Local Egg Experiment

[C3 mommy]

Yea I feel like standing on its head would slow it down a bit!

 

[Zinjifrah]

Egg #7 is pipped.

3 eggs pipped, 3 eggs unpipped, 3 eggs hatched.

Chick #3: Removed for examination, due to the hatching situation, and placed in the brooder where it can be in a dark, quiet place rather than back in the incubator. Still lethargic, but improving steadily and dry. Just not moving around enough to fluff up.



Egg #2 has hatched. Still two other eggs pipped, no visible pip on the remaining three.

Correction: #9 has pipped. That leaves only #3 and #12 that have not.

 

[Zinjifrah]

#3 has rested, recovered from her upside-down ordeal, fluffed up and turned into an incredible butterball.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Egg #12 has pipped.

Current tally:

9 eggs going into lock-down: #4, #5, #11 all failed prior to lock-down.

4 eggs hatched: #1, #2, #6, #8
4 eggs pipped: #7, #9, #10, #12
1 egg still unpipped - the biggest remaining one, #3.

First three chicks are in the brooder doing well. Fourth chick is going egg to egg in the incubator, trilling to them and pecking them.

Edit:
I decided on a hunch to check #3, since the other largest eggs all failed, barring #6 which was upside down. On inspection, I determined the chick was dead, and opened it up. Fully formed chick, completely un-absorbed yolk sack, probably died yesterday or the day before. The air pocket on that egg was almost completely on one side of the egg. I have to wonder if that influenced the death.

New tally:
Out of eight eggs:
4 hatched.
4 pipped.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Egg #10 hatched. Grey and yellow chick, feathered legs.

4 eggs failed: #3, #4, #5, #11.
5 eggs hatched: #1, #2, #6, #8, #10.
3 eggs pipped and yet to hatch: #7, #9, #12.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Hatch is done.
#7 hatched a little black chick.
#12 a blonde with what looks like a pea comb.
#9 another blond, with an odd... fleshy spike? on its chin. I'll probably be posting photos of that to try and figure out what it is.

All chicks have feathered legs, all appear to be healthy. I'll finish posting photos once they fluff up a little - I can't really tell which chick is which, except for #12, and the black chicks, since each has a different amount of white markings!

A 66% hatch rate. Not very good at all. I think I'll have to look into getting automatic turners and a fan or two to circulate air, but clearly some of the problems I've been having with hatching are on me, rather than problems with shipping.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Final tally;

12 eggs set.
4 eggs failed.
8 eggs hatched.
1 required assistance; pip at wrong end.

Weights:
Egg #, day 1, day 10, day 18, hatched, hatch order, brief description.
#1, 56g, 53g, 48g, 40g, #2, Black and white, less white.
#2, 63g, 59g, 56g, 45g, #4, Yellow (Going to be impossible to tell this from #3).
#3, 68g, 65g, 63g, (Failed)
#4, 69g, (Failed)
#5, 69g, 64g, (Failed)
#6, 67g, 61g, 56g, 47g, #3, Yellow (Going to be impossible to tell this from #4).
#7, 59g, 54g, 52g, 42g, #6, Black, solid.
#8, 59g, 55g, 52g, 43g, #1, Black and white, more white.
#9, 54g, 48g, 42g, 33g, #8, Yellow and grey, dark spot on head.
#10, 47g, 43g, 39g, 31g, #5, Yellow and grey, light spot on head.
#11, 48g, (Failed)
#12, 65g, 59g, 54g, 42g, #7, Yellow and russet.

In hatching order:

#1 (Egg #8):
#2 (Egg #1):
#3 (Egg #6):
#4 (Egg #2):
#5 (Egg #10):
#6 (Egg #7):
#7 (Egg #12):
#8 (Egg #9):

Group photo:

Odd thing on #8's jaw:

End result; I need to work on improving my incubation techniques and equipment. Hatching shipped eggs drastically reduces the hatch rate, but it is not solely responsible for the poor hatch rates I've been having, going by a 66% hatch rate using local barnyard mix eggs.

And this finishes out this thread.