Are Dry Chicks Day-Old

[chickenwhisperer]

Happened to look in my incubator this morning and saw 2 DRY chicks, and one still hatching. I havent been paying much attention to this batch, and havent even checked on it in at least 5 days. The chicks are very small, and dry. How long does the dryout take, and how long should I keep the remaining unhatched eggs? To tell the truth, I didnt even mark down what day I started this batch.

 

[sara]

Mine have always varied in length of time to try, some are quick and some seem to take forever. I'm amazed that you can stay away from the incubator. I'd like to have a portable one that I could carry with me

 

[chickenwhisperer]

been busy with work, and truthfully I plain old forgot about my eggs. I run my own trucking company, and have been working day and night to save for winter.
Any way I'm pretty excited about the new chicks, and hopefully they'll live this time. This is my third attempt, and the other two times less than 1/4 off the eggs hatched and the chicks died within a day. I did nothing different this time except pay way less attention.
Gimmie some snake or lizard eggs, and I'll give you baby snakes and lizards back. Its kinda funny though, I can hatch a batch of snake eggs worth almost $1500 but have trouble with chicken eggs worth less than $20.These bird eggs are really very different from reptile eggs as far as incubation. I guess Im getting it down though as these chicks seem much stronger than any of the ones before.

 

[silkiechicken]

Good work. The best hatches are the ones you forget about! I find most my birds are fluff balls within 6 hours of hatching... but that may be due to how I don't have any water in the bator for the last week and I let them dry hatch.

 

[FluffyChickenMama]

Quote:
exactly how does one get into the $1500 snake hatching industry.. non-venomous of course.. I have an empty bator..

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
exactly how does one get into the $1500 snake hatching industry.. non-venomous of course.. I have an empty bator..

Buy a few $400 snakes, and a few thousand dollars of snake set up. Then add 2 mice to each cage every week for a few years and hatch eggs. J/k

I know nothing about snakes. I just know my friend had one and her snake cost a fortune... for just one... AND it was just a corn snake!!!

 

[FluffyChickenMama]

I was thinking... someone gives me eggs I hatch and give back snakes.. that I would do.. but I aint feedinn them...

 

[chickenwhisperer]

Believe it or not, hatching reptiles, at least the common ones people want, is way easier than chicken eggs. As long as the temp is right( usually around 80f) and the humidity is HIGH, fertile reptile eggs will hatch with great results.
I've been breeding my snakes and lizards since I was a kid, from kingsnakes that I caught, to valuable boas/pythons and tegus/monitors. One doesnt always get an expensive batch like that, but it does happen and I ve even made more off one batch. Believe it or not, compared to some things, the initial investment is small. I always buy babies and raise them to breeders. Its the long term that gets you, expense of feeding and care, thats why I simplified to a few species but valuable morphs(rare colors or patterns), and have a local clientel, with only two people I ship to once in a while, who buy for their own retail stores. Its definately a hobby, but one that pays for itself and more.
Definately Not for the Squeamish.
But back on topic, How long does it usually take before a new chick will dry? stand? eat/drink? These guys coulda been in there for a couple days for all I know!

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

If they are dry, move them to a brooder.
Especially if you don't know how long they have been hatched.

Dip their beaks in sugar water to start them drinking. Give them chick starter to eat.


Jean

 

[chickenwhisperer]

All three are in the brooder, and look real good today. The two stonger ones ate and drank late last nite. I try feeding the 3rd weaker one today. If they are eating and drinking, that means the yolk is absorbed andthey need constant food now? I mean what would happen if they ate food and it was too soon?