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Post by standychook on Oct 9, 2010 10:21:08 GMT 8
Our first lot of eggs are ready to start hatching today, I can see one that has a little hole in it and we can here cheeping from inside the incubator (janoel hexagon).
Of 36 eggs I set, 4 have been removed as definite duds, two have definite embryo development but not as big as the rest, even though one definitely had movement.
This is a real mixed bag - 10 assorted bantam (maybe/hopefully pekins), the rest are australorpe x light sussex x RIR and RIR/isa/ assorted mixed, plus two of ours which could be frizzle x ancona, wyandotte or isa.
Will post photos when they are out in the broodie.
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Post by fizzle on Oct 9, 2010 20:07:32 GMT 8
Hi Standychook, will be great to see what hatches out. I've resisted seeting my incubator this season. With 6 broodies so far I haven't needed to
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Post by standychook on Oct 10, 2010 22:19:45 GMT 8
We are going great guns, the first three hatched around 7.30pm last night, and chickies number 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 are drying out in the incubator ;D They are so cute, even hubby is very much influenced by their cuteness and has conceded to the fourth breed I want to keep *and* ducks because ducklings are just the cutest! Some photos of the fluffballs Numbers 16, 17 and 18 just hatched and are still in the 'bator drying out:D
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Post by quambie on Oct 11, 2010 13:20:22 GMT 8
Good on you standychook They look great how many in total Trev
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Post by standychook on Oct 11, 2010 14:02:04 GMT 8
Twenty two in total, one has zipped but still in shell. Pretty sure two of the remaining eggs stopped growing last week, not sure about the rest, 7.30pm tonight will be 48 hours since the first hatched, which is starting to push it viability wise isn't it?
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Post by ikbokchook on Oct 11, 2010 15:39:56 GMT 8
Nawwww! Aren't they gorgeous! ;D I'd leave them a little bit longer, since the first ones to hatch were bantams. You could give them a quick candle and see if you can see anything moving. Either way, 22 chickies for your first hatch is a pretty good result if you ask me! Congrats! (Oh, and tell me your secret how you get hubby to agree to more breeds! I'll be living with the chooks if I ask mine to build anything else! )
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Post by shea on Oct 11, 2010 19:59:14 GMT 8
Great news standychook, loved the pics!
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Post by standychook on Oct 14, 2010 17:59:00 GMT 8
I added more water to the incubator and a warm wet sponge to up the humidity (there was still water in the tank but it had a 'skin' over it from fluff, egg gunk), and the final three hatched quickly after that. We ended up with 25 hatched chicks, the remaining seven chicks died in the shell without pipping (2 I believed died around day 16).
Of the 25, one had *sort of* splayed legs - I'm not convinced they were splayed at least not like the photos I have seen on splayed legs - he also had a soft abdomen and was one of the ones stuck in the shell on day 23 - this little one died over night:( Another six have what I am sure is slipped tendon on one leg - as all six of these were obtained from the same place, I believe it is a genetic or vitamin deficiency in the breeding stock.
I have tried taping and splinting the legs after repositioning the tendon and have them on vitamins. They are all managing to hop on one leg and eat and drink, they look healthy and alert - I will give them a chance, but the research I have done on slipped tendon indicates that they will probably need to be pts:(
Sad way to learn the importance of the health of breeding stock that I source my fertile eggs from.
But the remaining chicks are happy, healthy and doing really well, so definitely a learning experience, but not a complete failure.
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