Frist Incubating Success

[ILuvsChicks]

Didn't seem like any of my hens would ever go Broody. So I tried Incubating. I had one of those round tin jobbies. Seem to be working. But when I put the thermometer in the little hole it melted. Bought a new wafer for it. That didn't help. Then I saw an Incubator on CL that I figured would work get. So I got it. My Wife was a little surprised when she seen it in back of my truck. But it works great. Keeps temperature at a near preface 99.5. Has a built in fan and humidifier. The first 9 eggs in the back row I think I had waited to long before putting them in. So after a week I went and gathered up some more and put them in. Started hatching yesterday. Out of the other 26 eggs I got ten with two more trying to hatch. One of which has been trying for 24 hours. Should I help him out? I guess by tomorrow all that are going to hatch will have hatched? Then I can remove the egg turner (I call it an egg rocker) and the divider. Then new born or is that new 'Hatched' will have plenty of room to move around. So how long should I leave them in there? And should I change the temperature in there? I've got 5 Trukens hens and 2 Slikies hens and a Slikie Rooster and some Feather footed rooster thrown in. The girl I got the Slikies from gave him to me since she had given wrong directions to her house

. One of the Trukens has finally gone Broody

 

[DanasChicks]

Hi ILuvsChicks,

Chicken eggs incubate for 18-21 days. Usually on day 18, the humidity is slightly increased and there is no change in the temperature.
Many times on day 18, chicks will peep and many hatch. We usually candle anything after day 21 to see if there is a viable chick. If you have no way to candle the eggs, let them go an additional two days. There's a chance for a late bloomer in there. You can tap on the fat end of the shell and hold it up to your ear. You will hear the chick peeping or tapping inside the shell.

You can keep an eye on the 24 hour peeper. If you no longer see or hear any activity, you may want to intervene. Otherwise, some chicks just take longer than others. If your egg turner is still on (automatic), it should be shut off on day 18.

If intervening, always carefully crack and peel small sections of the shell away about a thumbs width up the side from the fattest end of the egg. That is where the air sac is. Once you have cleared away some hard shell, there are two membranes, a white outer membrane and a translucent inner membrane. You can poke through the outer membrane to expose the chicks beak area. If the chick is still alive, but the inner membrane is still covering the chick and it has full blood vessels, stop, You may need to moisten the inner membrane if it's exposed (without the outer membrane and hard shell it can dry out and shrink wrap the chick inside preventing it from hatching or moving for that matter) and put the egg back in the incubator. You can check on the chick every few hours. You may need to remoisten the inner membrane. Once the blood vessels have collapsed and are no longer visible and the inner membrane easily pulls away from the chick without any dripping blood, you can then hatch out the chicks head and wings. Stop at this point and try to look down at the underside of the chicks belly. You are looking for any sign of the yolk sac. It is yellow. If you see the yolk sac present, the chick needs to remain in the shell until it is fully absorbed. Put the egg and the chick back in the incubator. Once the yolk sac is fully absorbed, it is safe to completely hatch out the chick.

The chicks can stay in the incubator to dry off for quite a few hours. If the humidity is high, you could transfer them to the brooder to dry out. It's a personal choice. Often times I take the chicks out right away, only because when so many hatch the humidity doesn't allow them to dry as quickly.

Happy Hatching!

 

[ILuvsChicks]

Couple of questions: Can you cut a hole in cardboard a little smaller then the eggs and hold it to a light bulb to 'Candle' an egg? Or do you have to go out and buy a store bought one? Didn't the word come from the fact that people use to hold the egg up to a candle?
Second question: What would be the difference in a 'Brooder' and leaving them in the incubator if I lower the humidity? I can change the temperature on this incubator as needed.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I don't use anything to candle besides a bright flashlight, my hands and a dark room. Lots of people use toilet paper or paper towel tubes to make homemade candlers though.

You can leave the chicks in the bator for a couple of days while they're absorbing their yolk sacs and waiting for others to hatch. After that they'll need food and water (which wouldn't be a good idea in the bator). The biggest issue with leaving them in the incubator is they can't regulate their own temp in there. They need the 95 or so degrees to keep warm, but not all the time. Hens don't keep their chicks covered all the time bc they'd end up over heating them. They need the extra space the brooder will provide to move to and from the heat source. Good luck!

 

[DanasChicks]

I would not adjust the temperature in the incubator. You wouldn't want to interrupt what's going on in the other eggs. (They are very sensitive) Other than increasing the humidity slightly on day 18, and opening one vent to release the extra humidity as hatching begins, it's best to leave the humidity and temperature steady. Newly hatched chicks can stay in the incubator and dry out, but as mentioned by another member, they can not regulate their body temperature in the incubator. There is limited space for the chicks to move around and sometimes they climb on the other hatching eggs and move them upside down and cause quite a disruption to things in there. The newly hatched chicks can be immediately place them in their brooder, prepared with a red bulb heat light hanging down over an area in the brooder box, (or a regular light bulb works too, it's just much brighter and may not give off as much heat) so the direct temperature underneath the heat lamp for the chicks would be no greater than 95 degrees. This allows the chicks to have plenty of room to move about if they"re too cold or to hot. Chicks can go a day without food and water, but surprisingly, many drink and eat on hatch day one. Each week, the temperature should decrease five degrees until the chicks are fully feathered and ready for outdoors (which happens anywhere between 4 - 6 weeks).
Enjoy those babies!!

 

[ILuvsChicks]

This is day 22. They didn't any hatch till day 21. Two still seem to be having problems getting out of the egg. I do have food and water for the chicks now. I don't have a brooder. The chicks can't get over to the part with the eggs now. I plan to remove the egg rocker and eggs that didn't hatch plus the divider. Then the chicks will have plenty of room to move around. Should I reduce the temperature a little each week? Or maybe just turn off the incubator some each day?

 

[DanasChicks]

There are very inexpensive ways to brood chicks. If you search online you can find some great ideas. I have a friend that just uses a regular old lamp taken apart so it's just the plug end of the cord and the connection end with the socket. She safely attaches it to hang above a cardboard box (the regular kind of light bulb, not the florescent ones, they don't put off enough heat). It's simple and inexpensive. Just make sure the light is secured in a way not to come in direct contact with any surfaces that could catch fire. Otherwise you can purchase the heat lamps kits which are just a light socket encased in a metal shell for fire protection and comes with a sturdy clamp for hanging or mounting (the actual red light is sold separately). Most people spend the extra few bucks for the red coated heat lamp, because otherwise it's a bit blinding with the white light.

People use large plastic containers, wood boxes, wire cages, tall and enclosed cat litter boxes, etc. The chicks need plenty of room to get around to eat and drink as well as a place to stay warm. I have used many different types of makeshift brooders. The best being a large container since they grow so fast. I secure the heat lamp to something above the brooder that cannot be bumped or dislodged and keep it on one end of the box just to give the chicks room to get away from the heat when need be. Chicks can get too hot and die too. You can place a thermometer in the brooder under the direct heat to get an idea of far up to hang the heat lamp.

From the picture above the incubator set up you have does not seem to have enough space to brood the chicks in my opinion. If you use anything with a slick surface, make sure to lay some dirt, wood chips and grass clippings in the bottom for the chicks to stand on. You don't want them to slip and get a leg injury, which happens on slick surfaces. Once a chicks leg is spayed or injured it is too difficult for the chick to get around to eat and drink, sometimes causing the chick to die. You can also place a few smooth rounded sticks in the brooder. They enjoy standing on it or perching.

Regardless of the manner in which you choose to brood them, they will need the heat lowered about 5 degrees each week. Once they are fully feathered between 4 to 6 weeks, they do not need much heat at all. Many people put heat lamps in their coops for the transition to outdoors. Personally, we don't. They just cuddle up with the older bunch and stay warm.

I hope this helps you.