Beaudyne Posted April 29, 2021 Author Share Posted April 29, 2021 Itâs currently 4:22am and Iâve had one of the worst nights! We currently have 1 egg half unzipped, 2 just starting and 1 that I didnât even see the pip and itâs out! Came out so quickly too!! However this night started off bumpy. Last checked the eggs at 11pm then went to bed. Woke up at 12:30 to find weâd had a power cut at 11:30 so for the last hour the incubator hadnât been receiving any heat! Amazing how I woke up at all really!! Quickly got it all back on, temp had dropped to 27 and humidity had gone from 75% to 86%. I was in a major panic put I think everythingâs okay. Somehow got back to sleep only to wake up at 3 with the dog growling at the bedroom door. Went to check and it was the chick whoâs popped out the shell and tapping on the lid of the incubator! (Chicks are on the landing, so she could hear them well) Now just sitting here watching the eggs as I donât want anything else to go wrong đ đ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaudyne Posted April 29, 2021 Author Share Posted April 29, 2021 3 have hatched so far! However one thatâs just hatched has its umbilical cord still attached! Will it just dry up and drop off? This one is the smallest chick and seems to be struggling a little. Iâm not sure what to do. Should I be co concerned? Any help would be greatly appreciated @Luvachicken @Beantree   Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted April 29, 2021 Share Posted April 29, 2021 Lovely chicks! Maybe @mullethunter, @The Dogmother or @Lewis has advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted April 29, 2021 Share Posted April 29, 2021 Not sure about the little one @Beaudyne? That's not something we have seen before. I would expect it to be OK, knowing how resilient chicks are once they have hatched. We've only ever had one problem and that was clubfoot which is caused by a vitamin B deficiency in the breeding hen(s) I think? You can buy a mains failure alarm. Just plug it into a socket and it squeals when the mains fails. But it's only worthwhile if you have an alternative power source, so a battery and inverter or a generator or both. Mains failures were so common when we arrived in France we used to switch to the inverter when we went out. The longest was two days and we were given a rebate on the electricity standing charge, but our neighbours said the longest they had experienced was two WEEKS. Something worth using is a protected extension socket as we had a mains spike which blew the circuit board on ours and we had to rush out and buy another incubator mid-hatch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted April 29, 2021 Share Posted April 29, 2021 Those little chicks are just amazing. I'm afraid I don't know anything about tiny chicks so can't really advise on your teeny one. I hope they are all ok xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaudyne Posted April 29, 2021 Author Share Posted April 29, 2021 WE HAVE 6 CHICKS! So far anyway. 3 eggs left to hatch. However the last 3 havenât even pipped....is it likely they wonât hatch at all? 8:30pm tonight will be the full 21 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted April 29, 2021 Share Posted April 29, 2021 Perfectly normal some will be late. In nature the hen would abandon them to look after the ones that have hatched, but some could be hatching two days afterwards. Move the hatched over a day old to their rearing accommodation where they can start to eat and drink and leave the others in the incubator. Rearing is the hard part, incubating and hatching is pretty easy in comparison. Good luck, hope you have everything ready. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted April 29, 2021 Share Posted April 29, 2021 I have had one hatch with a little âbelly buttonâ like that. It sorted itself out after a few days. So glad so many have hatched - thatâs a great result, well done! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaudyne Posted April 30, 2021 Author Share Posted April 30, 2021 So number 7 just hatched đ„°đŁ! Took the opportunity while I moved all the other 6 out into the brooder to candle the other 2 eggs. One doesnât look very big in the egg and I canât see any movement. However the other is moving but hasnât pipped. Is this normal considering itâs now almost end of day 22? Could this chick still hatch? Will I need to help it pip? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted April 30, 2021 Share Posted April 30, 2021 Think it can happen that some take a little more time. But havenât hatched myself. Lovely result though so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted April 30, 2021 Share Posted April 30, 2021 Sounds pretty successful to me, very well done. Can't wait to see the pictures when they are all fluffed up together and dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 Best not interfere @Beaudyne, because it's too easy to quickly lose humidity and get the chick stuck to the membrane. Was the day you put them in counted as day Zero? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaudyne Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 @Beantree yep counted it at zero. I havenât helped the egg and amazingly it pipped at 11pm last night and by 2am it was out đ„°đ hatched end of day 23! We have 8 all together now! Last one wasnât moving when I last candled. When I move the two newbies into the brooder Iâll candle the last egg again and see whatâs happening.  Amazingly after all this with buyer an incubator etc my one hybrid hen has just done broody for the first time đ đ canât make it up Just some pictures of my lovely little fluffy chicks for you all to gush over đ„° 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 Just so sweet. A good success story. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaudyne Posted May 4, 2021 Author Share Posted May 4, 2021 Guys! My one little baby chick has died. He/she was the weakest of the lot and I did everything I could over the last few days to help them but it wasnât enough.  I feel ridiculous being so upset over a chick when there are 7 others but I just love all animals and even though he/she had only been alive a few days I cared deeply for that little chick.  But Iâm unsure what to do now. Do I bury him/her or what? Donât want to put it in the bin as some other people Iâve seen have suggested!  I hadnât really named them but kept calling it Squidly Diddly â€ïž Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 9 minutes ago, Beaudyne said: Guys! My one little baby chick has died. He/she was the weakest of the lot and I did everything I could over the last few days to help them but it wasnât enough.  I feel ridiculous being so upset over a chick when there are 7 others but I just love all animals and even though he/she had only been alive a few days I cared deeply for that little chick.  But Iâm unsure what to do now. Do I bury him/her or what? Donât want to put it in the bin as some other people Iâve seen have suggested!  I hadnât really named them but kept calling it Squidly Diddly â€ïž Sorry to hear! But it is part of hatching I guess. Do with it what feels right. Iâve buried small house pets like hamsters in the garden. Bigger ones like the chickens go to the vet to be destroyed. But I have a very small garden and to many cats around. Wouldnât want too much interest from them in any buried chickens... I agree that the bin just doesnât feel right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 So sorry that you lost a little chick. I agree with @Cat tails My chickens have been cremated but I think with a chick I would bury him/her somewhere pretty in the garden, nice and deep. Any pet of ours that has been buried has been wrapped in soft tissue and placed with some food and treats for their journey into the next life. We did have a Goldfinch that crashed into our window and died - it was beautiful - I admit to putting him in the compost bin where it was warm and toasty.  I'd rather that than he was playtime for a cat or magpie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 28 minutes ago, Luvachicken said: Any pet of ours that has been buried has been wrapped in soft tissue and placed with some food and treats for their journey into the next life. Interestingly I have wrapped all small rodents in tissue paper too, on a little bed of hay. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 3 hours ago, Cat tails said: Interestingly I have wrapped all small rodents in tissue paper too, on a little bed of hay. We have always interred our hamsters in a small cardboard box which, until recently, the boys have decorated and written message on. They are wrapped in some paper tissue and laid on some of the sawdust and bedding from their cage and I always pop in some food too. Sounds silly, feels right! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 @Beaudyne how are your chicks doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaudyne Posted May 10, 2021 Author Share Posted May 10, 2021 @Cat tails Chicks are doing great! Just over a week old and growing soo fast!! Started to get their Elvis hair doâs now đ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 Oooh I love their little Elvis floof! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
