That Quail Place Forum

Raising Gamebirds => Incubation => Topic started by: birdman21 on June 09, 2008, 11:26:02 AM

Title: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: birdman21 on June 09, 2008, 11:26:02 AM
How long does a person let pheasants try to hatch for before you help? They started hatching yesterday and they haven't made much progress since last night. Should I help them out or not? They are alive but they aren't really trying too hard. Also if I should help do I take them out all the way or half way and let them work on the rest?

Any feedback would be great.
Title: Re: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: Pheasant Hollow Farm on June 09, 2008, 11:45:22 AM
If they cannot make it by themselves, they will not make it after you help them out.

Only the strong will survive.

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm
Title: Re: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: jbird on June 09, 2008, 12:34:20 PM
Whether you help them or not, only the strong survive. I always partially help them...
at least they have a chance. Also, humidity . . make sure they have enough the last 3
days or the shell might stick to them and they would have a small chance of hatching.
I've had about a 50% survival rate of those I helped. I guess that leads back to only the strong survive.      s020
Title: Re: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: NH/Pete on June 09, 2008, 12:34:50 PM
It's hard to resist helping. The problem is when you open the incubator to help one
the humidity and temp drop. In the end you risk them all to save one.
The one you save may still die anyway. Let nature take it's course.
Title: Re: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: birdman21 on June 09, 2008, 02:04:59 PM
Thanks everyone I guess that I am just a little impatient. I'll let nature take its course.
Title: Re: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: Pheasant Hollow Farm on June 09, 2008, 03:52:22 PM
Thanks everyone I guess that I am just a little impatient. I'll let nature take its course.


birdman21,

I’ve got a little experiment for you depending on how many pheasant eggs you have hatching.

Take 2 eggs that have started to break out, and open half the shell for them. Keep these separate from the others.

Take 2 eggs that have a 1/3 of the way ring cut on the egg and help them out completely. Keep these separate from the others as well.

Take 2 eggs that are fully cut completely around and help the chick out completely. Keep these separated as well from the other.

Now, take 2 eggs that are fully cut but have not broken out yet and take the top part of the shell off completely, and let the chick do the rest. Keep these separate as well from the others.

Check on these birds 24 hrs later while they are still in the hatchery and see what progress has taken place, and make a note on each chick in the 4 test categories. Once these chicks have been moved from the hatchery to the brooder, maintain the separation of the 4 test categories and make notations on the development of each 8-test birds.

You will be looking for:

1, Splayed legs (36-48hrs)
2, Twisted neck or vulture head and neck syndrome (1-2 weeks)
3, Curled toes (24-36hrs)
4, Humpback (3-5 weeks)
5, circle spinning (4 weeks)

Now compare the size difference between each test group, and the size of the chicks that weren’t help at all, then let us know how it turned out. You will be surprised with the end results.

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm




Title: Re: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: birdman21 on June 10, 2008, 10:09:35 AM
Well they had all hatched by the time I got back home yesterday except one. So I broke half the shell off and let him do the rest. This morning when I checked on him he was dead exactly the way i left him in the shell. All of you guys were right when you said that only the strong survive. Hopefully the next hatch is better if not I'll try the experiment and get back to you all.

Thanks
Title: Re: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: Pheasant Hollow Farm on June 10, 2008, 01:11:01 PM
Well they had all hatched by the time I got back home yesterday except one. So I broke half the shell off and let him do the rest. This morning when I checked on him he was dead exactly the way i left him in the shell. All of you guys were right when you said that only the strong survive. Hopefully the next hatch is better if not I'll try the experiment and get back to you all.

Thanks

birdman21,

It is only human instinct to intervene in the general wild life population.  Wild life in general will cull their young. Wild life will abandon their own when they know they are sick, or even being the runt.

A hen will push aside an egg if she feels that there is a problem with it.  A hen will not help a chick out of the shell. If the chicks make the transition from the shell, she will brood it with her clutch. She will hide all the chicks under her feathers and under her wing.

If a chick decides to venture off from where she is at, she will not go looking for the chick. When she decides to leave the nest with her brood, the chicks will follow either under her or alongside, or behind. When she settles in, her brood will hide under her and under her wing.

The Law of Nature is cruel and not forgiving. We on the other hand, try to change the outlook of The Law of Nature, by helping the weak, the runts and the undesirables.

We as human beings stick our $.02 where it doesn’t belong. We pick up all sorts of wild life that should be left alone, and in most states it is illegal to harbor any sort of wild life with out the proper permits either as pets, or under animal husbandry, or as a wild life rehabilitator. 

So the same goes for helping chicks out of their shells. If your hatchery has the proper humidity level, and chicks are starting the hatching phase, let nature take its course. Some chick will blast their way out of the shells while others may take up to 12 hrs or more.

It all depends on the development of the chick during the incubation period.

Chicks will peck there way around the shell and stop for hours before they start again. This doesn’t mean they are distressed, just tired, although, some never make it out. These are the ones that are either growth stunted, or have abnormalities that will eventually show up either after the 24-hour dry time, or within the first 3 weeks of life.   

Don’t give up, just don’t intervene. Your better off letting the chick expire, then feeling like  c109 when the chick does die within as little as hours or  within days.

I have been there and I have had my fare share, and so has 90% of the other members’ here.

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm


Title: Re: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: NH/Pete on June 10, 2008, 01:32:14 PM
Well said  Pheasant Hollow Farm
If we could only resist the temptation to save a little life.
The problem here is we save it to die later. s20
Title: Re: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: slider on June 10, 2008, 03:05:17 PM
You are exactly right Steve. Unfortionatly 90% of the young guns on here will not pay any attention to it...it just has to come with age... s98
Title: Re: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: CharlieHorse on June 10, 2008, 06:07:22 PM
My first batch, I helped those who appeared to need help.

Now, if they show any problems at all, they get picked up by a guy with a big compactor on the back of his truck.....in or out of the egg. 

 ^-^
Title: Re: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: slider on June 10, 2008, 10:25:02 PM
The Cat loves them and they like them even better when they are alive... s020
Title: Re: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: NH/Pete on June 11, 2008, 09:48:14 AM
also good in salad j45
Title: Re: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: Pheasant Hollow Farm on June 11, 2008, 10:03:41 AM
also good in salad j45

Although small, the breast meat is fantastic at that age. Just fillet them and roll in flower and flash fry. j41 You can cull the young (2 weeks) same way. s020

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

Title: Re: How long should I let pheasants try to hatch?
Post by: slider on June 11, 2008, 12:51:44 PM
Flash fry....... s020 s020 s020 s020 s020 s020