AppleJacks
Contributing Member
So I got an incubator since I haven't had a broody hen in years. The expected hatch was tomorrow but surprise...one is eager and hatching NOW. soooo exciting
Farm First Hatch
- Thread starter AppleJacks
- Start date
AppleJacks
Contributing Member
I am working on getting a pic or two uploaded, but in the meantime let me tell you what is going on.
My experience with chickens has been solely picking out cute fluffy balls of delight at the store and bringing them home to a homemade brooder in my dining room. They were raised and moved to coop in backyard 3-4 each spring or so.
Anyone who has that same experience should know, if they are thinking of incubating, that they don't pop out of the egg as cute fluffy balls. This morning I have fluffyness lol
Going into this, I expected a 21 day incubation and it would take about 5 hours for the chick to hatch once the process started. So they said. Also I knew I should not help. As an aside, i also know I should not exceed the posted speed limits on the highways. "Should not" does not always equal did not.
I put three eggs into my incubator on Jan 1st, another three went in on the 6th and another three on the 10th. First round ETA was today.
However yesterday at 9 am I discovered that one was eager and had poked a hole chrirping away in the egg. Ok, hmm 5 hour process so by 2pm I should have a chick. Yay
It was still chirping and making the egg roll around at 1pm but there was no further progress. I thought it was in distress and didn't want it to give up and die sooo I gently cracked. At 2 pm the 5 hour window was over and I cracked more.
Now the little guy had his hat off and was nestled in like it was a sleeping bag. However it wasnt ready. There was blood around it and the shell stuck to it. I felt so bad. If it had died naturally I'd be sad but could accept that. But if it died now I'd feel such guilt. This one I named Prima since it was the first.
In the meantime another had poked a hole in its shell. I talked to it and encouraged it because "You are on your own"
This was another surprise - Half Hour Hatch was chirping and waddling soon. Yes 30 minutes from first discovery of shell cracking to completely out and about. No blood but no fluff either lol
That one is now named 4H as we don't know whether it is a Hannah or a Hank.
My husband pulled away the rest of the shell from Prima and we went to bed hoping all would be well in the morning.
4H is moving about well today, Prima is active but has a disability of some sort. It's not walking well. Both are fluffy now.
And that's the adventure so far. No I don't know what kind they are.
My experience with chickens has been solely picking out cute fluffy balls of delight at the store and bringing them home to a homemade brooder in my dining room. They were raised and moved to coop in backyard 3-4 each spring or so.
Anyone who has that same experience should know, if they are thinking of incubating, that they don't pop out of the egg as cute fluffy balls. This morning I have fluffyness lol
Going into this, I expected a 21 day incubation and it would take about 5 hours for the chick to hatch once the process started. So they said. Also I knew I should not help. As an aside, i also know I should not exceed the posted speed limits on the highways. "Should not" does not always equal did not.
I put three eggs into my incubator on Jan 1st, another three went in on the 6th and another three on the 10th. First round ETA was today.
However yesterday at 9 am I discovered that one was eager and had poked a hole chrirping away in the egg. Ok, hmm 5 hour process so by 2pm I should have a chick. Yay
It was still chirping and making the egg roll around at 1pm but there was no further progress. I thought it was in distress and didn't want it to give up and die sooo I gently cracked. At 2 pm the 5 hour window was over and I cracked more.
Now the little guy had his hat off and was nestled in like it was a sleeping bag. However it wasnt ready. There was blood around it and the shell stuck to it. I felt so bad. If it had died naturally I'd be sad but could accept that. But if it died now I'd feel such guilt. This one I named Prima since it was the first.
In the meantime another had poked a hole in its shell. I talked to it and encouraged it because "You are on your own"
This was another surprise - Half Hour Hatch was chirping and waddling soon. Yes 30 minutes from first discovery of shell cracking to completely out and about. No blood but no fluff either lol
That one is now named 4H as we don't know whether it is a Hannah or a Hank.
My husband pulled away the rest of the shell from Prima and we went to bed hoping all would be well in the morning.
4H is moving about well today, Prima is active but has a disability of some sort. It's not walking well. Both are fluffy now.
And that's the adventure so far. No I don't know what kind they are.
AppleJacks
Contributing Member
Last edited:
It's best to not try to hatch eggs of different ages/stages ,because they need much higher humidity in the last few days to hatch successfully.
I'm not sure where the "5 hours" came from... it's usually more like 12 from first pipping to completed hatch, under proper conditions. They *need* that struggle to get out of the egg for proper development.
Now, if they get the egg fully cracked, and then quit. You can try helping. If they stay in the shell too long after it's fully opened, they will harden up in that position and be crippled. I've gently removed the shell several times successfully, but usually only uad to if I goofed and didn't have the humidity high enough.
Good luck!
Summerthyme
I'm not sure where the "5 hours" came from... it's usually more like 12 from first pipping to completed hatch, under proper conditions. They *need* that struggle to get out of the egg for proper development.
Now, if they get the egg fully cracked, and then quit. You can try helping. If they stay in the shell too long after it's fully opened, they will harden up in that position and be crippled. I've gently removed the shell several times successfully, but usually only uad to if I goofed and didn't have the humidity high enough.
Good luck!
Summerthyme
AppleJacks
Contributing Member
AppleJacks
Contributing Member
Upper left is Prima who is not disabled (YAY she is walking fine) then 4H and introducing Pepe who was a surprise when we got home from work yesterday. Her coloring is reminiscent of the cartoon skunk Pepe Le Pew. She wasnt expected until today but a nice surprise. They are all doing well.
pauldingbabe
The Great Cat
Kewpie
Senior Member
So cute, and congrats!! Being a hatching mama can be stressful. You said one was having a hard time walking, is it splay leg? Sometimes they grow out of it, sometimes they need encouragement. And it is DAMN hard to get bands on their feet! I hatched some quail where we struggled with humidity in the incubator, and ended up with several splay leg, being shrink wrapped, and a few with crumpled feet that I hat to make tiny little tape boots for. THAT was fun. 
LightEcho
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Hey, you know your stuff!! I can tell you have had the experience. I keep a dish or pan of water in my incubator, which is made of plywood (painted). If you do not keep humidity up, the skin inside the shell does get tuff and brittle. I have spent a fair amount of time helping the little ones out or getting them untagged from the sticky-then-dried skin & shell.
pauldingbabe
The Great Cat
a few with crumpled feet that I hat to make tiny little tape boots for. THAT was fun.
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InstaMorph is a reusable lightweight polyester thermoplastic that acts like clay when warm, but when it cools, becomes a strong plastic. Our moldable plastic can be sculpted with your hands, tools, or pressed around an object to make a mold. It can be painted, machined, carved or attached to...
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I made little flats out of instamorph and taped over the floppy foot.
Instamorph is cool stuff.
I had a duck that got caught by two drakes and they worked her over pretty good
almost broke her leg. Walking in a disabled manor rubbed a spot on the bottom of her foot, so of course she got bumble-foot. I made a splint and a flat stable "foot" out of instamorph and she managed quite well.I was a wreck! I had 5 ducks, 3 geese one with severe splayed legs
), and about 10 chickens. I had never had any animal that didn't live in the house at night.Anyways instamorph is a great product for a lot of things.
AppleJacks
Contributing Member
Within a day she was walking fine. That sounds terrible.So cute, and congrats!! Being a hatching mama can be stressful. You said one was having a hard time walking, is it splay leg? Sometimes they grow out of it, sometimes they need encouragement. And it is DAMN hard to get bands on their feet! I hatched some quail where we struggled with humidity in the incubator, and ended up with several splay leg, being shrink wrapped, and a few with crumpled feet that I hat to make tiny little tape boots for. THAT was fun.
AppleJacks
Contributing Member
Today was the last ETA based on 21 day hatch, but the eagerness is strong and I now have 5 chicks out of the 9 eggs I started with. 2 new ones last night. Discovered the first after work and not 15 minutes later there was another. This has been a fun trial run. They are active this morning.
If your eggs are consistently hatching earlier than average, your temps may be running a bit warm. (Conversely, slightly colder than the desired 99.5, or a loss of power for a few hours will make them hatch a day later)
They are more forgiving than you'd suspect. The most important factor, and the one which can cost you the most chicks if it's incorrect, is humidity during the last 3 days. Before that, it's important (should be around 50%), but last year, I got busy and my incubator got down to 15% humidity around day 10-11. And it hatched 72%!
Summerthyme
They are more forgiving than you'd suspect. The most important factor, and the one which can cost you the most chicks if it's incorrect, is humidity during the last 3 days. Before that, it's important (should be around 50%), but last year, I got busy and my incubator got down to 15% humidity around day 10-11. And it hatched 72%!
Summerthyme
About the instamorph...it sounds like something we need around here. DH is always fabricating parts from whatever his imagination can conjure up. He is truly Mr. Fix-it. It says if you make a mistake you can just warm it up. Does it ever become stable so that heat would not turn it back to putty? Thanks for sharing!InstaMorph - Reusable Moldable Plastic
InstaMorph is a reusable lightweight polyester thermoplastic that acts like clay when warm, but when it cools, becomes a strong plastic. Our moldable plastic can be sculpted with your hands, tools, or pressed around an object to make a mold. It can be painted, machined, carved or attached to...
I made little flats out of instamorph and taped over the floppy foot.
Instamorph is cool stuff.
I had a duck that got caught by two drakes and they worked her over pretty good
I was a wreck! I had 5 ducks, 3 geese one with severe splayed legs
Anyways instamorph is a great product for a lot of things.