Eggs just hatched! Now what?

[longmomma]

Just had my first egg hatch about 3 hours ago and the second one is on it's way. So exciting! We took a time lapse video which is pretty cool, will try to post here.

Now what? I leave them each in the incubator for 24 hours to dry off, etc, correct? Then move into the brooder and the temp should be 95 degrees, and lower by 5 degrees each week?

Any other tips for new chicks?

Thanks!

 

[WVduckchick]

For brooder temperature... have the heat lamp on one end or the other, so they have a warm area and a bit cooler area. Watch the chicks and they will let you know if they are too warm or too cold by which end they stay in. And if you hatch several, you don't want them to pile up on each other when they get cold. They will lay touching each other, or overlapping some is no problem. You just don't want them to pile up too much. (ones on the bottom can suffocate) Not trying to scare you... just let them tell you if they are comfortable.

 

[Drewnkat]

You don't have to leave them in for 24 hours. You can take them out sooner, if they seem uncomfortable or are making a mess.

I think I moved mine on average maybe 3-4 hours after hatch?

Let's see, tips for new chicks.

Make sure you dip their beaks in the water when you place them in the brooder. Put clean pebbles or marbles in the water at first, they can fall in. If one seems a bit lethargic compared to the others, dip its beak in the water again, then let it rest for a few hours and check again.

Some people swear by putting just 1/2 teaspoon of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar in the water for helping them develop good bacteria in their gut. It worked fine for me, so that's what I do.

Put out chick starter, but don't expect them to eat a ton the first day, they can live quite well off the remaining yolk they absorb just before hatching.

Watch out for pasty butt. If the poo gets caked over the cloaca so it can't poop, a chick can actually die. Do not pull on the dried poo if you get a pasty butt chick, you can cause severe internal injury. Gently soak the poop off in warm water, and carefully dry the chick.

Pasty butt is often treated or prevented by... adding apple cider vinegar to the water/feeding a tiny amount of yogurt/giving expensive chick probiotics to help them get healthy gut bacteria going.

 

[longmomma]

You don't have to leave them in for 24 hours. You can take them out sooner, if they seem uncomfortable or are making a mess.

I think I moved mine on average maybe 3-4 hours after hatch?

Let's see, tips for new chicks.

Make sure you dip their beaks in the water when you place them in the brooder. Put clean pebbles or marbles in the water at first, they can fall in. If one seems a bit lethargic compared to the others, dip its beak in the water again, then let it rest for a few hours and check again.

Some people swear by putting just 1/2 teaspoon of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar in the water for helping them develop good bacteria in their gut. It worked fine for me, so that's what I do.

Put out chick starter, but don't expect them to eat a ton the first day, they can live quite well off the remaining yolk they absorb just before hatching.

Watch out for pasty butt. If the poo gets caked over the cloaca so it can't poop, a chick can actually die. Do not pull on the dried poo if you get a pasty butt chick, you can cause severe internal injury. Gently soak the poop off in warm water, and carefully dry the chick.

Pasty butt is often treated or prevented by... adding apple cider vinegar to the water/feeding a tiny amount of yogurt/giving expensive chick probiotics to help them get healthy gut bacteria going.

Great, thank you! Didn't know about the vinegar!

 

[longmomma]

Ok thank you!