First Hatch Anyone with me???

[OrganicEggs75]

So I gave in... I'm hatching my eggs... And yes they are going to be lovely mutts! I have 2 roosters, 11 hens... Don't know who's egg is whose, don't know who the "daddy" is... Next week I'm going to Lee's Feed and buying an incubator... Since our landlord said 8 chickens, (I'm sneaking in 2 more lol) I'm putting in 5 random eggs, hopefully chicken eggs, and selling a rooster and some hens, and attempt to hatch eggs. Hopefully I won't hatch and unknown bantam x Jersey Giant, Gosh that would be one odd chick. So here are my questions...,

Eggs hatch on day 21 right?
For any possible extra eggs waiting to hatch should I leave bator on for 2 extra days?
What temperature for lock down?
If a chick is struggling to get out of egg can I "help" It?
Anything I should know?

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Day 21, thereabouts.
I leave mine on until Day 25.
Same as incubation. No change in temperature. HUMIDITY is raised, though! 40-50% the first 18 days, 55-65% last three days. Generally. Your mileage may vary, depending on ambient humidity where you live.
Intervene ONLY if it has been shrink-wrapped at pip for more than 24 hours, or during zipping and be sure to follow instructions found elsewhere on BYC.

Don't candle them too frequently. I candle at day 10, just looking for development. Clear eggs get discarded. Again at 18 days just before lockdown, again removing clear eggs or those which have blood rings or otherwise obviously stopped developing. Resist the urge to candle a lot.

Lockdown means do not open the incubator ESPECIALLY if any eggs have pipped. Otherwise you will shrink-wrap them.
Chicks can stay in the incubator for 24-48 hours, easily, even 3 days if they must. Without food or water. So you do not have to remove hatched chicks - ESPECIALLY when any other eggs are still in the pipped or zipped stage!

Good luck!

 

[RedneckChikns]

Ditto what was said above....but I have helped many a chick out of the shell but it takes a little skill and knowing when to stop (the horrors of syrofoam incubators) If you dont have a turner, dont forget that you are the turner!

And if using a styrofoamie...keep in mind that tho you can leave the chicks in up to 2-3 days...many larger breeds can do and will burn their heads on the heating element, esp if climbing on other eggs. Best to have another incubator as your hatcher/dryer.

 

[Missouri Chicken Chick]

I agree with all that has been said, especially the part regarding leaving the eggs in the incubator through day 25. I am in the process of hatching chicks right now and I have had 3 so far that have actually gone 24 days before they pipped. They were slow in getting out, but they finally did.

As far as "helping" chicks out, I have forced myself to not do it simply because the chicks are much weaker than if they had done the work themselves. I had one, however, that was definitely struggling, so I helped it out. It ended up having a lame leg, as if it was disjointed at the hip. I did a bit of reading up on "hobbling" a chick, but couldn't get mine exactly right, so I put the chick in a small piece of material, wrapped up very tightly so its legs were in the right position and "propped" it up in the brooder. Believe it or not, it actually worked, but that's a LOT of work and worry. It was a reminder why sometimes it's easier to just let nature take its course.

Anyway, good luck with the incubating. It's a lot of fun and definitely addicting!

 

[spiritdance]

Quote:
OMG! You are done for now! Hatching chicks is more addictive than any substance known to modern science!!!!!

 

[FarmerVal]

I'm having Ameraucana's, Marans, and Blue & Buff Orpingtons shipped to me next Monday. It will be our first hatch too. Good luck!

 

[rickerra]

I'm with ya! I set my first hatch of 10 lovely, local eggs into my homemade incubator this past Saturday afternoon.

Currently on day two and everything is looking good!

My eggs were from a lady who lives near me. She says I got:

2 Ameruacana
2 Buff Orp mix
1 Barred Rock mix
1 Light Brahma mix
1 Blue Wyandotte mix
2 unknown browns (of questionable fertility)

All the "mix" are because she knows who laid them but not which rooster is the daddy! haha.

Gotta love the "mutts"! woot

Cheers!

 

[sandracollins]

Hi just finished my first hatch and am hooked!!I put 10 eggs under 2 broodys and candled them on day 9 ,7 were fertile and all hatched yesterday on day 20.sad the B.O squashed the first one she hatched but she seems fine with the other two fingers crossed.now they are here I have stopped worrying about them hatching and started worrying if they will be ok .!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mrsp523]

Good luck, I love reading about all you folks getting eggs. We are thinking about it. Starting year 2 of having chickens, not sure we are ready to handle the hatching part. I would think one would want to try and hatch a lot considering some may not be fertile/or make it, and the other 1/2 would be roos. How many times to you turn them before you even start the process? I have been reading up on it, and seem to get differant times/ways.