Hatching Chicks With A Heat Pad And A Egg Carton Experiment

[DogAndCat36]

I made an homemade incubator out of a styrofoam cooler. It works great. I was candling the eggs around day 19 and there were some I thought were quitters so I put them in a pulp egg carton. The temperature had been running a little high. I went into the room where I had the homemade incubator and chicks were starting to hatch. Wow. I went out of the room and came back in a few minutes later and heard peeping and it wasn't coming from the incubator. Surprise, some of the eggs I put in the pulp carton had hatched. I thought they were quitters. Now if I suspect eggs are quitters, I mark them and put them back in. Here is another one I thought was a quitter. Good luck and have fun...
View attachment 2078992

Such a cute chick!

 

[DogAndCat36]

Day 19 (chicken incubation, 17 days)-I candled the eggs today, #1 became really dark, sadly I think #2 is a quitter but I'll give him a chance, and #3, the new sebright egg, I think is also ok. Tomorrow is lockdown day? I'm not quite sure what that is, don't I stop rotating #1 and #2, raise humidity, and also place them sideways, preferably the base part up? Can't wait!
Also like side thing, last night I had a fever dream about baby chicks, maybe I am being over obsessive about the chicks, do I need help?

 

[DogAndCat36]

UPDATE DAY 17- I think that I just heard a pep from #1 I'm sure of it!!! Or maybe I am just going insane? I'll keep an eye on the eggs just in case.

 

[oldhen2345]

Ooohhh - tension is rising. C'mon chicks. I think lockdown means you can stop turning them- that way they will posit themselves for optimal hatch.

 

[DogAndCat36]

Ooohhh - tension is rising. C'mon chicks. I think lockdown means you can stop turning them- that way they will posit themselves for optimal hatch.

I heard that if you are hatching egg with them aiming straight up, then you leave the big part of the egg in the open. I'm so excited!

 

[careeka22]

Following

 

[Rebel58]

Lockdown is very important to a good hatch. First... raise humidity to between 60 and 70%. I wet down clean household sponges and place close but not touching the eggs. This prevents shrink-wrapped chicks. Lay the eggs on their side with the widest part of the air sack at the top. Second, lockdown is exactly what it means. You do not open the incubator until hatching is complete. Humidity will go up a little with each hatched egg and that's ok. The hatched chicks can go without food or water for 24 hours so don't be in a hurry to pull them out too soon. Their chirping will encourage the others to keep pipping to get out. Best of luck to you!

 

[Ursuline Chick]

OH NO the thread ended for now, I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow. You are so brave and innovative, this just has to work. What a great way to hatch if you can't afford a bator or your hen decides to quit half way thru. I am very impressed and following.

 

[Kgbao]

OH NO the thread ended for now, I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow. You are so brave and innovative, this just has to work. What a great way to hatch if you can't afford a bator or your hen decides to quit half way thru. I am very impressed and following.

Ya just found this thread, was reading page 1 and 2 and got very interested so I skipped to the end to see what happened and we wait. Man that was an anti climax lol so we wait. Fingers crossed

 

[DogAndCat36]

Day 20 (chicken incubation, 18 days)- This is the first day of lockdown! Yay! Also thanks @Rebel58 for the advise, will do so. In case anyone is wondering, I relocated the sebright egg to another heat pad so that I can rotate it. Fingers crossed everyone! (Three more days!)