Day 19- peeping pip! Plus brooder ?’s

[Stepfordhomestead]

hi, me again

So it’s day 19. I’m on lockdown. I have a peeping egg that has already pipped. Is that normal? Is it ok? Will everyone else follow suit? Will it hatch soon?

I am away all day tomorrow helping a friend who just had a baby so I’m feeling nervous I’ll come home to a bator full of peeps vs eggs. Which I guess will happen anyway..

I’m putting my brooder together bc I procrastinated; not believing any eggs would make it to hatch day.

I’m using a dog crate wrapped in a tarp. Does it look ok? I read to put rocks in the water so they don’t drown, and I’m hoping it keeps them from tipping it. My adults rarely have water in a bowl (they have access to a pond) bc they immediately step on it and dump it.

Anyway, I’m just REAL nervous.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So it’s day 19. I’m on lockdown. I have a peeping egg that has already pipped. Is that normal? Is it ok? Will everyone else follow suit? Will it hatch soon?

Pipping or even hatching on Day 19 isn't that unusual. Different things can be going on. The common one is that incubation temperature is a bit high so they hatch early. That could be because factory pre-sets are wrong, your thermometer is not reading correctly, or if you have a still air you are taking the temperature in the wrong place. It's hard to say over the internet. Anyway, if the incubating temperature is a bit high you should get more hatching pretty soon.

Another possible cause is just that eggs can hatch early because of heredity, humidity, how or how long the egg was stored before incubation started, or just differences in the eggs. Some of my hatches are over within 24 hours of the first chick hatching, some drag out for over two full days. It could be that something about that egg caused it to hatch early.

Before a chick hatches it has to do a bunch of things to get ready other than turning into position. It has to absorb the yolk, dry up blood vessels outside its body, do something and I don't know what so when it dries the down is fluffy instead of stuck to it, and learn to breath air instead of living in a liquid world. Some chicks do a lot of this before external pip and pop out pretty soon after external pip. Some chicks external pip before they have done all this and can take a day between external pip and zip. Each egg is different.

I’m using a dog crate wrapped in a tarp. Does it look ok?

It looks like that brooder is inside your house so the ambient temperature should be pretty stable. How hot is that brooder? Put a thermometer under the lamp and at the far end away from the lamp to see what the temperatures are. What you want is for it to be warm enough under the lamp (about 90 F to 95F or 32 C to 35 C) but cooler at the far end. How much cooler at the far end? There is no magic number that is right. 10 degrees F or 6 degrees C is plenty. Inside your house my preference would be room temperature. I brood outside and sometimes the far end of my brooder is below freezing. As long as the warm end is warm enough it doesn't matter. The chicks will stay where they are comfortable. That brooder might be too warm so check it out. You may need to re-position the lamp or use a smaller wattage bulb.

I can't tell how that lamp is attached. In my opinion the biggest cause of fires with heat lamps is that the lamp is not properly supported. Never depend on that clamp that comes with it. Use wire to support it, preferably two different wires so you have back-up. Do not use string or plastic cord that can burn or melt.

I don't know how many chicks you will have and obviously you don't know yet either. They grow pretty fast. I don't know how long you will keep them in that brooder before they go outside. That brooder should be fine for when they hatch but you may eventually need something bigger later. It's just something to watch.

I read to put rocks in the water so they don’t drown, and I’m hoping it keeps them from tipping it.

That's what I do, but I use a bowl, not the waterer you are showing. Those holes should be small enough to keep them from falling in and downing. Or is that the feeder and the plastic dish is your waterer? I think I looked at it wrong to start with.

Rocks in that dish will keep them from drowning and allows them to "walk on water", which they will do. Mine stay pretty dry but as long as one end of your incubator is warm enough it will not hurt them to get their feet wet or even some down a little bit wet. They will dry off without chilling. Depending on how big they get in there before you move them out you might need to reevaluate tipping, but it will work fine for a while.

The chicks will poop in the water. They poop everywhere. The water needs to stay clean. You do not need to dump that and refill every time one poops in it but use your judgment. At a minimum, dump it at least once a day and refill the waterer. You may need to clean more often.

Anyway, I’m just REAL nervous.

Of course you are. Once you go through it a time or two you will gain confidence but there will always be some stress. It doesn't help that each hatch can be different. Some are over within 24 hours. Some can drag on for over two full days. Some chicks pip and pop out pretty quickly, some can take a long time after pip before they come out. And unfortunately sometimes one just doesn't make it. Sometimes you see movement or hear peeping before they pip, often you don't. It's going to be stressful, especially your first time, and there is nothing I can say that will change that. So I'll just wish you good luck.

 

[Stepfordhomestead]

I have 5 peeps out so far. The first one that hatched seems deformed. She’s flopping around but can’t stand up is it ok to open the incubator and take her out to look her over/take pics? How dry to they have to be?

I have two eggs left with no pips yet. It’s day 20

 

[Stepfordhomestead]

Ok. Updaaaate.

Gosh this day

So I was gone most of the day visiting a friend who just had a baby. My dad was home with my kids and watching the bator.

Before I left I had two peeps hatched. The first one to hatch pipped and hatched within about 20 min and was immediately having trouble- couldn’t stand or walk.

I left and was gone all day while the other 3 hatched.

When I came home Struggle Bus (the first one) was still flopping around the incubator unable to stand up or walk while the other four peeps were bouncing around, peeping, napping, and eating egg shells.

I worked up the courage, wrapped myself in a blanket and snatched SB out of the bator. Her legs seem physically fine, except she’s not using them and they stick out at weird angles. She also has a bit of yolk left to absorb- prob bc she came in like a wrecking ball this morning.

I put them all in the brooder, and candled the last 2 eggs- they appear to be quitters, no movement inside but I left them in the bator just in case- it’s only day 20.

So currently I have the 4 perfects and SB in the brooder and they seem ok. SB seems to have better grip in there and is scooting around a bit.

I saw a trick of using a band aid to stick their legs together so they stand? Should I do that? I feel bad for her and want to help her thrive. What should I do?

My brooder is inside. It’s pretty warm right under the lamp, about 100° but they can easily get away to the cool side and I can unplug it if I notice them staying away. I’m home all day most days and can adjust accordingly. The heat lamp
Is attached with a metal clamp and a zip tie that I verified doesn’t get too hot (we had an incident last winter with a heat lamp in our coop that almost caught fire!) I don’t have a waterer bc my a-hole dog ate it, but I didn’t fill the bowl very full at all so hopefully they can use that.

They will be going outside as soon as possible. Like, when they outgrow the crate. I have a separate dog kennel type area next to the house for them that is still away from adults but allows them lost of space- I put my last peeps out in the coop too early and they got picked on by my hens. I don’t want to put them out immediately bc they are so tiny and don’t have a mama, so I have them in our spare bedroom.

Ok, I think that’s all! Help me with SB!

 

[mangobees]

Look up "slipped tendon" here on BYC or read the link ive attached below. I think that could be the reason shes having trouble, and if it is you'll need to correct it asap
http://bcpoultryhobbyfarmingnetwork.weebly.com/fix-slipped-tendon.html