wood chips (not shavings). Every single egg I got from her was dirty and had wood chips stuck to it. I carefully tried to get the big chunks off the eggs, but I didn't wash them. There were originally 8 eggs. It turns out there were fertility problems since she only has one little rooster for a couple dozen hens. At day 7 four of them were infertile and a fifth egg I tossed later because it had quit. So, out of 4 fertile eggs I still got a 75% hatch rate on the nasty, dirty eggs. Interestingly, they were the last 3 eggs to hatch, but they may be due to their location on the edge of the incubator where it is cooler.

 

[ChickyChickens]

This is just sad!! I dont think my other 16 eggs are gonna ahtch!! Im gonna leave them in a bit longer!

 

[misfitmorgan]

Today is day 22 for me, i think my hatch is done but i will leave the chicks and the remaining eggs in the hatcher until tonight.

The report is:

4 EE
4 Iowa Blue
1 Mille Fleur
1 Delaware(F1 OE)

So i got 10 of 14 eggs that went into lock down....i would possibly have got 11 but after the chicks hatched they pecked at one side pipped EE egg until it bled and the chick died before leaving the shell.

I would also note the 1 mille fleur egg was the one Trexroo incubated...so he got a 100% hatch rate lol.

Dont forget to send me your number of hatches and a pic of the babies/eggs for the Best/Worst contests. Those numbers and pics are due to my PM box before Feb 21st.

All prizes for all contests will be awarded and winners announced on Feb 22nd as we have some people who had to wait on late shipped eggs etc.

 

[ChickyChickens]

Today is day 22 for me, i think my hatch is done but i will leave the chicks and the remaining eggs in the hatcher until tonight.

The report is:

4 EE
4 Iowa Blue
1 Mille Fleur
1 Delaware(F1 OE)

So i got 10 of 14 eggs that went into lock down....i would possibly have got 11 but after the chicks hatched they pecked at one side pipped EE egg until it bled and the chick died before leaving the shell.

I would also note the 1 mille fleur egg was the one Trexroo incubated...so he got a 100% hatch rate lol.

Dont forget to send me your number of hatches and a pic of the babies/eggs for the Best/Worst contests. Those numbers and pics are due to my PM box before Feb 21st.

All prizes for all contests will be awarded and winners announced on Feb 22nd as we have some people who had to wait on late shipped eggs etc.

 

[jennianne]

I have three left in there that I think I am going to have to pull the plug on. The last one to try and hatch from that group died in progress yesterday. I am thinking that these last three are likely no go's. Any way I can check if they are alive besides looking for wobbling or pips and listening for cheeping?

 

[Trexroo]

Jeannine:

you can cut the egg. there is an amount of risk involved.

use a nail file or simular compliment and carefully open the shell inside of the air cell.

we autopsy most all eggs that fail to hatch. either to" help" a chick or learn more from the egg failure, it works out the same.

 

[Alaskan]

I have three left in there that I think I am going to have to pull the plug on. The last one to try and hatch from that group died in progress yesterday. I am thinking that these last three are likely no go's. Any way I can check if they are alive besides looking for wobbling or pips and listening for cheeping?

I pop a small hole in the air cell end, so I can look in and see what went on.