Who else was on lockdown 9/5-9/9? (Post your Hatch Round-ups!)

[kaffleck]

Thanks for the tip IACC. I won't let them dry out I promise. They've got this far...not due to hatch for another 48 hours or so anyway so should be safe enough to top up one more time if needs be. Tis only a tiny incubator so should stabilise again pretty quickly (I hope!).

 

[Cetawin]

I set 18 eggs and at lockdown was down to 13 viable. On Day 19 I had a pip and at 10pm last night my first EE hatched. The second EE hatched around 5 am and around 10 am this morning a delaware hatched, with the help of my #2 EE.

 

[FenDruadin]

That's awesome! Thanks for sharing the pics--I love the one of the baby helping the egg hatch. Sweet chicks!!

 

[Cetawin]

It was sweet to watch..everytime the little delaware would get tired and stop for a bit, the EE would run over there and starting peeping at it..then picking at the shell. the little delaware would then start trying to break out again. They were darling to watch.

 

[Sweetfolly]

I just couldn't help it anymore - I opened the incubator, even though egg #3 hadn't done anything yet.

I was sitting there, watching all the egg-white goop drying onto sticky-chick, thinking "It's going to glue his bung-hole shut!" So, I took them both out and put them in an old glass fishtank on the floor near the incubator, so that egg #3 can still hear them peeping. I cleaned up sticky-chick as best I could - he was all dry and crusty, with pieces of eggshell glued to his neck, but not five minutes after I scrubbed his butt, he produced a lovely, big, green poop for me.

He's still all crusty and cakey and he looks just awful, but he took a big drink of water late last night, nibbled on a few starter crumbles, and they've both been contentedly napping since then.

Here they are - I think they're both blues! The first picture is before I cleaned sticky-chick up - no, he's not wet in the picture, it was all hard, dried, shiny egg white that had actually glued some of his toes together:

Here they are again after I tried my best to clean sticky-chick up (which he protested quite vigorously):

After I opened and closed the 'bator, the humidity bounced right back up into the sixties within a few minutes. I heard egg #3 peeping again this morning, and now he's made a tiny little crack in his egg! He hasn't done much since then, but egg #3 was one of the larger eggs to begin with, so it makes sense that he should take a bit longer.

 

[FenDruadin]

Oh, Annarie, that's wonderful! They are beautiful, and it's obvious how much better he looks after your cleaning. Glad he seems to be doing well, and thank you for the pictures. They're great. I'm also so happy to hear that #3 seems to be making progress.

I have a second pip now, and the first one has slightly enlarged the pip. No holes or signs of actual zipping yet, but I'm not surprised--my first batch of duck eggs each took 36-48 hours between pip and zip. I'm hoping this one will be quicker, but I'm not holding my breath.

Crushy (the crushed egg baby) is still moving around, though not pipped.

 

[Cetawin]

Oh how precious. I had to do a clean on my number 4 baby and EE. My # 2 baby helped this one hatch too.

You can see the umbilical cord goo on its head and the shell on its back

Baby all cleaned up. I stuck my hand in and it came right over to me and let me clean it up with no fussing. Now it looks for me when I go near the bator.

 

[FenDruadin]

OMGoodness I can't stand it!!! WHAT is taking my eggs so long????????

I have one pipped since about 9 am this morning, and another one pipped this afternoon, and 10 that are not pipped at all. No cheeping that we've been able to hear.

I know it's still within the range of normal. It took two days from pip to zip for my previous three eggs, but STILL. I thought since I've been totally locked down and the humidity up high the whole time this time (last time I actually handled the eggs during the hatch--please slap my hands--), that it would go faster. But NOOOO...

AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

 

[FenDruadin]

I just heard cheeping--literally, I just finished that post and as soon as I stopped typing I heard it. My first thought: "What kind of songbird sings outside the window after dark?"

Duh.

LOL

Now, come on little guys (and, hopefully, gals)... come on out of there!!

And, by the way, Cetawin--those are awesome pictures. If I weren't so jealous I'd say lots of lovely things about them. I just can't stand it right now!! Send me some sweet babies!! NOW!!!

 

[Cetawin]

Go Babies! They will be here soon cat...you can hear them now. YAY


I just had one struggling for nearly an hour and a half...when it hatched, it launched itself out of the egg and into the side of the bator. Poor little guy is still resting and somewhat curled up. My EE#4 is protecting that baby too. Whenever I reached it to removed the egg shell and check new one..EE#4 charged over there and pecked my hand...LOL

this was nearly an hour and a half to this point...

then bam..out he came landing here

Poor baby is still resting from his circus act...he was dreaming of interviewing for the circus as the chicken shot from the cannon