Setting Today (03-02-2012) - Page 22

LOCKDOWN!! I took out the egg turner and jacked up the humidity today. Now we wait, and hope they wait for me to get home from work on Wednesday to hatch!

I had my first set of chicks in the house too. I loved being able to watch them, and for them to watch us as we went along in our day. But the dust was just too much in the end and my second set of chicks are in the brooder out in the big coop. These babies that hatch on Wednesday will need to stay in the house for about 2 weeks until I get my 3 weeks old out of the brooder that is in the coop now. I need to have a wire wall put up to divide my coop into two sections, which should be next weekend. When that happens, my now 3 week olds will occupy the one side of the coop and these babes can get their day in the brooder.

1)  I never brood in the house anymore!  Yes, the dust, the smell and the fungi that can grow on chicken poo can make you and your family sick - it doesn't happen often, but I read a couple instances here on BYC.

2)  I don't feed medicated feed.  Medicated feed contains amprolium.  It blocks thiamine from being absorbed and keeps the protozoa that causes cocci at bay.  BUT... If they are not on the ground and you keep your brooder clean, there is nothing to protect them from in the first place.  It's like giving antibiotics to a kid that lives in a bubble.  I suggest you cut a chunk of sod out of your yard and throw in the brooder with them as soon they arrive/hatch.  Chicks can build up an immunity to the protozoa on their own and in the end be healthier for it.  Just keep some Corrid on hand in case you do start seeing some bloody poo or other classic cocci symptoms.

I candled last night.  I have 7 bantam cochins still alive.  Only 5 of my Ameraucana eggs are still developing.  I can see for sure only one of the other Ameraucana eggs has a moving embryo, but, since I am not sure, I left them in there.  I have 34 dead eggs in the "failed eggs" cartons...  I knew mine were a crap shoot, but still.

so reyvaughn, does that mean you only have 12 hopefuls?

I don't feed medicated feed, because to me medications is for the sick and the babies aren't sick. 

I brood in the house for a few days in the house, because we like to watch them. After about the three days I'm tired of cleaning up after them 24/7 so I move them out to the coop. 

I only had to toss one egg out of this batch :) I'm starting lock down at 11pm tonight. 

I have 16 eggs, and I can see good development in about 8 of them. The others are just too dark to see through so I don't know if they are good or not. Nothing smells, nothing leaking, so I put them in lockdown at noon, and will hope for the best.

I'm getting ready for lockdown.  I am so excited about this particular batch of eggs!  This is my second batch of silkied ameraucana eggs and there look to be about 18 viable ones!  I'm also hatching my very first eggs out of my lavender ameraucanas and can't wait to see the chicks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by curranchickens 

Good luck all! I just set my first hatch yesterday so I am reading through this thread with eager anticipation of whats to come... I am on day 2 now and cannot wait to be in your shoes!

oh it will go by quick for you! you may not think so now, but before you know it, you'll be putting yours in lockdown. AND you'll be further than me when i set more after these guys hatch! i just put mine into lockdown about an hour ago. i candled them all. there were a few that didnt seem to be taking up as much room as i would think. but oh well, into the bator they went cuz none of them smelled and they still had red veins. brooder is all set up inside the dog crate and i put straw in it. the straw smells good. waterers and feeders are cleaned and ready to go. i may have some chicks from TSC coming tomorrow (only 4 meaties and 2 layers....a black sex link and a rir). i'm kinda hoping they come a bit later than tomorrow though so they can match my hatchlings in age.

I am going into lockdown tonight at 11 pm too.  Do you lay the eggs on their sides for lockdown or in egg cartons?  I've heard people do it both ways.

I originally set them in cartons but I was afraid it would flip over if a chick stepped on it. So I put them laying down on their sides in the incubator.