Hatching for the first time!

[hholzschu]

My husband and I decided to try hatching eggs for the first time. We put them in lock down the other day and I'm getting frustrated waiting for them to hatch. We aren't sure we did every thing right but when we put them all in and candled them they looked like they had developed correctly. I got the brooder all set up and will just have to plug in the light. Any suggestions on what I can expect or should do before they hatch?

 

[ducksarecool12]

I felt the same way, maybe I didn't do something quite right? But this morning was my first real sign of life. One of them peeped! I'm so excited! It's day 19 or 20 for me.. What was your temperature and humidity during incubation? Oh and don't get frustrated! Hatching is a fun experience. You are going to have good hatches and bad hatches, you can only learn from previous ones! Keep us posted on what happens and definitely pictures!!
Good luck and happy hatching!

 

[hholzschu]

Our temp has been kept at 99-100 and our humidity we just bumped up to 55-60% for the lock down. We candled all the eggs prior to placing them in lock down and from what we could tell they all looked good. We have 5 polish hen eggs and and two unknown. My husband read that you could sometimes hatch eggs from your local health food store so we bought a dozen and put them in. Out of the 12 eggs two were growing well so we will be surpised by what hatches. The polish eggs were mailed to us from a ebay auction we won. Out of the 8 eggs that arrived all in good shape 5 eggs were fertile. We bought a commercial incubator with a turner. Hope to hear peeping soon. My three girls from the local feed store are getting big. I have two black sex link in the barn that do well.

We also just bought a 8x12 shed that we are going to put up for the girls. I can't wait for the snow to melt and fix up the coop. We currently have a small chicken tractor that I will be keeping for problem hens.

 

[ducksarecool12]

That all sounds really good to me! I wonder how much peeping you should hear? Mine only peeped for a second and haven't heard it again?!

 

[hholzschu]

Two of my chicks hatched! Hope yours are hatching as well

 

[ducksarecool12]

Good! I got 5 silkies and 3 showgirls!

 

[hholzschu]

Awesome...when did you move yours to a brooder? I have to work tomorrow so I don't want to move them too soon when I can't watch them.

 

[ducksarecool12]

Mine are in the brooder now! They hatched this morning and the evening. I moved all but a super wet one and an egg. They dry quicker in the brooder as long as there yoke is absorbed they should be fine. I had to assist one of my chicks hatch because it wasn't making ANY progress and I looked at it as, it's going to die if I don't help~ it has a chance if it does hatch. Well lucky for me I just took the air cell shell covering off and a few hours later, it hatched itself! I left it and one chick in the incubator for just a few hours and just now put them in the brooder. They were still wet so in the brooder they went!

 

[hholzschu]

I ended up with four polish hens hatching well. A fifth attempted to hatch and wash just too weak..glad it worked out well