I live in Arizona and we are having triple digit temps now. I bought a new incubator recently & it was full (over 60 eggs) but, it started giving me trouble about half way thru the hatch. One morning it was at 80 degrees. "Great!" I'm thinking, "I'm going to loose some from that!" and it does it twice more. At this point I'm not sure I'm going to get anything live. Then I come home from work on Thur and my AC is out and it's 112 in the house & the incubator. "Well" I think "that probably finished them off and 40% of them were due to hatch in only two days! DARN!" Well, they got my AC fixed on Fri night and on Sat AM I started candling. NOTHING…., no movement…., no nothing. With all the temp variations that had happened over the last week, I figured they were dead. So, since the incubator was still being irregular, I made the tough decision to dump the batch. This morning (Sun) I go in to start a load of laundry & check on the last batch of chicks & I hear peeping coming… from the OTHER side of the sink from the nursery box…I’m thinking..”how did one of those babies get out of that nursery box??? They aren’t big enough for that!!!” when I realize the peeing is coming from the trash bin !! OH MY G!!! I start looking and there in the trash is a beautiful little dark half dry chick sitting on top of the pile of eggs peeping her little head off!!! EEEEK!!! I crank up the dependable incubator, which is now empty, put in the baby & start going carefully thru the trash because… I can hear more peeping!!!! In the end I found 7 more eggs in the process of peeping out and I pulled all the eggs that were within days of hatching & put them back into the incubator too. . …just in case!!!
Now, I’ve only been doing this a couple of years but…WOW!!!
……… did I get that one wrong!!
So here’s to the Miracle of LIFE and it’s determination to be born…
……………………………………………in spite of well intended but stupid humans!!!!
OH MY G!!!! MIRACLE CHICKS!
sarahssizzles that is amazing! Think how lucky not only that you hadn't tossed the garbage out but that you were there when they needed you!!!
Congratulations!
MollyD
OMG, i am just smiling and laughing and crying with you! I, too am in AWE! these must be some hardy chicks with a storng will to live... congratulations on your chicks!
tf
WOW....that is so AMAZING! That is so unreal, I bet I'll be telling your story for years to come! Congratulations! (I'm about to read it to my DH and kids now!)
Christy
Oh WOW, how neat. What a surprise that had to be.
Thanks everyone for the support. I was feeling pretty stupid and wasn't sure I wanted to share my dumb mistake but, since there was a positive side, I figured someone else might be saved feeling as dumb as I did by making the same mistake. The really good news is 4 of the little ones have survived and one is a really nice looking powder blue with a head knob. The Universe is being very kind to me, considering I seem to have to learn things the hard way!!
Hi Sarah, I've noticed that when I candle my eggs just before moving them to the hatcher that they seem much less active--I think they are so packed in there they just can't move as easily. It would be easy to think they were dead at that point. I also messed up and had the temp go up to 107 during a hatch--it seemed to boost the hatch of those that were draggy! Not recommending it...but I can see how you ended up where you did. I can't figure it out---I do everything right and have a lousy hatch--mess up big time and everyone comes through. Congratulations on the wonderful outcome!
Sarah......I am so glad that you shared this! I really doubt that there is anyone who has incubated their own eggs that hasn't had what they considered an 'aaaahhhh duh, dumb' moment, at least once. For me, we just got started and have had several!
I am still in awe and amazed that the little things could have been through so much and still made it! You have some very strong little chicks! Have you thought of names for them yet?
Just a thought, but maybe you could name them Amazing, Grace, Hope, and Faith...or something like that. Hoping at least 3 are pullets!
Congrats again! I am so happy for you!
Christy