First hatch, how many to plan for

[aliciaplus3]

hatching is addictive so be careful about getting started.

 

[JaeG]

Fertility will likely be down if the weather is cold so that's something else to take into account. Are the farms hatching eggs at the moment themselves? If so you can ask them what their hatch rates are.

 

[MightyMama]

Awesome. I got a chance to read through those, plus watch some youtube videos. I feel more prepared, but I would like some more information on the day-to-day care of eggs. For instance, I've seen some places suggest not turning/handling the eggs much in the first day, and other places that say that you do turn right away. How long can you keep the lid off while you are turning them (as I will be doing it manually). Is it better to turn 3 or 5 times a day when you have to do it manually?

I've had older chicks before, but not babies. I saw to dip their beaks in water as you put them in the brooder, but should the water be with electrolytes or vitamins? I saw a thing about probiotics, too...is that something you use regularly with chicks? I know some people do medicated chick feed, is that pretty standard and for how long?

Do I truly need to start with 28 eggs to hopefully get 7-8? I'm imagining my last chicks, who were 10 weeks before they went outside....do you separate them after a certain age and have multiple boxes? Or will they be more likely to get sick if they get mixed back together as they get older? I 100% do not want to deal with sick chickens simply due to putting them back together after a while. I imagine they will be inside until 10ish weeks again, due to the temperature outside...just taking a guess.

 

[sylviethecochin]

For instance, I've seen some places suggest not turning/handling the eggs much in the first day, and other places that say that you do turn right away. How long can you keep the lid off while you are turning them (as I will be doing it manually). Is it better to turn 3 or 5 times a day when you have to do it manually?

If the eggs are shipped, leave them to settle properly before turning them. Otherwise, turning is best. As long as the air cell is developing properly, it doesn't really matter how long the lid's off. If you're taking too long, just up the humidity a little bit. More turning tends to be better.

should the water be with electrolytes or vitamins? I saw a thing about probiotics, too...is that something you use regularly with chicks? I know some people do medicated chick feed, is that pretty standard and for how long?

Unless you expect your chicks to be really weak at hatch, I wouldn't bother with probiotics or electrolytes. They should be fine. I would try the vitamins, just in case of a nutritional deficiency from the eggs you're getting (If the people getting you hatching eggs aren't knowledgeable, their hens could suffer from a variety of deficiencies that would appear only in the egg.) Medicated chick feed is not standard, and a lot of people advise against it. Unless you expect your peeps to be sick, what's the point?

Do I truly need to start with 28 eggs to hopefully get 7-8? I'm imagining my last chicks, who were 10 weeks before they went outside....do you separate them after a certain age and have multiple boxes? Or will they be more likely to get sick if they get mixed back together as they get older?

Shipped eggs usually have bad hatch rates. Eggs that were gathered immediately and kept in ideal conditions can expect a much better hatch rate. If that's the case, I would set twenty eggs--a couple might not hatch, and there's a slight margin in case of a high percentage of cockerels.

They shouldn't get sick upon being mixed together after separation. They'll have been exposed to the same diseases. You might have a bit of a tizzy while everyone sorts out his place on the pecking order, though, depending on age at re-integration.

 

[lazy gardener]

My chicks ALL get poultry nutri-drench for the first 2 weeks, whether they are shipped chicks or if they punch their way out of the eggs in the incubator, and then proceed to use the rest of the eggs as soccer balls.

I'm having a hard time understanding why you would suggest separating your chicks into separate boxes after hatch? Simply give them the right size brooder, or even better yet, brood them in the coop in their own area.

It's truly your decision regarding how many eggs you incubate. I simply threw out those numbers so you might have an idea how many eggs you MIGHT have to incubate to get your 7 - 8 pullets. You can always sell the extras. If you don't want to incubate that many eggs, then only incubate as many as you want to!!!

As for opening the bator up to turn the eggs, it's not an issue. Mama hen leaves the nest once/day for feed and water. Opening the bator for the length of time required to turn eggs is a non issue.

You absolutely should not need to keep your chicks in the house for 10 weeks, even if you do brood them in the house. My chicks are brooded in my garage for a couple of days, then they go straight to their grow out coop along with their MHP heating pad cave brooder. They are in an outdoor coop from the first week of age, and by the time they are weaned off heat at 4 - 5 weeks (THEY decide when they are done with the heat) they are already acclimated to outdoor temps. I hatch chicks in mid April. Temps then are in 20's at night, and 30's to 50 during the day. By the time they are weaned from heat at 4 - 5 weeks old, the temps vary from high of 50 - 60 and lows of 30's.

As for electrolytes, those are not necessary. Any time I use them for shipping stress, or heat stress, injury, I make my own. Purchasing packets of electrolyte mix is a convenience. IMO it's a waste of money.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Plan on 50% hatch and 50% male. If your target is 6 pullets then you need to set two dozen. There shouldn't be a problem if you hatch more than you need if you have a plan for getting rid of the males. Hopefully that plan is to eat the males. Don't think you can give them away. Extra pullets are easy to sell.

Your biggest thing with still air incubator is set the temp to 101 F measured at top levl of eggs. Yes it's over a degree higher than what you'll read but is the correct temp in still air as the temperature is layered within the incubator.

 

[MightyMama]

"I'm having a hard time understanding why you would suggest separating your chicks into separate boxes after hatch? Simply give them the right size brooder, or even better yet, brood them in the coop in their own area."

My last brooder box was a rubbermaid tub, I don't think 20 chicks at 10 weeks old will fit in one box. My coop isn't going to be big enough for all 20, and definitely not big enough for the box/heat lamp. Right now it's only 4x4 and we plan to double that (run is 10x10, which we also plan to expand), but that will happen closer to April when we will start thinking about them going outside.

Yes, my plan is to hopefully process the males. They won't be allowed very long (my neighborhood is very not rooster friendly), so when they start crowing, they will be culled if I can't find homes for them.