First time hatchers

[Cluck2013]

So I am on day 14 on hatching my chicks. We have chickens, but this is our first time hatching. I do know that on day 18, you go into lockdown mode with a high humidity and have tubing running down to the trowels to add more water, if needed. After they hatch, you can keep them in there for a couple of days then move them into a brooder. How long would you keep them inside before moving outside. We have a pen made with a full enclosed area with a heat lamp inside along with an outside pen attached to it. When we would buy chickens, we would keep them inside 1 or 2 days then put them outside in this pen. Any tips or suggestions? Anything I need to know?

 

[Jetblack2004]

Looks like you're pretty well-prepared

It depends on the weather where you are a bit. If it's raining daily you should wait longer than if it's sunny daily. Pictures of your pen would be useful, if you have any!

Good luck with your hatch

 

[Cluck2013]

Here is a picture of the coop. Not all the way finished. Still have to paint and put a roof on. There's an opening between the inside/outside area that lets them go out. We live in central Oklahoma. Weather has varied from cold (some freezing at night) to 80 degrees during day.

 

[Cluck2013]

Also, when we lockdown the eggs, do I just lay them on their side?

 

[Spartan22]

Also, when we lockdown the eggs, do I just lay them on their side?

Lockdown - Eggs should be out of turning trays (no trays to tangle them with) and lay on its side, relative humidity between 65-77%, keep the temp stable @99.6

 

[Cluck2013]

Lockdown - Eggs should be out of turning trays (no trays to tangle them with) and lay on its side, relative humidity between 65-77%, keep the temp stable @99.6

 

[Cluck2013]

Ok! I knew about taking the egg Turner out along with humidity and temp, just wasn't sure about laying them down. I have seen some people have little trays or cut a cup down really small to hold the eggs. Would that help with the already hatched chicks messing with the unhatched eggs?

 

[Spartan22]

Nope, just let it be on its side sometime it will roll around, especially if it pip facing down and have the other newly hatched cheer them to pip up, let nature take its course just be sure that the floor of bator is not too slippery for newly hatched.

 

[Cluck2013]

I feel like these air cells are to small. The humidity has been low and I've only added water twice since putting them in there. It's now day 16. Some are a little bigger than thus, but not by much.

 

[disneyguy]

I've hatched twice, and never could keep the humidity higher than 60% at time of hatching. Each hatch, I had 85-90% hatch rate of those that made it to lockdown (not counting eggs that weren't actually fertile to begin with or that didn't develop all the way).

Good luck, stay calm, and have fun. They will be just fine, as nature sways and works in different ways. Heck, for this current hatch, I turned the 'bator off completely and didn't get back to it for a couple of days only to find one of the eggs I figured to be a goner started pipping! With 80 degrees and humidity of 20. So, anything can happen!