Hatch-Along - Setting eggs this weekend (Jan5/6) WHOS WITH ME!

[tammir]

I have mixed news today- First the bad. My little pullet egg hatchling, Miracle, died in my hand a little over an hour ago. She was the last one I had hatch last weekend that I had done the assist on. I had started her out in a shoe box next to the brooder because she was about half the size of all the other chicks. After finding her outside the box twice, I moved her in w/the others and made sure she wasn't getting picked on too much (that was Tuesday). I kept having to clean her vent for the paste butt thing, and she was doing fine until I checked on her around 7:00 this morning (she was still doing great around 3:30) and she was lethargic so I cleaned her up and moved her back to the shoe box with her own food and water -she drank from my thumbnail as usual and sat under the light to dry off/keep warm & seemed to be doing fine. I took my mean rooster Penny to the farmer the next town over so when the chicks go out to the run, one less thing for me to worry about & maybe my son might start collecting eggs. Anyway, we were gone for about 4 hours and came home to find her lying on her side gasping and clicking. I picked her up and tried to give her some water from my fingers, even tried some molassed mixed with water to get her energy back up but she only lasted about half an hour before passing.

I'm so sad, I thought for sure she was going to make since she'd made it past the 5 day mark.

The good news is there are three eggs that have pipped and are chirping in the incubator out of my last 12 eggs that I had set. These eggs are from my older hens and larger, so I'm really hoping for some healthy ones that won't bring me to tears in a week if they don't make it, I know, I'm crazy! At this point I don't know if I'm going to want to set anymore eggs for a while, maybe mid-summer when one of the babies is old enough to take over the rooster duties. Best of luck to anyone else still hatching this weekend!

 

[fisherlady]

So sorry to hear about the little one!

Sometimes it seems it's just not meant to work... very rough after so many days though...

 

[Sally8]

I just found my little chick, Bob, flat on his back, wings and feet outstretched and very dead. A couple of hours ago, he was running around peeping. He was 3 days old.

It almost looked like he was shocked. There was no way he could have been. I read a few days ago that someone said that a lone chick rarely lived. I didn't understand why but apparently it's true. The trouble is that with a lone puppy or kitten, they can be cuddled and held. Little Bob didn't want to be. As funny as this sounds, I feel terrible, wish I could have done more.

 

[fisherlady]

So sorry!

They are so much fun and so much heart ache all at the same time!

 

[aka Rachel]

Hi, everyone! I've been lurking along on the thread since around day 12 for several of you, and felt I should pop in and say Hello and Thanks. Especially if this thread is going to continue.

I plan on ordering an Incukit in the next week or three, and have learned so much from y'all.

I can't wait for mine to arrive, we will have to compare notes! (on the incukit)

Such a disappointing hatch this time (and last) I have my hopes pinned very high on this heater. I will join the easter hatch along hopefully with my new improved bator.

Meanwhile its so incredibly tempting to try again and tweak a few things 'just to see'.

 

[tammir]

So sorry to hear about the little one!

Sometimes it seems it's just not meant to work... very rough after so many days though...

Thanks for the 'hugs'. At least I took her outside once before she died to see the sunshine.....
My first chick is hatched and making lots of noise for just one baby. Two eggs are still sitting with the pip, and one has a decent size hole pecked in the large end of the egg. Still would like to see more progress from them before calling it a night - the humidity dropped down to 55% after the first chick hatched this afternoon. Can anyone tell me where I can find the thread that tells how the wing feathers look to tell if its a roo or a hen?

 

[nothingbutbirds]

Thanks for the 'hugs'.  At least I took her outside once before she died to see the sunshine..... 
My first chick is hatched and making lots of noise for just one baby.  Two eggs are still sitting with the pip, and one has a decent size hole pecked in the large end of the egg.  Still would like to see more progress from them before calling it a night - the humidity dropped down to 55% after the first chick hatched this afternoon. Can anyone tell me where I can find the thread that tells how the wing feathers look to tell if its a roo or a hen?

are your chicks specially bred for feather sexing. if they are females are all the same length and males diferent lengths.

 

[aka Rachel]

Oh dear, sorry to hear about the lost ones

My past two hatches have been singles and I have been very worried. But they have done ok and my last single has joined his couple weeks older siblings in the brooder outside. I was afraid they'd bully him, but I think they're kind of afraid of the little guy lol. Hopefully they will be as accepting of the next little one.

I think my singles do ok because of a few things. We have cats, and they're always peeking in the the sides and top of the clear brooder which is located in our living room. So someone is usually in the room or moving around etc. And I think they can hear the grown birds outside sometimes.

Either way, I have been very lucky that our singles do ok.

 

[SilkieSensation]

are your chicks specially bred for feather sexing. if they are females are all the same length and males diferent lengths.

You have this backwards. Most pure bred LF birds can be sexed by feathers. Pullets have 2 rows 2 different lengths & roos have 1 row all the same length. It works until they are about 3-4 days old & then the difference isn't as noticeable. Mixed breed birds can not be feather sexed unless they are specifically bred with a fast feathering roo over slow feathering hen to produce the opposite in the babies.

 

[monkeywoman1953]

Yes, you are absolutely RIGHT about the wing feathers and the sexing !
Thanks for setting the folks straight.
---Monkeywoman