Little Giant Incubation Experiment - Day 21 - Hatch Day!

[caseymacom]

That's always one thing you can try. Lots of people hatch out in cutdown cartons successfully. The only drawback that I know of w/the cartons is the innability to see wrong end malepositioned pippers.

I was going to use a bowl but I was scared the hatches would climb in and drown, I didn't even think of them rolling into the cloth...bad bad mama

 

[caseymacom]

Should I take my fluffys out or leave them in still got 5 more eggs

 

[lazy gardener]

Congrats! You should buy a lottery ticket today!

That would surely end my winning streak. Never bought one, never intend to. IMO, it's a voluntarily tax, most often paid by the people who can least afford it. (I count myself in that category) But, I've won a couple of scratch tickets found on the ground, and one given to me. OK, I'll get off my soap box now.

maybe I should use egg cartons next time to prevent that

I'm just finishing up my first ever hatch in egg cartons, with my best numbers ever. I chose the egg cartons this time b/c my air cells were too small going into lock down, and at last hatch, I had a lot of full term babies dead in shell. But, even the egg cartons won't prevent suffocation. Chicks seem to be very clever at finding ways to kill themselves and each other. I had one nice pip that I was able to save by being at the right place at the right time. An other chick had dragged part of an egg shell and membrane across it, and it was stuck there pretty good until I pulled it off. Luckily, I found it in time. Also, as Amy says, egg cartons can be risky b/c of the wrong end pippers. I checked mine several times, and found one that would have been a goner if not found. I ended up laying that one on it's side with pip up, and it hatched just fine. I'm now sold on egg cartons and humidity above 75% for the hatch.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I was going to use a bowl but I was scared the hatches would climb in and drown, I didn't even think of them rolling into the cloth...bad bad mama

That's one thing I don't recommend. Open water dishes at the egg level. I use sponges. It's just one of those things. I don't leave my chicks in the bator though. I pull them as they get active and move them to the brooder. When I do this I grab out shells and roll my pipped eggs back over and within the viewing area. I also keep my humidity up 75% during hatch so that I can open the bator with the least amount of risk.

 

[WVduckchick]

I was going to use a bowl but I was scared the hatches would climb in and drown, I didn't even think of them rolling into the cloth...bad bad mama

That's one thing I don't recommend. Open water dishes at the egg level. I use sponges. It's just one of those things. I don't leave my chicks in the bator though. I pull them as they get active and move them to the brooder. When I do this I grab out shells and roll my pipped eggs back over and within the viewing area. I also keep my humidity up 75% during hatch so that I can open the bator with the least amount of risk.

With my ducks, I didn't want to fill another channel because I knew it was too much. I didn't have a new sponge on hand, and ducks are bad about eating everything! (they ate the other ducks' shells and gross stuff out of them!) So I put a small 1/4 cup Tupperware measuring cup in there and got the humidity perfect. Then they started hatching and I was so scared they were going to drown in it! I stuck my straws through the vent hole and suctioned the water back out of that thing! I barely left the bottom of it coated with water. And as I expected, they walked all over it, sat in it, tried to drink out of it. I was surprised that they never turned it over. But I sure was happy I had suctioned the water out. I probably wouldn't be so scared to do that with ducks again, but chicks? No way!

 

[WVduckchick]

I just had a random thought... What about using a deviled egg tray? Something like this?

 

[caseymacom]

Well my humidity is 75 and temp 102 so soon as the brooder room is good and hot I'm moving them out of the bator

 

[lazy gardener]

I just had a random thought... What about using a deviled egg tray? Something like this?

That would keep the egglets from rolling around, but would there be any issues with air circulation in your bator using that?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

That would keep the egglets from rolling around, but would there be any issues with air circulation in your bator using that?

Riddle it with holes??

 

[WVduckchick]

Hadn't thought about circulation. I guess that's why people cut the bottom out of egg cartons? But I've seen some who don't cut them, so they aren't getting any circulation at that point either. And yes, drilling a bunch of holes in the thing seems like it would help. I don't know... like I said, it was just a random thought... lol