Hatch Date - - November 3 - -> Anybody Hatching With Me ? ?

[math ace]

Quote:
Okay so then todayI should go give her my two new eggs?
She went broody the same day I got the little incubator so I had to try it out.. but I'm thinking.. I'd rather have her hatch them, then hatch them indoors and try to put them under her later...

I guess Ill put them under her today

It is much easier for mom to hatch and raise than it is for you . . . How many will that leave in the incubator ? ?

TRUST ME - - If I could get a hen to go broody, I would not bother with the incubator ! I've raised day old chicks many times. The one and only broody I had raised the one chick for me. It was GREAT. I didn't have to worry about the heat lamp or and extra care. Mom did everything, including teaching her how to scratch for treats . . Mom taught her where the food was and would call her over to drink ! LOVED IT

AFTER Mom's other chicks have hatched - - you can still sneak out there in a couple of nights and put your new chicks under her . . .
I hope she is a LARGE FOWL and can handle LOTS of chicks . . .

 

[kerriliane]

my incubator only holds 3 eggs at the most..
and i only had two in it.. so I put both of them under her.
will she help any chicks who get stuck get out of the egg?

Ive squished 4 new ones into the incubator now though, I plan on buying a bigger one in the next coouple weeks so Ill transfer the eggs from the little bator to the big one before hatch date.. unless i get another broody! <3

 

[froggiesheins]

Quote:
STOO-PID question of the night. Why should you NOT open the bater after "lockdown"?

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
The chicks in the eggs need the humidity - and steady heat - to avoid "shrink-wrapping" the chick with the membrane inside the egg. The membrane dries out and the chick cannot get it to tear when it pecks and kicks against it.

Sudden chilling can also stop development at the critical hatching stage.

 

[froggiesheins]

Quote:
The chicks in the eggs need the humidity - and steady heat - to avoid "shrink-wrapping" the chick with the membrane inside the egg. The membrane dries out and the chick cannot get it to tear when it pecks and kicks against it.

Sudden chilling can also stop development at the critical hatching stage.

YIKES!

I for sure will not touch the lid when lockdown starts.......

Thank you for your answer.

 

[wildots]

So I'm approaching day 21 with a broody hen, but this morning I found one egg cracked open with a mostly developed chick in it.

This makes me wonder what went wrong - but at this point, I'm just going to wait and see if the hen will hatch out the other 2 eggs.

A question I have though, is whether I need to hang the heat lamp out in the coop for her?

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
No. Not just because she's broody and may hatch chicks; she has all the insulation necessary to keep the chicks warm.

This is under the assumption it's not going to suddenly drop to ZERO degrees tonight and all the chickens need heat. If it's only going to freezing, 32 degrees, they wouldn't even need supplemental heat. Neither will she.

 

[wildots]

Quote:
No. Not just because she's broody and may hatch chicks; she has all the insulation necessary to keep the chicks warm.

This is under the assumption it's not going to suddenly drop to ZERO degrees tonight and all the chickens need heat. If it's only going to freezing, 32 degrees, they wouldn't even need supplemental heat. Neither will she.

Thank you - this will help me sleep better tonight!
I'll let you know how it all turns out!

 

[math ace]

Quote:
My first time broody stepped on a couple eggs as they were pipping before she figured it out. . . . If it is a first time broody, what went wrong could just be her learning curve

 

[iluvsedward]

I'm hatching around then.