Broody Cat PICS, Old Drawer Bator, D'Uccles due 4-24 - Hatched

[Peeper7]

Good for you MW! Happy for you.
When I grow up...I want to make a 'bator just like yours!
The foil insulation, it looks thin and quilted like. is it foiled on both sides? What's it called? thanks.

another ? . It has been awhile since I've raised chicks. on account of the cats, about how old will they have to be? I'm also getting larger breeds. thanks all and happy hatching!

 

[MichiganWoods]

It's like bubble wrap, but is lined with foil on both sides. You can find it in any insulation area of stores like Lowes. When I went to look for it, they had them bagged up in rolls on one of the end caps. I walked around forever at Menards looking for it.

I totally suggest just asking someone in the insulation department for where their rolled foil insulation is. It will probably save you 10-15 minutes.

I tossed out my packaging when I opened it up so I don't have the exact name of the manufacturer, but this roll on Lowes site looks almost identical to what I am using. You should keep an eye out because when I looked on Home Depot's site, they had foil insulation with fiberglass or foam, not the bubble wrap. I'm not sure that would be good for baby chicks.

As to your other question... not sure I quite understand. Do you mean how old do your cats have to be before you try hatching eggs in your house?

 

[MichiganWoods]

What a whirl-wind day. Just got back a little while ago from my mom's 60th Birthday bash to find one of the Porcelain D'Uccles has pipped!

When I removed the turner on day 18, I candled the eggs and had 3 left that were viable.

They were placed into the bator and I decided to bide my time doing other things while I waited for them to hatch.

One thing I noticed was that the temperature dropped by 3 degrees once the turner was removed. So the turner was generating extra heat. And while I was removing the cats from the top of the incubator for the first 18 days, I encouraged it for the last few days. I needed a good way to up the heat! With them laying on the incubator, the temperature went back up to exactly 99.5. So really, I DO have broody cats!

They've helped me with these babies.

I will post pics tomorrow.

 

[ranchhand]

Wonderful bator, broody cats and happy hatching!

 

[MichiganWoods]

All righty. Final results. 1 didn't hatch. 1 hatched a perfect baby. 1 hatched a poor little baby with a crooked neck.

Don't know how he managed to pip and zip out of his shell. First one I've ever had come out with anything other than the occasional odd toes that needed to be corrected. Researched on here what can cause it and have started a Vitamin E supplement for the chick. But I also have to administer water to it, since it can't make it to the water on its own. I don't think it will make it.

It keeps flipping over on its back and can't sit or lay down with its belly to the ground.

I was thinking about trying to make a neck brace for it. I gently tilted its head in the right direction and it was able to do so without the chick screaming in pain or protest. In fact he just chirp/chibbled at me. --- Or do you all think I should just humanely put him to sleep? The healthy one will have playmates around his age I am going to slowly introduce him/her to.

I don't think that the problem with the one baby came up with the actual incubator, but the only way to rule it out is to try again with my own set of eggs from my hens so that no shipping is involved.