4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[WitchHazel]

So, we incubated 6xIxworth eggs followed by 6xSasso eggs 2 days later.

 

At candling, 4 of each appeared fertile, so we removed the non-fertile eggs.

 

21says was up yesterday for the Ixworth's. All day - nothing. After dinner, nothing. 9pm, one of the eggs had pipped!

 

Got up in the middle of the night to check. No progress.

 

Checked at 7.30 this morning, no progress.

 

Checked at 7.45, there was a little hole. Ran to tell DH, got back, and our first chick had hatched!

 

It was heartbreaking to watch the poor thing, so wet, so exhausted. Every time he laid down for a rest, I was sure he had died. He's moving around a lot now and is a lot drier, almost looks like a day old chick. He's busy barging into the other eggs, presumable Nature's way of encouraging them to hatch.

 

 

A second egg has pipped, but nothing yet.

 

We've got a Novital brooder ready, and it's really hard to be patient. I just want to "rescue" Number One and give the poor lad something to drink. I know he's got everything he needs, although he isn't carrying his egg sac anymore. That's stuck to Number 2, and gave us a flase alarm thinking it was hatching!

 

No pics yet, seems a bit mean to take a flash photo. I'll wait until they get into the Brooder.

 

Books say to leave them for up to 24 hours in the INcubator....seems a looooong time to me.

 

I'm nervous. Excited. Sad (he should have a Mummy Hen there to reassure him).

 

 

EDITED TO ADD Pics of Number 1 (12 hours old) and Number 2 (10 minutes old) are here:

http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2009/08/photos-of-chicks.html

Edited August 6, 2009 by Guest

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Congratulations . How exciting . Hope you can take some piccies soon .

[Raina]

Congrats

 

 

Can't wait for pics

 

 

Raina

[Chickvic]

Congrats

[teri]

six out of seven of my chicks hatched while i was out at work, my hubby found them which was just typical since he has never done any feeding or poo picks!!!

i was a bit gutted, however number seven pipped the next day and everyone got to watch it hatch because it was polling day and the kids were off school.

i have to say it is the most exciting, interesting and nerve racking thing i have ever seen the kids loved it and have since takent he chicks to school to show their class mates!

[Raina]

six out of seven of my chicks hatched while i was out at work, my hubby found them which was just typical since he has never done any feeding or poo picks!!!

i was a bit gutted, however number seven pipped the next day and everyone got to watch it hatch because it was polling day and the kids were off school.

i have to say it is the most exciting, interesting and nerve racking thing i have ever seen the kids loved it and have since taken the chicks to school to show their class mates!

 

 

Hehe, That's why i set up a webcam so i won't miss it, and i can take tons of pics without disturbing them

[WitchHazel]

Well Number 2 has shown no signs of further emerging yet.

 

Number One is dry. Had a bit of a debate about what to do. We were torn between wanting to leave Number One in the Incubator so that when Number 2 hatches, he'd realise he wasn't alone... and wanting to "rescue" him from the Incubator. He was wandering around a lot.

 

In the end we reasoned that even if Number 2 was to hatch immediately, he's take about 8 hours to dry (based on Number 1); we'll be in bed at this point which would mean leaving Number 1 in the Incubator until the morning. Katie Thear says "up to 24 hours" in the Incy, but we didn't really want to take it that far.

 

So, we discussed whether it would be better or worse to let #1 see #2 hatch and then remove him. In the end, we decided to remove him now and put him in the Brooder.

 

We've shown him the food, he's done a poo, we've shown him the water... but the wee mite is cheeping furiously. Having discovered that there is another form of life, he doesn't want to be left on his own. Maybe we should have left him in the incubator afer all.

 

Well, it's too late, we can't really put him back, so we'll all have to live with it.

 

It all seemed so straightforward when I read the books. None of them covered this sort of detail!

[Lewis]

Congrats on the

 

You should be ok to pop him back in if you wanted to

24 hours is fine, they can last 72 hours without food/water as they absorb the yolk, but if you think he`s lost it pop some water in the incy + it will help with upping the humidity

 

Can we have a photo now he's in the brooder?

[WitchHazel]

Number 2 has now hatched! They are cheeping loudly at each other - I can't believe something so tiny can make such a noise!

 

I've added a pic of Number 1 (aged 12 hours) and Number 2 (aged 10 mins) here

http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2009/08/photos-of-chicks.html

[likeabalalaika]

Oh how wonderful! They're beautiful. xxx

[Lewis]

Aww

Well done chickies, hopefully more will be on the way soon.

[Redwing]

They're lovely, congratulations

 

If its any consolation I havent left any of mine in the inccy for 24hrs, they just barge about and make lots of noise so I have removed most of the ones that I have hatched when they are dry and on a few occassions when they were still wet

[WitchHazel]

Thank you.

 

We had two Sassos hatch earlier. We were waiting for them to dry a bit beforeopening the Incubator and removing the shells. Now a third one has hatched and he keeps falling ono his back over the darned shells.

 

I think DH will have to whip the lid off and get the shells out.

 

It really pulls at my heartstrings to watch the little poppets struggle.