A dimmable dial, what a BRIGHT idea! I use big fluffy Christmas stockings (not the thin felt ones) as a comforter for the chicks. Of course I sew the top so no one gets inside. Machine washable, too!
Forgot to add that I use the Nutri-Drench also. And I meant it's a tiring job for the chicks while pipping and zipping. However, if you have dozens of beaks to dip, that could get tiring too. Especially for prairie chicks lol
Sorry, I don't believe in the "survival of the fittest" thing, normally. With chicks dying shortly after hatching and being chilled is usually human error, not natures. Were they totally dried before transferring them to the brooder? Depending on the distance between light and chicks I would use...
Is the pip internal or external? If external, is the chick chirping any? I probably would've left the egg alone to zip. Try to keep the lid shut to keep the humidity in. For now.
Are you Eastern time? 11pm is quite late for a hen to lay. Maybe she is trying to roost in the nest?
I always keep Nutri-Drench on hand but I give all of my chickens, newly hatched and elders, 3X weekly Durvet Vitamins and Electrolytes for poultry in this TN summer heat. 1 tiny scoop (included)...
Howdy from E. Tn! How old are your hens/pullets? From experience, the black and red sexlinks tend to start laying earlier than other "breeds". Mine started around 20 weeks.
A brooder doesn't have to be in your house. Just as long as it's 95° first week, -5 thereafter until they feather out some. You being in S.C. should be in about 3 wks. According to your selected breeds.
They're chicks? Too tiny for a coop. They'll need a brooder and heat for the first few weeks. I'm in E. TN and just hatched a bunch of blue Orps. I'll give them to you if you aren't too far to drive and pick them up. I just enjoy hatching :-)