Quite Simply, Chook Chat

[Munch]

Day 20 of my incubating Sebrights......

Quite nervous as I have read they are not the best at hatching!

[Suechooks]

Day 20 of my incubating Sebrights......

Quite nervous as I have read they are not the best at hatching!

Good luck then Munch!

[Glutton4...]

I felt that the non-hatchers in my previous incubator could be due to humidity/temperature probs as I always turned them 5 times a day and hence dropped the humidity each time. I was getting at least 1 or 2DIS. I think I was guilty of messing about too much as well (candling just to see the development)!
My new automatic incy doesn't actually need to have the lid opened at all during incubation time as water is added though an outside chamber. I only candled twice and eventually had 100% hatch rate of all eggs which were fertile. Could be coincidence but I'm convinced! Mind you I could be trying to justify the expense of the new incy!

I am already working on improvements to the design. These will include more 'lagging' to maintain temperature. Tanking the bottom, and fitting an external fill tube. Once this is done, I will not open to turn the eggs, but rest one side of the box on a piece of wood, then just alternate which side, so that should eliminate all the 'faffing' - I hope!

[Suechooks]

I'm dying to hatch something else just to use the incy again but I need to sort out the ones I already have which are only 2 and 3 weeks old yet! At least I've managed to get nice homes for all 5 Araucana boys! Also have broody Silkie with 2 Goose eggs and I've added 2 RIR eggs to give her some chicks as the goslings willgo back as soon as they hatch and I have another Orpington broody and a Silkie looking very grumpy and hormonal! At least it saves on the electric bill if they do the work!

[Munch]

We have 3 little (and I mean little) sebright chicks and one still desperately tying to hatch.

It pipped this morning, at about lunch time at had managed to make a hole in the shell about the size of a 5 pence piece, still only a tiny hole in the membrane, it is peeping a keeps poking its little beak out of the tiny hole, but it has been like that for hours.

Do I just leave it be and hope for the best?

[Glutton4...]

Your call Munch - if it's any help, the experts say 'No' but I still wish I had helped my last one that didn't make it.

[Suechooks]

Like G4 says - you have to decide. I always do but others with more hatching experience say if it can't get out on its own then theres probably a good chance it won't make it anyway.
Good luck!

[Munch]

Oh poop!

I think I will leave the little might for a few more hours, and then if still no change I might have to help it, at the end of the day I would rather try and give it a chance than just sit back a wait for the chirping to stop

The remaining 2 eggs haven't even pipped. Am i right in just leaving them in the inccy for a coupe more days?

[Munch]

Your call Munch - if it's any help, the experts say 'No' but I still wish I had helped my last one that didn't make it.

I have to say I have dikes this for your help, and DISliked it for the little one that didnt make it

[Glutton4...]

I just used a small piece of spare shell to flick off a loose bit of the struggling chick's shell. It had cracked, but was still stuck to the membrane. That was all I did. The other one, that didn't make it, had opened the shell all the way round, but died of exhaustion, I suspect, overnight. The one I did help was a bit wonky-looking for a day or two, but is fine now.

I left mine in the incy until the evening of day 23, then turned it off before I went to bed. I candled the duds, and it turns out that fertility from both batches was only 50 per cent.

[denise]

Sorry to hijack thread but lives to be saved - does anyone in the Earls Shilton area want 4 female chicks? They are from one of these school projects and now they need a good home. If no home found or promise of one by Monday they will be .... So please think hard about this one. Thanks x

[Suechooks]

Sorry to hijack thread but lives to be saved - does anyone in the Earls Shilton area want 4 female chicks? They are from one of these school projects and now they need a good home. If no home found or promise of one by Monday they will be .... So please think hard about this one. Thanks x

I can't believe this - why on earth weren't arangements made BEFORE the project was undertaken? Seems like a very irresponsible way to go about things. These are living creatures not disposable toys. (Not having a go at you Denise but the whole idea just makes me MAD)

[Munch]

Update......

Last night was quite stressful with regards to the wee little chick that just was running out of puff! As I said we left it alone, for what must have been about 8 hours, with no change. In the end the poor little thing was so weak, stopped sticking its little beak out and its little chirps were getting weaker and weaker.

We made to decision that it was dying and we just couldnt stand back and watch with out doing something. I started by picking a little of the shell away and seeing if that helped.... it didnt. Bare in mind this little chick had made no attempt to crack the egg all the way round, just made a biggish hole about the size of it head but only a dinky hole big enough for its little beak. Anyway when picking a little bit more of it looked like there was quite a bit of blood in the egg

Very nervously (thinking its probably easy to dispose of a dead chick still in the shell) I removed most of the shell leaving the large bit the was still attached to it belly button. Bless the poor little exhausted might it just laid there for another hours or so barely moving, we feared the worst. Then it started to pick up eventually shedding the rest of the shell.

Couple of hours later we plucked the little fighter out and popped it in with the other 3 under the lamp and kept out fingers crossed over night.

This morning s/he is still alive, still weaker than the others but I am hopeful for the little trooper.

My god its like having more kids

The other 2 eggs are yet to even pip. Think we give up one those. From what I have learnt about hatching sebrights I am over the moon with 3 and a half - 4 our of 6

[Suechooks]

Well done Munch! It's so hard not to intervene - I can't bear hearing them cheeping so once they've given it a good try I go in and help. I've found the membane tends to dry out and seems to thicken if they'e slow hatching. I dab with warm water to try and help. With my last lot I left the straggler in the incy overnight on its own to recover, fully expecting it to be dead in the morning but there s/he was up and running!

[Munch]

Thanks Sue, The poor little thing spent so long trying the membrane has actually stated to go crispy! Never thought if warn water..... made note, thanks