4 chicks have hatched, several others are pipping. The hatched chicks are all over the incubator and knocking the other eggs around. Will that hurt the chicks that are in the process of pipping? Some of the pipping eggs have been turned over by the hatched chicks so the pip can't even be seen any more. Should I remove the hatched chicks and put them in the brooder?
Just so you know, I'm being very calm LOL.
Hatching, need an answer please!
IF the newly hatched babies are dry , I would definitely put them into the brooder under a warm light! Oh and Congrats!!
No, it won't hurt. If you open the bator, please do it very very fast.. it will drop the humidity and the ones that are pipped will dry out.. They will be fine. This is a test of your strength to NOT open it till they are done!
Told you your hatch would be fine!! :)
congrats Annie. I have wondered the same thing when having a large hatch and have a few slower ones. The other pipped eggs always end up with the pip side down after being rolled
I always remove the chicks as soon as they are dry. Often I remove them as soon as theyare out of the egg as my brookder is up to temp and right next to the bateor. I quickly turn the eggs pip side up and close the bator, it's never caused me a problem but you might have to add a sponge to get humidity back up quickly...Hay
I forgot that not everyone uses cartons... I never had that problem.. so I kinda spoke a bit out of turn, according to my experience.. I am guilty of snatching them out of the bator too.. but not unless the humidity is really high..
The lack of posts probably means she is totally busy with boo boo babiez! Love it!
I just can't stop looking at them LOL! One little guy was born with is head stuck to his chest, not stuck, but bent down touching his chest. I gave him some time, 2 hours, and there was no improvement and h e was flopping around stuck that way, so I gave him 2 drops of poly vi sol without iron and within an hour he was fine. Maybe he would have been anyway? I had to take care of the other chicks and chickens and have had many changes of clothes and showers today! This is just so awesome. I really hope more chicks hatch, it would break my heart to know they were alive but couldn't hatch.
Annie, be prepared for that.. it happens. Nature knows best.. if it does happen, it is usually meant to be. It is terribly hard.. but it is normal.
Sometimes we can save them, sometimes not.. Some people say don't do it no matter what, some help.. Just don't intervene too soon.. that will make them bleed. If you have to help as a last resort, that is up to you.. I try to wait at least 12 to 18 hours.. That way, you know they have absorbed the yolk sack if they are gonna and the blood vessels are shut down so it won't bleed if you help open the shell.
Sometimes, I use my fingernail to "help" the pip become a crack.. and wait.. that has worked to get them going.. If not, I've been known to just get them out and hatch em right in my hand... sometimes it works, sometimes there was a problem and I shouldn't have.. (like leg problems) sometimes it doesn't work at all and I just cry.. I've left them in the egg until they just stop peeping and I think that is worse than taking a chance on helping.. It's just a gamble.. but it's your call.
I don't think I can just leave them without trying. I'll wait a while because as you said the blood vessles will be shut down, thanks so much for that info!! I sure don't want to make them bleed. I need to go give them a pep talk!
Trust me I don't pander, but, ZZ's is a hundred percent right on. One of the first things I make sure of is that oxygen is getting in, the next is any sight of blood. If there is I stop immediately. If no blood I proceed very, slowly. I really appreciate the delicateness that ZZ's applies. We do our very best, sometimes with great results and feel euphroic. Sometimes in spite of all we do we loose and feel dismay. But if you do your best, win or loose your gonna become a great mid Chickie Wife...LOL...Hay
I usually like to leave at least one baby in the bator with the pipped eggs.. helps give them the will I think.. Especially if a baby is not flopping all over.. sometimes they will go snuggle with an egg.. or even lay on it! Might be too late for that if you took em all out..
I took them all out, they were like a bull in a china shop, rolling eggs all over the incubator. Morning maybe bring a surprise!
Do you have hens? I've been taking the pips out to the hens who hatch them and had great success that way. Plus, they bond. I have seen the hen give the egg a gentle peck near the pip, so it's part of nature.
When they hatch, I've noticed my chicks peck all the way around and pop the whole top off, so if the pip is up or down probably doesn't matter. Most important thing is keeping humitity high so they don't get dried in.
I've hatched a bunch in the incubators over the years and I can't remember a single one that I "helped" hatch (i.e. did more than just remove a little egg around the pip hole) that ended up surviving for the long term. Getting out of the egg is nature's strength test, and often the reason they can't is something developmental (heart or lungs aren't right, feet etc.)
I've also noticed that the later it goes from the first hatchlings, the weaker the hatchlings are. If you put them all in about the same time, after about 5 days I typically get no more healthy chicks.
A friend told me a while back to listen for peeping in the eggs. Hearing others peeping is supposed to encourage the hatching of the eggs. Although you feel like a goon doing it, I'll peep to my eggs around hatching time to get them going!