Oh my, my. What a day at my house this is going to be. 63 years old and my first chickens ever. I have wanted chickens since I was in my mid twenties.
THEY ARE HATCHING!!!! :-)) I was SO SURE I had totally messed everything up and nothing would hatch. But not sure enough to toss the eggs. Good thing on that because they are hatching. All you guys that urged me not to give up were right on the money.
I have two Black Copper Marans totally out of the egg. I have two Olive eggers that have the cracks in the eggs they make to break out. I am so excited and going to be a very happy chicken mommy. Now tonight at 7PM is actually 21 days since the bach was set so these ones are starting early.
Yesterday afternoon while I was peering into the brower checking temps and humidity (which I do constantly) I thought I heard a cheep from the incubator. But it only happened once so I decided I must be nuts and heard a bird from outside. Well, now I do believe that it was really a cheep from inside an egg.
This morning at 5 AM I discoved the first chick totally out. Went back to bed. The second chick was out before noon today.
As far as I can see none of the other Black Copper Marans eggs have pecks yet. There were 6 eggs set as one was totally clear before I moved them to the brower for hatching. So 2 chicks and 4 more eggs that are possibles.
They olive eggers I have all 7 eggs in there as they were all too dark to candel. Don't know why I had actually been able to see thru the one Marans eggs, it was a really dark egg but I just could see there was nothing.
I am going to get my brooder stuff set up now. I have it all and my food and feeders and my heat lamp. But don't worry, I am not about to open the incubator yet. I know I am not supposed to do that. I just want to get ready.
I am a happy chicken mommie :-))
They are Hatching!
I was originally planning to use a big solid color (green) rubbermaid storage box for my brooder and put it here on the floor in my home office. But I decided that if I used the big 20 long aquarium instead and put it up high on a tabletop I could have chicken TV. So that's what I am doing now. I dug up the aquarium from staoage in the basement and brought it upstairs and cleaned it up. Need to clean it some more. I like this idea :-))
Yipee! Doesn't it amaze you?
I have hatched three times now, and I always tell my husband, "don't worry, it's just an imaginary hobby, nothing is going to hatch!" Then low and behold, a chick! I am always shocked when I see a pip. (Especially when I have messed up the temps or the humidity)
Congrats!
Congratulations! Perseverance pays! Keep us informed on the progress. We can wait for pictures until they're in the tank.
- You can't see into the olive eggs as well as the brown ones because the blue color is infused throughout the thickness of the shell while the brown color is on the outer surface only.
The first of the Olive eggers is totally out. When it got the shell off and sorta fell out the shell fell on top of the poor little guy. So I stuck the straw in there thru the vent hole and flipped the shell off the baby.
Oh Rita, I am so happy for you. It amazed me when at exactly 21 days they begin to hatch. The next part is really difficult too, when you can't decide when to throw out the rotten eggs.
The last time I hatched out chicks under a silkie hen, I waited 4 or 5 days then inspected the eggs. They are STINK BOMBS believe me when I say this. The ones that did not hatch I shook a little bit and could feel liquid inside, so I tossed them into the yard, and they actually exploded. I felt more confident when I felt the liquid and wasn't afraid I was throwing a baby chicken.
I'm so proud of you and your new babies. This is awesome.
I'm still waiting for my show quality white silkie to lay an egg. She must be over six months old now, so what's the hold up? ??
This is so fun isn't it?
Congrats again.
I don't think they are really all going to hatch but then I didn't think any of them were going to hatch. Good thing everyone told me not to give up. So far nothing new, just that second olive egger doing the cracked egg thing.
I plan on starting them in the aquarium brooder. Then when they get bigger they will go into a dog crate I have had for the last 25 years and has really small mesh but no bottom pan. I think might have to put it in the bathroom.
I am just so pleased with them hatching. This might even turn out to be a small percentage hatch but I did so want those Black copper Marans and olive eggers. If I get two hens of each I will be estactic. Even one of each will make me very happy.
Woow hoo. The second olive egger just pushed the complete top off its egg so I guess that counts as out. Its resting now. Plus a new Marans egg has a tiny crack started so that means another chick is working on it. Lots and lots of peeping going on all day long.
Just reading this makes me laugh, I can feel your excitement four thousand miles away. Now thats a lot of excitement. Congrats to you, I'm so very very happy for you...Hay
They are so fun to watch. The aquarium should be fine as far as I know. Mine were in a large cardboard box with the bottom covered in paper towels, and a light hung over the top. I kept them here in the floor by my chair. They ate mushed up boiled eggs and grated carrots. That's supposed to be good for them. Once I gave them some beans and one took a bean and started running with it and many of the others chased him. Didn't know baby chicks played football. lol
Can't wait to hear what yours do.
The 20 gallon long aquarium is good because it is much large than the 10 but has the additional floor space instead of just being (uselessly) taller. Since I already had it I decided to put it to good use.
I ready am very excited about this. I must go look at those chicks in there every ten minutes :-))
YAY, Congratulations Rita!!! I'm so excited for you!! Waiting for updates and pictures!
Love your idea for "chicken tv" LOL
In fact, right now there is a cardboard box in my living room with a rooster in it. I brought him from the horse lot last night, just for some company. He started crowing this morning and wouldn't hush up.
As soon as I can I'll post some pictures of him and see what the chicken experts around here think. He came from a fairly well known breeder who was selling out, and his health was not so good. Now, I don't know what to think of him. It's his crest that has me puzzled. He had bad mites, so I don't know if his crest is really much larger and just hasn't grown out yet, or if this is just the way he is. He's a real sweety though.
OK Rita, what's happening now?? I have BCM and Olive egger envy and want to know LOL
Right now its one o'clock in the morning and there is nothing new. Still the four chicks. Hoping that more hatch but it's just wait and see. So there will not be any more updates until morning as it's time for bed. Actually I had gone to bed earlier, fell asleep and just wok up now. Had to check the incubator and the forum LOL :-)) Going back to bed now.
LOL I can feel the excitement too. That is a really good hatch for your first try! Congratulations!
I put mine on paper towels first.. with sprinkles of food around so they can start pecking. They won't go to the dish yet.. but they will be soon.
I'm really happy for you!
Boil some eggs, you're a mommy now!! :)
edited to add...
Doesn't matter what you use for flooring as long as it's not slippery.. that will make that lil spraddle legged chick worse. I use the Viva paper towels that are like fabric.. seems to give them the best grip.
This message was edited Oct 10, 2010 11:35 AM
Ok, here is the update. Nothing else hatched. I took the ones in the brower out and put them in their aquarium brooder. I had fixed up a spray bottle with warm warter, sprayed the leftover eggs heavily to make up for the fact that the incubator was opened. I really do not think any others will be hatching and not because of the incubator opening, because I think these four were just it. But I have been known to be wrong before.
There was another of the Black Copper Marans eggs with a good portion of the egg opened but the chick was dead. I think this is because while I tried to hatch upright in egg cartions I guess I cut back this cartons the BCM were in too much and the eggs rolled out. I know people hatch sideways and eggs roll around all the time but I believe that the chick had positioned itself while the egg was upright, the egg rolled so that the pipped part was facing down on the wet paper towel and I think the chick just drowned not being able to get air. I wish I had this thought earlier as I could have just rolled the egg with my straw.
So another is in the same way, slight pip and nothing else. I left that egg. By the way I put all the BCM eggs left back in a new paper carton thingy, they will not be able to roll out just in case something does hatch.
The very first chick, a BCM that hatched friday at 5am I am going to have to put down I fear. It can not stand up, never has it just flopps around. It has never gotten off its belly. I am in no hurry, I will just wait and see maybe it will perk up.
I have two olive eggers. one I think is going to be a blue as its much lighter than the others which are black chicks.
These things are so silly. They just fall asleep anywhere. One was just sleeping in the food bowl but got woken up when another went over to eat.
You should have seen my 24 silkies running around. They would run and run and run and then all of a sudden all 24 just lay down and sleep. A short time later they would all get up and all run around again, then suddenly all sleep. It was like they were on some kind of baby schedule that they were all in tune with. Weird but cute.
That's why I'm afraid to hatch out more chicks. I know there will be roosters and will I be able to sell them, or will they just be added to my growing rooster collection?
No problem for me. If its not what I want it will be leaving. I have raised dogs, kept them till four months until I could really be sure of the best of the entire litter and then sold those puppies. And pups can steal anyones heart. I have raised show quality kittens too. I start out with the I love everything in the batch (in the litter) but end up focused on the ones or one that are keepers for me. I never miss the ones that left.
Thanks Rita.
I decided that the rest of the eggs were no good so I opened them up. Two of those last copper Marans were a gooyey mess inside. One had a fully formed dead chick. Not shrink wrapped so maybe just drowned from too much humidity.
On the rest of the olive eggers, again one fully formed but quite dead chick. The rest were gooyey messes. One did have a partially formed chick.
So that is it for my first time around.
Flopsey is doing much better today. I have been picking it up and dipping its beak in the water container. Today it finially caught on and drank nicely by itself. It has been eating all along. In fact it manages to get up off its elbows now and straighten up. I think it might just grow out of this. Flopsey is the smallest.
Spraddles walks and runns with the others but just has a very wide stance and the legs seem to go out at an angle from its body, not straight down like the others. Don't know what to make of that.
Just found this .... congrats NYRita!!!! Yaaaay! Your excitement just vibrates off the thread!! Nothing like new babies!
Just a suggestion.. but in the aquarium, put down some puppy pads, or (less expensive) hospital bed pads. They are just the right size or a foldover , but they can be removed and replaced so much easier than having to replace Stinky shavings every day or so! I also used an Aquarium the first time , spent a good portion of everyday after about a week just trying to keep it from smelling and cleaning out the Poop from under the shavings. The pads are just lift replace and throw away! Easier than newspaper or paper towels because they are plastic lined..no leakage!
oh and be sure to remember to give your babies some fine grit or sand to help keep them from getting pasty butt!
ZZ gives hers grass with roots and soil attached. Perhaps that would do for chicken toys?
I have two new Leghorns. About two and a half weeks old now. What kind of sand should I give them? When should I use shavings as bedding? I use paper towel now.
Also, In about a week or so, I may have new chicks hatching. Can you mix new chicks with about three week old chicks? Or should I separate the brooder in two?
I am kind of excited about these eggs. My last hatch produced only one chick. It looks like a lot are alive. I candled on day 11, and I have (that I can see) about 14 good eggs! Yippee!
I forgot all about the grass and dirt thing.. I haven't had chicks in the house for a while... can ya tell? Thank you Porkpal.. that IS a very important element...
It is important to give chickens dirt? Why is that? Sorry I really don't see why anything should eat dirt. Sounds yuccky.Not trying to argue. I just don't understand. I do know they need girt after they get older and done with the chick starter.
Well, I've been lurking and really enjoying your reports, newyorkrita! Just wanted to stick my head up and say hoorayyy for your success!
Back to lurking....
Hey, lurking is ok but joining in the fuin is even better
As for the puppy pads. I have the aquarium lined with the puppy pads. Then I have three layers of paper towel on top of that. No shavings or newspaper at all. Each day I take off and throw away the top layer of paper towel and put fresh in. Its really easy.
Rita that is what I do. puppy pads make raising chicks a breeze as far as mess goes. I got a case on e-Bay really cheap
The dirt on the grass roots serves as grit which they need to help digest the grass. If you only feed chick crumbles or mash they really don't need any grit yet.
There apparently are a lot of other benefits as well as grit for the crop. In natural settings the chick would be scratching and swallowing the grit and dirt for small insects and worms too! The grit also helps to keep them from getting the sticky poop that causes pasty butt. After adding ZZ's Chicken toys ( grass and root ball with dirt intact) I noticed almost immediately that I didnt have to keep washing and picking poop off butts.
This message was edited Oct 13, 2010 12:59 PM
Is pasty butt a serious condition? I mean , could they die from it?
Yes they can!!! The poop actually dries and hardens over the vent, preventing them from passing their feces. this causes severe distress in the intestines and pain, and in severe cases death.
What is the best way for lock down, on their sides, or in an egg carton?
I believe in upright in the egg cartons. Not that I have lots of experience. But I got that from reading how other people did it and the upright hatch position is preferred by many.
All mine are in lock down! The humidity is up. I took them out of the turner, and put them on paper towel. That is OK right? I mean, will the humidity be OK, or does the paper towel have to have holes in it?
Someone here should know. I have no idea as this is so new to me.