Against the odds hatching thread (with pictures and questions)

[Ghosty]

The fan actually has three settings, I currently have it on the lowest setting. Should I turn it up?

You can always try it and see. I don't know if I would fiddle with it too much beyond that at this point.

 

[Kakaruk]

Wow, this is amazing, looks like you've done a wonderful job and are on the right track..... including the soup etc. for the roosters!

I raised many chicks (bought chicks) before trying an incubator and sadly my first try at it, had too much humidity. So yes, keep the humidity low. I can't remember the specific amounts recommended but don't get into the high 60s/70s regularly. Sounds like 40s are on the right track.

More than anything I would prepare for post hatching! Once they start hatching I don't think you need to keep opening and removing the chicks, just keep them shut-down/lock-down and resist the temptation to remove them. They are chicks and are in it together. They can live for days without any other food-water just based on their internal GI built-in reserves. This is why they can be shipped alive in the mail but also when a mother hen hatches her brood she doesn't fully release them from under her care until at least a day or more, even then she keeps them under her wings when it gets cold etc. So let them all hatch for a day or two during that process.

Yes, this year I decided just to use a broody hen to hatch a fertilized clutch. It is really going to work I think. I will ask a thread question for this soon. I have six fertilized eggs under a broody Buffy, Buff Orpington, and she's a champ, doing so well!

So after hatching....... I have used boxes, wash tub, cages, other things like that with shavings or straw and a heat lamp - not too close not too far - and just keep them clean, warm, watered, fed and they will grow up in no time! As they get bigger you need to provide a bigger space. You're going to have a beautiful flock of chickens!

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

I've read through and think I'm caught up.

First off I commend you for reading up on hatching well before you have eggs set! You seem to have a solid grasp of the basics. That will get you far. Well done! You have quite a few eggs in there. I'm confident you'll get some to hatch! A beautiful start to your new flock.

Second. As you know shipped eggs are a gamble. Arriving intact is an excellent start but they are prone to quitting and DIS (dead in shell). I would be very happy with a 50% hatch rate. Especially considering how far they've come. What are you hoping for as far as number go?

Third. Where is this incubator located in your house? I use styrofoam incubators as well and they regulate so much better when they're in room with stable temperature in the high 60s-low 70s.

Lastly, the best advice I've gotten about hatching is "it's not for the faint of heart". I wish I could remember who said it so I could give them credit. I trot that pearl of wisdom out all the time for new hatchers. Anyway it's a steep learning curve. Things rarely go to plan (as you've already found out). You'll feel like you aren't doing enough or did too much. It's like a high stakes game of "hot and cold". Hang in there. Whatever happens. It's totally worth it.

I wish you the best of luck and look forward to watching this hatch along with you.

 

[K0k0shka]

Wow, this is amazing, looks like you've done a wonderful job and are on the right track..... including the soup etc. for the roosters!

I raised many chicks (bought chicks) before trying an incubator and sadly my first try at it, had too much humidity. So yes, keep the humidity low. I can't remember the specific amounts recommended but don't get into the high 60s/70s regularly. Sounds like 40s are on the right track.

More than anything I would prepare for post hatching! Once they start hatching I don't think you need to keep opening and removing the chicks, just keep them shut-down/lock-down and resist the temptation to remove them. They are chicks and are in it together. They can live for days without any other food-water just based on their internal GI built-in reserves. This is why they can be shipped alive in the mail but also when a mother hen hatches her brood she doesn't fully release them from under her care until at least a day or more, even then she keeps them under her wings when it gets cold etc. So let them all hatch for a day or two during that process.

Yes, this year I decided just to use a broody hen to hatch a fertilized clutch. It is really going to work I think. I will ask a thread question for this soon. I have six fertilized eggs under a broody Buffy, Buff Orpington, and she's a champ, doing so well!

So after hatching....... I have used boxes, wash tub, cages, other things like that with shavings or straw and a heat lamp - not too close not too far - and just keep them clean, warm, watered, fed and they will grow up in no time! As they get bigger you need to provide a bigger space. You're going to have a beautiful flock of chickens!

Thanks! Yeah, I'm not letting the humidity get higher than 40%, aiming for more like 30%. For some reason the incubator loses humidity very quickly (maybe because of the fan?) so I'm having to refill a couple times a day, and I can only add a little bit at a time otherwise it spikes. But hey, I'm home all day now, so why not... I can afford to micromanage it and fine-tune everything. This would have never worked if not for the coronavirus... And I started planning for these chickens last year. What was I thinking!

Good tip on leaving all the chicks in there. So many posts talking about moving them to the brooder as soon as they fluff up, but I'd be afraid to open the incubator while others are still hatching. Might get crowded in there though... But that's a good problem to have - it means the chicks made it

I've been working on my brooder in the meantime. It's a large appliance box, and I'll have sand for bedding. I bought a reptile poop scooper for it, because the holes are smaller than a kitty litter scoop, and the little poops won't fall through. I got a heating pad and will make a brooder plate for them. And last year I built a 5x7 walk-in coop, so they have a permanent home, too. I'm not keeping all the chickens from this hatch, so they won't be too crowded in the coop.

 

[K0k0shka]

I've read through and think I'm caught up.

First off I commend you for reading up on hatching well before you have eggs set! You seem to have a solid grasp of the basics. That will get you far. Well done! You have quite a few eggs in there. I'm confident you'll get some to hatch! A beautiful start to your new flock.

Thank you! Yes, I'm a planner and a preparer, so I like to go into new adventures informed and with a plan. I first decided on keeping chickens last spring, and I gave myself a year to prepare. I've been reading through BYC in the meantime, building the coop and planning everything out.

Second. As you know shipped eggs are a gamble. Arriving intact is an excellent start but they are prone to quitting and DIS (dead in shell). I would be very happy with a 50% hatch rate. Especially considering how far they've come. What are you hoping for as far as number go?

My target and initial plan was actually for 3 hens, believe it or not So my thinking was this. I'll order 12 eggs. They'll send me extras, so let's say I set 15-16 eggs. 50% hatch rate gets me down to 8, some might die young for unknown reasons, so let's say 6-7 survive, about half will be roosters, and hopefully I end up with 3 hens out of the whole batch. Things have changed a bit since. I did order 12 eggs, but they sent me 22... LOTS more extras than I expected, so I guess I have eggs to lose if it really doesn't go well. And then the owner of the incubator gave me 19 eggs to hatch for her as well. So that's how I went from a target of 3 to an incubator packed full with a total of 41 eggs to watch over! Not how I wanted it to happen, but hey... the incubator is free, so it's still a good deal. I'll still be happy if I can get 3 healthy hens out of this whole ordeal, though my coop can fit more and I'm sure I'll manage if I get lucky and hatch more.

Third. Where is this incubator located in your house? I use styrofoam incubators as well and they regulate so much better when they're in room with stable temperature in the high 60s-low 70s.

I thought a lot about this, and decided to put the incubator in the upstairs hallway. My basement is too cold and not safe (the kids have a play area there with a trampoline and exercise stuff and I just don't trust them running around near it). The rooms have huge temperature swings depending on whether there are people in them (sleeping/eating/breathing). It's an old house with unevenly placed heating vents and poor temperature regulation in the rooms. The hallway, however, is very open and airy, and the temperature tends to even out and stay more constant there than in any of the rooms. Especially upstairs, far away from the front door opening and letting cold air in. I've set the house thermostat to stay at 70 day and night, to keep the temperature steady for the eggs (otherwise I let it drop lower at night).

Lastly, the best advice I've gotten about hatching is "it's not for the faint of heart". I wish I could remember who said it so I could give them credit. I trot that pearl of wisdom out all the time for new hatchers. Anyway it's a steep learning curve. Things rarely go to plan (as you've already found out). You'll feel like you aren't doing enough or did too much. It's like a high stakes game of "hot and cold". Hang in there. Whatever happens. It's totally worth it.

Yeah, no kidding. I feel like I'm pregnant again I like a good challenge though, and I love problem-solving. So this experiment will be very fulfilling regardless of the end result. Any number of chicks will be cause for celebration. It will be a great learning experience for my kids, too - they are a big reason why I'm doing this at all.

I wish you the best of luck and look forward to watching this hatch along with you.

Thank you for the kind words! It's nice to know that I'm not in this alone

 

[K0k0shka]

Good news! I flipped the fan so its handle is pointing out towards the corner and its head is towards the middle of that wall. It used to be head first into the corner. Now it’s blowing from the center of the front wall and that seems to have made a big difference! The three readings evened out, but were still too low - all were showing 97. So I upped the temperature by 2 degrees and gave it a couple of hours. Now they’re all reading 100, occasionally dipping to 99, but all read the same (within a fraction of a degree). The fan is still on its lowest setting. Phew... Let’s hope this time the numbers stay where they are.

 

[MGG]

All caught up, I'm always so behind on everything, lol. Sounds like you've had some ups and downs, but that everything worked out. Everything looks good right now, I'm glad you figured out how to fix the temp!

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Thank you! Yes, I'm a planner and a preparer, so I like to go into new adventures informed and with a plan. I first decided on keeping chickens last spring, and I gave myself a year to prepare. I've been reading through BYC in the meantime, building the coop and planning everything out.


My target and initial plan was actually for 3 hens, believe it or not So my thinking was this. I'll order 12 eggs. They'll send me extras, so let's say I set 15-16 eggs. 50% hatch rate gets me down to 8, some might die young for unknown reasons, so let's say 6-7 survive, about half will be roosters, and hopefully I end up with 3 hens out of the whole batch. Things have changed a bit since. I did order 12 eggs, but they sent me 22... LOTS more extras than I expected, so I guess I have eggs to lose if it really doesn't go well. And then the owner of the incubator gave me 19 eggs to hatch for her as well. So that's how I went from a target of 3 to an incubator packed full with a total of 41 eggs to watch over! Not how I wanted it to happen, but hey... the incubator is free, so it's still a good deal. I'll still be happy if I can get 3 healthy hens out of this whole ordeal, though my coop can fit more and I'm sure I'll manage if I get lucky and hatch more.


I thought a lot about this, and decided to put the incubator in the upstairs hallway. My basement is too cold and not safe (the kids have a play area there with a trampoline and exercise stuff and I just don't trust them running around near it). The rooms have huge temperature swings depending on whether there are people in them (sleeping/eating/breathing). It's an old house with unevenly placed heating vents and poor temperature regulation in the rooms. The hallway, however, is very open and airy, and the temperature tends to even out and stay more constant there than in any of the rooms. Especially upstairs, far away from the front door opening and letting cold air in. I've set the house thermostat to stay at 70 day and night, to keep the temperature steady for the eggs (otherwise I let it drop lower at night).


Yeah, no kidding. I feel like I'm pregnant again I like a good challenge though, and I love problem-solving. So this experiment will be very fulfilling regardless of the end result. Any number of chicks will be cause for celebration. It will be a great learning experience for my kids, too - they are a big reason why I'm doing this at all.


Thank you for the kind words! It's nice to know that I'm not in this alone

My friend, you have thought of every detail! You're on track for being an amazing chicken keeper.

View attachment 2070656
Good news! I flipped the fan so its handle is pointing out towards the corner and its head is towards the middle of that wall. It used to be head first into the corner. Now it’s blowing from the center of the front wall and that seems to have made a big difference! The three readings evened out, but were still too low - all were showing 97. So I upped the temperature by 2 degrees and gave it a couple of hours. Now they’re all reading 100, occasionally dipping to 99, but all read the same (within a fraction of a degree). The fan is still on its lowest setting. Phew... Let’s hope this time the numbers stay where they are.

Great trouble shooting! You got this.

 

[RiverOtter]

Early days yet, but for lockdown and hatching, don't use cardboard. It messes up your airflow and is hard to get to work anyway.

Go to the dollar store and in both the kitchen and the office sections they'll have little, low, flat baskets that work wonderfully.

 

[K0k0shka]

Thanks for the support and encouragement, guys!

Early days yet, but for lockdown and hatching, don't use cardboard. It messes up your airflow and is hard to get to work anyway.

Go to the dollar store and in both the kitchen and the office sections they'll have little, low, flat baskets that work wonderfully.

Oh, those metal mesh desk organizer things? Great idea. I think I have a couple lying around somewhere, I'll dig them out.