John K Jordan
09-28-2020, 12:10 AM
Three peachicks hatched today, some of the last for this year with just a few more eggs in the incubator. Assuming these survive, they will bring the total to 19 this year. Some from the spring are almost full size now.
442083
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All three eggs in this small batch hatched. It looks like this batch has two pied black shouldered and possibly one solid white, the one in the front. The plastic thing in the photo is a small poultry waterer placed upside down inside the hatcher to heat to 100-deg. If I don't preheat the cool water, it and the air inside expand and push the water out and make a soggy floor for the chicks! I put down a carpet floor so their feet don't slip which gives them a head start on leg development and walking. When chicks hatch they can go for a day or two before they need food and water - they start out fully stocked with in internal food supply high in nutritian, what is left of the egg yoke gets pulled inside their body just before hatching.
442084
Since chicks take a LONG time to hatch and need lots of rest between spurts of effort (these took about 24 hours from first pip to peck away enough shell to push through) I stood at the window of the hatcher for about an hour to catch this and another hatching, trying to hold a flashlight steady while running the battery down on my phone. The loud sound is from the two fans that circulate heated and moisturized air - the temperature must stay around 100-deg F and the humidity about 60%.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPrde9JOD8
It's fascinating to watch how fast these little things grow! Their wing feathers grow so fast you can almost watch them get longer. I measured once - if I remember the longest grew about 25mm over just a few hours. In one day they have grown their flight feathers and can fly in just a few days.
JKJ
442083
.
All three eggs in this small batch hatched. It looks like this batch has two pied black shouldered and possibly one solid white, the one in the front. The plastic thing in the photo is a small poultry waterer placed upside down inside the hatcher to heat to 100-deg. If I don't preheat the cool water, it and the air inside expand and push the water out and make a soggy floor for the chicks! I put down a carpet floor so their feet don't slip which gives them a head start on leg development and walking. When chicks hatch they can go for a day or two before they need food and water - they start out fully stocked with in internal food supply high in nutritian, what is left of the egg yoke gets pulled inside their body just before hatching.
442084
Since chicks take a LONG time to hatch and need lots of rest between spurts of effort (these took about 24 hours from first pip to peck away enough shell to push through) I stood at the window of the hatcher for about an hour to catch this and another hatching, trying to hold a flashlight steady while running the battery down on my phone. The loud sound is from the two fans that circulate heated and moisturized air - the temperature must stay around 100-deg F and the humidity about 60%.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPrde9JOD8
It's fascinating to watch how fast these little things grow! Their wing feathers grow so fast you can almost watch them get longer. I measured once - if I remember the longest grew about 25mm over just a few hours. In one day they have grown their flight feathers and can fly in just a few days.
JKJ