Day 18 is approaching - give us all the lock down and hatching tips!

[Sloane Chickens]

Lockdown is approaching and of course in travelling.
I’ll place the incubator in lockdown before i leave on day 18. But what should my partner be aware of during lockdown besides not opening the incubator and ensuring humidity is steady?

Also, extra questions:
1. When hatching happens. How long do you wait before removing chicks? Is it 24 or 48hrs?
2. If we are removing chicks but see a pipped egg, what do we do?
3. What do we do if we have eggs still not hatched when needing to remove current chicks?
4. Anything we should be aware of during lockdown, hatching and when they go into the brooder?

He’s not a chicken person. But he knows they make me happy, so is giving this a go even tho I’ve felt guilty about travelling when our eggs go on lockdown (unfortunately postponing is not an option!) so please share everything possible haha

 

[cscigu]

I happen to be on day 18 today too. I've never hatched chicks in winter before, and am sure thankful the record cold snap here just ended.

I'm no expert, but my rule of thumb is to wait until a chick (or 2 or 3) is nice and dry, and up on its feet, then remove. Seems like its usually about 24 hours. I try to snatch the old eggshell, too, then back to lockdown as quick as I can.

I always leave pipped eggs be, and only on the rarest occasions have assisted. When it has almost got out, but seems in distress. Any unhatched eggs, I give an extra couple days, then remove.

Try to keep the room temp where your incubator is warm, and consistent. Make sure you've got some kind of brooder box ready and at 95 ish degrees the first few days, then slowly taper down. I use straw or very dry hay for bedding, because we already have that. No slick newspaper, of course. The cheap brooder lights at farm stores are fine for me. I usually just use a 75w bulb, but may need a 125w heat lamp this time.

Seems like I usually shoot for 80 degrees after about 10+ days. Hard to remember, because I usually do this in summer when its already hotter than blazes and the chicks do just fine out in the barn.

I also use the medicated chick starter crumbles. Water is an issue with lots of techniques, but I just use a small feeder up on a rock.

 

[Sloane Chickens]

I happen to be on day 18 today too. I've never hatched chicks in winter before, and am sure thankful the record cold snap here just ended.

I'm no expert, but my rule of thumb is to wait until a chick (or 2 or 3) is nice and dry, and up on its feet, then removed. Seems like its usually about 24 hours. I try to snatch the old eggshell, too, then back to lockdown as quick as I can.

Try to keep the room temp where you incubator is warm, and consistent. Make sure you've got some kind of brooder box ready and at 95 ish degrees the first few days, then slowly taper down. I use straw or very dry hay for bedding, because we already have that. No slick newspaper, of course.

Seems like I usually shoot for 80 degrees after about 10+ days. Hard to remember, because I usually do this in summer when its already hotter than blazes and the chicks do just fine out in the barn.

I also use the medicated chick starter crumbles. Water is an issue with lots of techniques, but I just use a small feeder up on a rock.

Thanks!
I’m in Aus, so still warm weather here.
Our brooder is set ready to go , he just needs to add water, food and turn on the heat! Do you worry about pipped eggs when removing chicks? Or is it safe if it’s a quick job?

 

[cscigu]

Thanks!
I’m in Aus, so still warm weather here.
Our brooder is set ready to go , he just needs to add water, food and turn on the heat! Do you worry about pipped eggs when removing chicks? Or is it safe if it’s a quick job?

I think its safe, and just a matter of necessity. I've heard that chicks jostling around the unhatched eggs is normal, maybe helpful...? But, when I watch those day old chicks bumbling around in there, knocking eggs off to the edges, etc, I just want them out.

I normally do all that by myself, but always thought it would be a bonus to have a helper lift the lid slightly while i could dart both hands in to work. Probably overthinking it.

The big thing I realized over time was to NOT have that incubator somewhere the temp fluctuates a lot or is too cool.
Seems like such common sense now. Like everything in nature, stability is the ideal.

 

[cscigu]

This is my second time out with the Maticoopx, which I really like. I noticed the last few days the humidity was dropping slightly below 50% on the days approaching lockdown.

When I took the turner trays out it looked like a couple of the water channels on bottom weren't getting water. I tipped it, and the water flowed in.

Now the humidity started to drop again (now below 70%). Rather than tipping the eggs around, I fished a tiny flexible straw through to round vent near the electric cord.

Fed the straw down to the far edge and squirted some warm water in with a syringe. (another farm must have). Problem solved.

Just a heads up.

 

[horselover1999]

When you put them into lockdown, make sure they are touching. They do communicate egg to egg if they are touching. Leave chicks in as long as possible. The older chicks peeping seems to help encourage the ones that are hatching.
I normally don't take freshly hatched chicks out of the incubator right away, they are usually "drunk" getting their legs under them until they are 18-24 hours old, then they start to look for food.
That being said, the faster you get food to them, the faster they will absorb their yolk, I learned that when dissecting chicks for a study looking at yolk absorption rates in college.
When they are removed, I dip at least a couple of their beaks in water to show them where it is. They'll find the food on their own.
My recent hatch started on day 19 (temps must have been warmer than needed) and ended on day 21, so I removed chicks twice and only had one shrink wrap, but that chick was also pipped at the wrong end of the egg. I assisted once it got stuck zipping, and it's almost a week old now, doing well.

 

[cscigu]

I've got 2 out so far. This is on day 20 a couple hours shy of the time I placed eggs in incubator. Can spot a few pips. No real idea how it will go. Young hens, eggs gathered on fairly cold days, etc. As mentioned, first ever winter incubation.

I did realize that I could simply life up that bottle on the Maticoopx, and drain more water in there, and save myself the dumb ordeal or using a drinking straw. Live, learn.

 

[cscigu]

Big Hatching day here. I had 22-24 eggs I think. So far 16 out and 3 obviously working on it. I can only see about 3-4 eggs with no pip so far. Tons better than any previous hatch.

I am now a Maticoopx believer, for sure. So darn easy and so consistent. If you're on the fence for a starter level incubator, I say go for it, unless you're an absolute buy-USA person.

Maybe part of it is very young hens, and 3 young roosters, I don't know.

I had real concerns because it was probably in the 40s on my egg gathering days, but all seems well.

I put the eggs in, and don't open again until I remove the turners. No candling, etc. No idea if that helps. So far twice quickly removed the dried out chicks and what shells I could grab.

The last 3 days incubator has been in a small bathroom with a oil/radiator heater on low keeping the room around 70+.

 

[Sloane Chickens]

When you put them into lockdown, make sure they are touching. They do communicate egg to egg if they are touching. Leave chicks in as long as possible. The older chicks peeping seems to help encourage the ones that are hatching.
I normally don't take freshly hatched chicks out of the incubator right away, they are usually "drunk" getting their legs under them until they are 18-24 hours old, then they start to look for food.
That being said, the faster you get food to them, the faster they will absorb their yolk, I learned that when dissecting chicks for a study looking at yolk absorption rates in college.
When they are removed, I dip at least a couple of their beaks in water to show them where it is. They'll find the food on their own.
My recent hatch started on day 19 (temps must have been warmer than needed) and ended on day 21, so I removed chicks twice and only had one shrink wrap, but that chick was also pipped at the wrong end of the egg. I assisted once it got stuck zipping, and it's almost a week old now, doing well.

When do you give up post lockdown? Like how many days post day 21? I’ve got an egg that looks behind a few days, but not sure how it’ll go or how long to give it etc

 

[horselover1999]

When do you give up post lockdown? Like how many days post day 21? I’ve got an egg that looks behind a few days, but not sure how it’ll go or how long to give it etc

If there's no activity by the end of day 23, that's when I would quit. I would candle them first to see if there is anybody alive in there first, though.