Experimental Dehydrator Hatching - I'm doing it!

[Sally PB]

Following to see how it goes.

 

[Sally PB]

Wow, that's this Sunday! Watching and waiting!

 

[Cornflower]

Wow, that's this Sunday! Watching and waiting!

Thursday the 8th. Only two days away!

 

[Cornflower]

Nice experiment you have going.

Something that helped me with my incubators and my brooders...
I used Rainpoint plant waterers to keep my incubator reservoirs full. I used a Govee temp/humidity gauge inside the incubator. That uses and app, so I could set warning levels for temp and humidity levels and determine if I need to add water, right from my phone. If I needed to add water, the Rainpoint waterers used an app as well, so I could just go to the app, turn it on and turn it off when there was enough water. Again, all of this right from my phone.
I also used this same waterer for my 4 brooders. For the brooders, I set the waterer on a timer to turn on every hour for 2 minutes. This way my chicks always had water. I also used the little Blink cameras in each brooder so I could keep an eye on the chicks and their water levels.
Made things sooo much easier.
I said all this to say the waterer could be useful to you to keep the water pan full without having to open the door. It uses the really narrow aquarium tubing and even the unit itself is small. The app even tells you when the water it is pumping from is empty.

Good luck tonight an tomorrow!

Thanks twochixchickens. I don't have a phone, but I'll be building a larger and better incubator. My current design hatching box i've moved them into doesn't have a water pan. I'm watering the carbon on the floor. But those are some neat gadgets I definitely would like to try on the next build out. I hear chirping! Gotta go. The first chirps just now! 10:12 pm

 

[SmiYa0126]

Update June 8: At 7 am I woke up to two hatched chicks! Looks like No 11 in the back and one that hadn't pipped at all by the time I went to bed last night. No 4 who is has broken through the side is still alive but hasn't made any more progress. I think I'll try helping her out when I get back at 9:00. The chicks aren't fully dry yet. I'll post photos later. The other eggs that were pipping don't look like they did anything more either.

Good call on helping the baby that's taking longer

 

[Cornflower]

June 8 2pm Egg #2 is third to hatch about 12:30 this afternoon. She was pipping last night.
(No 4 is still alive in shell but not hatching. I scaled the shell away from the pip site but didn't open the membrane. When she's ready to hatch she shouldn't have any trouble on her own.
Here is #2 out and temporarily stuck on her back:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=588279873414957

 

[Cornflower]

For the one that isn't hatching, use a q tip to put coconut oil on the membrane, then wet the membrane... If you don't see red veins you can pull the membrane away. I've seen chicks where their leg was over their head and they couldn't push out of the egg.

I might end up trying that. Coconut oil is something I have, and qtips. Thank you!

 

[aart]

I have both O2 lines pumping in

Ah, missed that part.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Hi I did what you said and the coconut oil made the membrane easier to see through. It looks like the umbilical is still attached and red and is exposed where the shell is peeled away. My daughter also thinks she see's more veins on the other side under the shell. The chick is chatty with us and doesn't seem to be in distress, so we put her back in the incubator. I took the other chicks out and into the brooder so they don't scratch that egg open in a bad way. I don't have experience to judge so I'll leave her alone until it looks like she has to get out or else. Thank you for your advice, it really helped to be able to see through that membrane a little better. She's quite the conversationist!
View attachment 3534373

Wonderful! Chatty chick is good news!

 

[Tstraub]

This is cool! I successfully hatched a chicken in a homemade incubator back in March. I only had one of 12 survive. I have since made adjustments and am currently on day 2 of my second try. Anyway I just wanted to reply so I can follow your thread. Good luck with your baby chicks.