New chick-How active should it be?

[MustangMama]

First timer incubating, hatching... Not sure how active new born should be. Sleeping a lot.

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

It is normal for newly hatched chicks to sleep for some time after hatching. It takes a lot of work to get out of that egg! The first day they will be rather wobbly and will be napping a lot. over the next few days there should be a pretty dramatic change, and they will become active pretty quickly!!

 

[alcoto]

New babies sleep a lot to regain their strength from hatching. In my experience (I have been hatching chickens for 10 years) they do not usually (there are exceptions) begin to get active and really run around until they have been out of the egg for 12-24 hours at least. In nature the first to hatch will spend 2-3 days mostly sleeping under next to or on top of their mother while their siblings hatch.

 

[Little Dragons]

Hi, I think that's pretty normal. i've only hatched chicks in an incubator once (they hatched this Christmas) but when they first hatched they just layed there and slept for a while then they'd hop up and stumble over the other eggs before falling asleep again. they slept alot the first couple days.

 

[MustangMama]

Thanks.

 

[MustangMama]

Thanks. The other 3 eggs aren't due until tomorrow. This one was a day early. Probably lonely. Pecking at bits of food. I dipped my finger in water to make sure it got some water. Just anxious until other 3 hatch I guess. It gets up and peeps, then falls asleep again. Patience is not my virtue. LOL!

 

[MustangMama]

Thanks for response. Helps knowing not alone.

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

We have all been through it! You are totally not alone.

I was pretty much glued to the incubator the first time I did a hatch!! I was in the hospital when my last incubator run hatched this past fall. I got frantic texts from my husband and daughter at 1:30 in the morning saying that the eggs were hatching and asking if everything seemed OK!

 

[MustangMama]

Second one hatched today and first one is pecking it. Should I separate or let it run its course?

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

I would just watch closely for now. My quail do it every hatch. The later ones are irresistible to the ones who hatched first. Once they recover from the stress of hatching and are more mobile, they don't get picked on anymore. They do best with company, so I wouldn't stress your newer baby any more by separating it unless it is really getting hammered.