# Incubating shipped eggs



## Marie Mitchell

Hi everyone! I’m new to this forum and it chicken raising! We just got our shipped eggs at 2pm today and I no I need to let them rest for 24 hrs. So I put them in at 2pm tomorrow or is the 24 hr period not that strict and I can put them in the incubator tomorrow morning when we wake up? Thanks for your help!


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## robin416

You can put them in in the morning. Just don't set your alarm for 3AM. 

I have a suggestion, candle your eggs before you put them in the incubator. You want an idea on whether or not the air cells are still intact. When you hold them up to the light, look to see if the air pocket at the top moves. If it does, it's ruptured. That will make that egg very iffy on it hatching. Clearly mark those eggs with the broken air cell.


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## Marie Mitchell

robin416 said:


> You can put them in in the morning. Just don't set your alarm for 3AM.
> 
> I have a suggestion, candle your eggs before you put them in the incubator. You want an idea on whether or not the air cells are still intact. When you hold them up to the light, look to see if the air pocket at the top moves. If it does, it's ruptured. That will make that egg very iffy on it hatching. Clearly mark those eggs with the broken air cell.


Thank you so much for that tip! I'll definitely do that first! I have two small kids who were dying you put them in the incubator so they will be so happy to hear we can start in the morning!


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## robin416

You are now obligated to keep us informed on how it goes and a few pics of the kiddos with the peeps are always welcome.


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## Marie Mitchell

robin416 said:


> You are now obligated to keep us informed on how it goes and a few pics of the kiddos with the peeps are always welcome.


Haha I can't wait to show you!


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## robin416

All I can say is that it never gets old.

For me watching the birds was like watching fish in an aquarium. It's relaxing, it's comfortable and it's entertaining.


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## Marie Mitchell

So we popped the eggs in the incubator this morning! Yesterday I candle them to see about the air pockets. 3 I was worried about yesterday. Today after they rested over night I candled then before putting them in and now it looks like only one might be iffy! Hopefully everything goes smoothly and we have chicks on May 9th!


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## robin416

Are you going to candle on day seven or wait until day ten? When you do be careful. The first time I candled I almost dropped the egg when I saw the heartbeat.


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## Marie Mitchell

robin416 said:


> Are you going to candle on day seven or wait until day ten? When you do be careful. The first time I candled I almost dropped the egg when I saw the heartbeat.


I hear day 10 is better? I really want to do day 7 but I'll do what's best for the chicks


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## robin416

Whichever works best for you, you can't hurt them by taking them out and candling. They really are not out long enough to cause any changes.

On day seven you should see some decent vein development.


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## Marie Mitchell

Ok thanks! Also my incubator testing the auto rotation seemed to only rotate the eggs half way. Do u recommend I turn them on the other side daily also


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## robin416

Different turners operate differently. It might be working as it should but not seeing it it's hard to know for certain.


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## Marie Mitchell

robin416 said:


> Different turners operate differently. It might be working as it should but not seeing it it's hard to know for certain.


Ok thanks


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## robin416

Want to see something truly weird? Look at the second egg in that post.

https://www.chickenforum.com/threads/failed-hatch.14790/#post-165602


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## Marie Mitchell

robin416 said:


> Want to see something truly weird? Look at the second egg in that post.
> 
> https://www.chickenforum.com/threads/failed-hatch.14790/#post-165602


Wow!


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## robin416

I've seen some strange eggs but that one is a first for me.


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## Marie Mitchell

Candled them tonight and it looks like we have 6 out of the 10 eggs developing! I’ll candle the ones I’m not sure of on day 10 again.


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## Marie Mitchell




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## robin416

I would do the same thing, wait until the second candling just to make sure. Even then when it was time to remove the egg it was hard to do.


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## Marie Mitchell

Yes! I read if theirs veins there’s a chick growing inside? Do u believe that’s true because I think I saw 2 with veins but nothing that should something was in there. More like just a dark spot like the yoke. But yes I’m checking again to make sure on Monday


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## robin416

At seven days you're looking for those veins lining the inside of the shell. They are your first indicator that things are progressing in a good way.


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## Marie Mitchell

This one definitely doesn't have a chick in it right? Just wanting confirmation from someone else


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## robin416

I'm not seeing any veins. If it was viable the inside should be covered in them. 

It looks like you're holding the egg upside down.


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## Sylie

You want the wide end against the bulb  and no, I don't see anything going on in there

Sometimes it's hard to tell the pointy end from the wide end so try both directions and look for the air sac then put the end with the air sac against the light bulb and check again.


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## Marie Mitchell

Thanks I'm checking 3 eggs one last time tom night and if I don't see anything I'll take them out.


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## robin416

So, then it moves into the place where peeps are excitedly waited on.


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## Marie Mitchell

Positive 3 eggs weren’t fertile. So we will be waiting on 7 put of 10! Can’t wait. They grew so much in over 4 days of last candling! It’s crazy and exciting!


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## Sylie

I love following incubating, I can't do it myself (I could but without a rooster, what's the point haha!) so I live vicariously through folks like you! I NEED PICTURES! lol


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## robin416

Sylie, you could have a whole side business hatching chicks for others.


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## Marie Mitchell

I took a video but it only lets me post pictures . I'll take a picture for sure Tuesday before they go on lockdown!


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## robin416

I'm going to holler at 444lover, he posts videos all of the time. I'll bet he can talk you through it. Seems like he always does his on youtube then downloads them here.


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## 444lover

Yeah I started my own channel on youtube that I upload videos to,they're about the only site I've found that you can do that with. There's a lot of picture sites but not video sites I don't think. I tried to upload it here directly from my phone but couldn't figure out how so I go to youtube and do it. Once it's uploaded then all you have to do is copy and paste the link. If you need help I'll try and talk you through it.


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## robin416

Thanks, 444. It helps when someone has had experience doing the videos. I need to find out if it's even supposed to be possible on the site. I don't really see anywhere that says you can. 

I wonder what would happen if a video is created on a computer, if that can be uploaded. I might have to play with that.


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## Sylie

robin416 said:


> Sylie, you could have a whole side business hatching chicks for others.


Oooo!! good idea!! I would have to see if there is a call for such a thing in my area though, this is farm country so most people just hatch their own via their own chickens but on the bright side, we are quickly (way too quickly for my taste) becoming "citified". Growing by leaps and bounds


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## robin416

Talk to Mitzi, she does that. She's at her limit for the numbers she can comfortably have so she has people prepay her for the chicks they order.


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## Sylie

Awesome! I'm really going to have to think about this, the only problem will be letting the little peepers go


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## Marie Mitchell

I didn’t realize walking up my app said today is day 18. Do I stop rotating them this morning or waiting till this evening and candle one more time?


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## Marie Mitchell

I’m thinking I should stop the rotating earlier rather then later


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## robin416

Yep, and raise the humidity to 65% and wait impatiently for them to start pipping, 

Hard to believe that much time has gone by already.


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## Marie Mitchell

Thank you! I’ll take do it right now! So exciting!


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## Marie Mitchell




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## robin416

I never saw that with mine but then I never candled right before hatch. That had to be neat to see.


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## Marie Mitchell

robin416 said:


> I never saw that with mine but then I never candled right before hatch. That had to be neat to see.


Very cool! I'm trying to be patient now haha


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## robin416

If all is quiet where the eggs are you can hear them talking before they pip externally. It's one of the neatest things to know that soon they'll be joining the outside world.


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## Marie Mitchell

robin416 said:


> If all is quiet where the eggs are you can hear them talking before they pip externally. It's one of the neatest things to know that soon they'll be joining the outside world.


I really hope we hear that! The eggs have been wiggling today but no pips yet! Tom is day 21 so hopefully they will pip!


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## robin416

Come on babies!!! The world needs to be able to ooh and ahh over you.


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## Marie Mitchell

One pipped so far! The egg I couldn’t even tell was wiggling or not of course haha. It’s like watching a pot waiting for it to boil! The suspense is killing us haha. My 6 and 4 year old girls cannot wait to meet their chicks!


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## robin416

I got done outside just in time to celebrate with you and the impending hatch.

Watch out for those little girls, they're going to want you to do this all of the time.


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## Marie Mitchell

Haha I no! We live in a city so that’s what’s preventing us from hatching more! Still just the one egg so far that has started. It’s chirping cutely through the egg every now and then!


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## robin416

By this time peep should be out and crashing around the bator.

One thing to listen for if there are sounds of distress. That means that it's stuck and you'll have to help. But since I'm still drinking my first cup of coffee I'll wait until I'm more awake to describe how to help so I don't miss anything.


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## Marie Mitchell

Well I don't no what time my husband left for work but he checked and said it was still in the Egg. I checked at 6:30am and we had a chick! One lavender Orpington so far!


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## Marie Mitchell

robin416 said:


> By this time peep should be out and crashing around the bator.
> 
> One thing to listen for if there are sounds of distress. That means that it's stuck and you'll have to help. But since I'm still drinking my first cup of coffee I'll wait until I'm more awake to describe how to help so I don't miss anything.


I definitely would like to no how I can help if I need to with an egg. I really don't want to but it looks like if I don't get another pip today I should maybe take this chick out when it's fully dry. I do no not to open the incubator if one is pipped because it will shrink wrap the chick inside the egg


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## TomC

YYYEEEAAAHHH!!! NEW BABIES!!!


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## robin416

The short period that you have the incubator open won't hurt them. 

Helping is a timing thing, too soon and they can bleed to death or not have all of the yolk absorbed. 

If you can hear a peep screaming for help and it's pipped externally, remove a bit of the shell around the beak. No bleeding, remove a little more going around the egg from the pip. Just like you see with the one that hatched.

If you see blood, stop and put it back for several hours. Then slowly try again. 

Sometimes they will pip too early, before they're actually developed enough to hatch. When they do that the membrane dries out and they get stuck. 

The old wive's tale of them being weak and shouldn't be helped is horse pucky. Artificially incubate and it's going to happen. I don't remember how many I helped but they all went on to be healthy adult birds.

BTW, congratulations on the new peep. Bet the girls are going crazy about it.


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## Marie Mitchell

robin416 said:


> The short period that you have the incubator open won't hurt them.
> 
> Helping is a timing thing, too soon and they can bleed to death or not have all of the yolk absorbed.
> 
> If you can hear a peep screaming for help and it's pipped externally, remove a bit of the shell around the beak. No bleeding, remove a little more going around the egg from the pip. Just like you see with the one that hatched.
> 
> If you see blood, stop and put it back for several hours. Then slowly try again.
> 
> Sometimes they will pip too early, before they're actually developed enough to hatch. When they do that the membrane dries out and they get stuck.
> 
> The old wive's tale of them being weak and shouldn't be helped is horse pucky. Artificially incubate and it's going to happen. I don't remember how many I helped but they all went on to be healthy adult birds.
> 
> BTW, congratulations on the new peep. Bet the girls are going crazy about it.


Thank you so much! That helps a lot! A second one just pipped so the girls are over joyed with excitement!


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## robin416

That's one of the things about chicks hatching, they can take days to all come out. Guinea keets are like popcorn, one hatches and all the rest follow in rapid succession.


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## Marie Mitchell

robin416 said:


> That's one of the things about chicks hatching, they can take days to all come out. Guinea keets are like popcorn, one hatches and all the rest follow in rapid succession.


Number two chick just popped out! The first chick pecked and pulled the second ones feathers a little hard. Is that normal or should I remove the first one from the incubator? 2 others are pipped so I don't want to risk hurting those if I don't have to


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## Sylie

omg omg omg omg omg BABIES!! I'm so seriously considering hatching for other people like we discussed before, I even mentioned it to my husband and he neither agreed nor disagreed so I take that as a sign that the possibility is there for me to do it.


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## robin416

It's something new. They can be super curious about new stuff. Sometimes they can get carried away but as young as it is I doubt it can do any damage. 

So now there's two with at least two more to come. Very good.


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## Marie Mitchell

Sylie said:


> omg omg omg omg omg BABIES!! I'm so seriously considering hatching for other people like we discussed before, I even mentioned it to my husband and he neither agreed nor disagreed so I take that as a sign that the possibility is there for me to do it.


That's great! It's so fun to experience!!!


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## Marie Mitchell

robin416 said:


> It's something new. They can be super curious about new stuff. Sometimes they can get carried away but as young as it is I doubt it can do any damage.
> 
> So now there's two with at least two more to come. Very good.


Ya I should of waited it out but my husband for nervous and made me nervous about it. It calmed down and the newly hatched chick put it in its place haha. 3 total are hatched now... hoping I wake up to 4 more babies in there in the morning!


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## robin416

I guess we're going to wait along with you for any new appearances.


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## robin416

Forum has gremlins again, your post about number 3 wasn't there when I made my comment.

Well, you do have options. The calm voices of those of us here when the hubs isn't around to talk you down.


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## Marie Mitchell

Well number 4 looked like it was going to hatch at midnight. But I waited till 2am and it was just too tired to come out so I went to bed... it’s still trying today which is now 1:30pm. Is breathing and not in distress. Hoping it will come out soon. 2 others are still pipped but not much progress yet. I removed the 3 chicks because they ended up basically playing soccer with the eggs that are trying to hatch so I thought it would be easier on the other eggs to remove them. The 3 chicks are happy with their food and water and heating plate


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## robin416

They do have to take periods of rest. The hatching thing is hard work and since it's not screaming for help it's probably doing fine.


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## TomC

Hey, Hey, Hey... Your breaking the rules!!!

We have seen #1, but where's the pics of #2 & #3.

Pics, we gotta have pics of new babies... It's in the rules!


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## robin416

TomC said:


> Hey, Hey, Hey... Your breaking the rules!!!
> 
> We have seen #1, but where's the pics of #2 & #3.
> 
> Pics, we gotta have pics of new babies... It's in the rules!


You're right. I think the phrase is, if no pics then it's not real.


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## Marie Mitchell

Haha true! No pics then it didn’t happen! I’ll update tom with the pics! 4 and 5 appeared back to back almost at the same time. One has curled toes so I’ll be helping to fix that tom morning after it dries up. #6 is pipped still and no sign of #7 yet but the egg still wiggles!


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## Marie Mitchell

This was #2


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## Marie Mitchell

#3


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## Marie Mitchell

#4 and #5 was partly in the egg to the left still!

I'll get on the fluffy cute pictures tomorrow!


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## Marie Mitchell

#6! Waiting on 7 to still pip


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## robin416

The one looks almost like a cat getting ready to pounce.

Not awake yet, I'm referring to the pic where 6 is out and waiting on 7. Or more simply put the last pic.


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## TomC

Awesome! Love it! Yep, it looks like she's ready to jump in and lend a hand.


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## Marie Mitchell

Haha ya all the chicks have been great! No pip on the last one yet but all 6 are together in the brooder! I fixed the curled toes on the one this morning which that was the chick that took pretty close to 24 hrs to hatch but seems to be going good! Is the biggest so I’m curious to see if it’s a rooster or not. I’ll try to get good pics today


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## robin416

Is the last still moving around some? I'm beginning to wonder if it's going to make it especially since it hasn't pipped yet.

A trick that I forgot about until just now. When it's absolutely quiet you can hold the egg to your ear and hear the peep moving around in there. Make sure your hair is away from your ears though because it makes it sound like something moving.


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## Marie Mitchell

robin416 said:


> Is the last still moving around some? I'm beginning to wonder if it's going to make it especially since it hasn't pipped yet.
> 
> A trick that I forgot about until just now. When it's absolutely quiet you can hold the egg to your ear and hear the peep moving around in there. Make sure your hair is away from your ears though because it makes it sound like something moving.


Thank you! I'll check now... in the meantime here is the 6


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## Marie Mitchell

So I checked the egg. Didn’t hear anything and candled it. Nothing was in the air bubble but at the bottom it looked like one stopped growing... no movement. So we have 6 out of 7 that were fertile


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## robin416

I thought something might be up but I've read more than once someone tossing an egg they thought was not viable just to hear peeping coming from the trash can. If you're brave you can try opening the egg at the air pocket and taking a look to see if there is movement. 

That is a sweet looking little group. Just don't ask me what they are.


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## Sylie

OH they are so adorable, omg I'm just a puddle of mush right now!


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## TomC

Precious little babies!!!


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## Marie Mitchell

robin416 said:


> I thought something might be up but I've read more than once someone tossing an egg they thought was not viable just to hear peeping coming from the trash can. If you're brave you can try opening the egg at the air pocket and taking a look to see if there is movement.
> 
> That is a sweet looking little group. Just don't ask me what they are.


I couldn't open it! I would have gotten too sad I think. And I read this too late to second guess throwing the egg out but the darkness wasn't big enough to be a full chick in the egg. The hair pocket was really big!

Haha well if the guy gave me the right eggs then there were suppose to be lavender Orpingtons and Plymouth rocks! I think two of the lavender Orpingtons are roosters but I'm hoping I can tell for sure by tom. Of course it would be my 4 yr olds chick that's a rooster and then her back up one she picked is also the other one I think might be a rooster haha. Just my luck. Fingers crossed one or both aren't


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## robin416

Fingers crossed here too. 

Are you not allowed to have roosters there? That would be a shame. Roosters add so much to the dynamics of a flock.


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## Sylie

I have a trick for sexing day olds (well I have 2 tricks but in this case I'm talking about the wings), the shape of the wing of a rooster is much more round in a day old than in a pullet. by day 5 I can tell you almost for sure which is which. It's not 100% accurate of course but I have a 94% success rate on 5 day olds and 80% on day olds.
My point is, that lavender in the front of the picture of the 5 fluffys looks male to me, so you may be right on that one, I can't see the other's wings well enough to say on those.


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## Marie Mitchell

robin416 said:


> Fingers crossed here too.
> 
> Are you not allowed to have roosters there? That would be a shame. Roosters add so much to the dynamics of a flock.


I'm more in the city so I don't think my neighbors would appreciate a rooster haha. City laws don't say anything about a rooster but houses are close to us


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## Marie Mitchell

Sylie said:


> I have a trick for sexing day olds (well I have 2 tricks but in this case I'm talking about the wings), the shape of the wing of a rooster is much more round in a day old than in a pullet. by day 5 I can tell you almost for sure which is which. It's not 100% accurate of course but I have a 94% success rate on 5 day olds and 80% on day olds.
> My point is, that lavender in the front of the picture of the 5 fluffys looks male to me, so you may be right on that one, I can't see the other's wings well enough to say on those.


Ok I watched YouTube videos of sexing by wings and now that they are a couple days older I can tell I have All hens except that one confuses me. I'll see if I can get a good pic of the wings to see if you can confirm for me


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## Sylie

if you are talking about sexing by wing feathers, that only works on certain breeds, I don't remember which breeds, I'd have to look it up. I am talking about the structure of the shoulder itself when it doesn't have any feathers or at the 5 day mark, the very first feather bits


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## Marie Mitchell

Sylie said:


> if you are talking about sexing by wing feathers, that only works on certain breeds, I don't remember which breeds, I'd have to look it up. I am talking about the structure of the shoulder itself when it doesn't have any feathers or at the 5 day mark, the very first feather bits


Ok thanks! I've been checking everyday so far haha.


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## Marie Mitchell

Sylie said:


> if you are talking about sexing by wing feathers, that only works on certain breeds, I don't remember which breeds, I'd have to look it up. I am talking about the structure of the shoulder itself when it doesn't have any feathers or at the 5 day mark, the very first feather bits


That one even confused me because I didn't no if it was a lighter Plymouth Rock or a dark lavender


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## Sylie

You'll get it with more experience, hang out here, read posts about "cockerel or pullet" or "what breed is this" kind of topics, let us answer and then you'll learn what the breeds look like in all of it's life stages. You'll learn, I think you are pretty smart and a quick learner.


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## robin416

I've been doing this chicken thing a long time but folks here on the forum teach me something new everyday.


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## Sylie

Oh that is so true. Being an herbalist I have discovered that no matter how many plants I learn or how much information I absorb about a plant, there is always more to learn. It's the same with chickens, no one can learn everything there is to know about them. My guess is that over time, with breeding and genetic manipulation, the chickens change so we have to learn new things. New breeds pop up because people are breeding "this" with "that" etc. It's all just a game of learning.


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## Marie Mitchell

Well thanks u so much you guys for all ur help! I'm definitely sticking around and learning from you all!

Update on the chick that had the curled toes... I took the tape off today and they look great! We named her Ducky.


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## robin416

You have something to offer the forum too. First hatch and you fixed a peeps curled toes successfully. So many don't know how. Heck, your first hatch was a success so many fail the first time. 

And we all get a little goofy from time to time. The more the merrier when that's going on.


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## TomC

Ducky's feet look great! Good job! She'll be dancing and prancing in no time.


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## Sylie

Great job!! She looks perfect


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## Marie Mitchell

Haha thanks you guys! And thanks for helping me along the way!


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## Sylie

You are welcome  that's part of what we're here for


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## robin416

The other part is to live vicariously through other people's flocks.


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## Sylie

agreed!!!


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