Hatching already!

[Yorkshire Coop]

Congratulations!

If it is looking pretty full in there I would quickly but carefully remove the ones that have been in there the longest. Any that are super wet or only just hatched I would leave in there.

 

[lazy gardener]

It all depends on your brooder space. I have been known to pull damp chicks if the humidity in the bator is high enough that they are not drying off well. Just get in, grab chicks and shells, and get out quickly. Any damp ones will dry off well, as long as they are warm enough and there is no draft in the brooder. I use a MHP style brooder. Set it up near the bator on hatch day, then as soon as all are eating and drinking well, theMHP and chicks are all taken out to the grow out coop where they have lots of room to engage in chicky activities.

 

[MightyMama]

I have a kitchen aid tote, it's nothing fancy, but they will be moved out of the "incubation room" to the living space on the first floor, I imagine it will take about 3-4 minutes to move them from where they are to under the heat lamp. When they get bigger I have something built in the basement. I could warm up some wet towels to keep them warmer for the transfer, if you think it would be needed....

 

[lazy gardener]

Wet towels???? Why WET towels? I would get an appropriate sized container, line it with a towel, with enough extra towel so that you can sneak them into the container, but keep the top closed over them to maintain their body heat. Warming the towel would be a nice added touch, but not necessary.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Wet heat turns to cold. They need to be dry and fluff out for down to work. If your down jacket is wet and your outside you are cold. We use poultry down to warm us but the key to it working is that is we keep it dry in vinyl jackets.

Keep hatched chicks dry. Only need to wet them is if crusty and cleaning them, get dry asap after.

 

[MightyMama]

Gotcha. Well they are moved. Trying to find a temp that they like. 95 apparently was too cold.

One has curled toes. How long should I wait before trying to fix it/seeing if it just needs more time?

 

[MightyMama]

Does this look like happy heat?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Attempt to fix curled toes now. As in NOW! The longer you wait the worse it can be to correction. Do it now. A new born's skeleton is putty to mold as you will. A day olds is bending sticks.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I don't breed curled toed chicks but do my best to let them be layers.

If things look bad, it's crush time. Best result for me is a cynder block and chick below. Quick and painless. Hold them and pet them and set them on the cold outside ground. They chirp and you let go the block. Instant cull.

 

[MightyMama]

It doesn't look too bad. What's the favorite way to boot it? There seem to be a lot of ways. Better to do a flat cardboard thing or splint for individual toes?