Help!!! Chickie has no room in the bator! **Update: Pics!**

[griffin45]

When we take one out we always put it in a pre-warmed "nursery" brooder with a hot water bottle that is at 100 degress F. and covered with a towel directly under a 40 watt light, so that the chick stays at incubator temps. It has worked great when we are overcrowded.

 

[Red]

We had thirteen eggs in the 'bator last time, and one chick hatched early (he never could wait for anything

) and he was kicking all the other eggs all over the place, and yet we had our highest hatch rate yet. It even beat the ones from under our broodies

 

[HippiAiti]

The chick is doing much better this morning. She's dry and fluffy and stumbling around the brooder. We have the brooder all warmed up and in the warmest room of the house with the heater up higher than we'd normally have it.

But let me tell you, I'm really glad we took her out.

Last night the second egg hatched. I'd already been up every hour checking on the first chick, so when I was woken up by intense squawking from the incubator, I had absolutely no energy left to check on it. By the time I was actually awake, chick #2 was dead. What we think happened is that she flailed around so much that the cheap bator got knocked around too much and opened. The squawking attracted my chicken guard cat (I kid you not) and he tried to bring me the baby. She was found on the carpet halfway between me and the incubator. The cat looks upset and keeps staring at the blood spots on the carpet and back at me. All night till this point he'd been guarding the brooder box with the new chick rather than the playpen with the month old chicks he'd been guarding before.

Egg #3 got knocked around and was found in the water dish in the bottom of the incubator. I put everything back together as fast as I could and am trying to warm the incubator back up. But lonely in there, the egg needed stuff to prop it in the right position. I don't know if I should give up on #3 or not.

Now, before you write me off as a nutcase because of the cat... We have two cats, brothers, and one just doesn't seem "cat-like" while the other does. This un-cat-like cat is my baby and is always out to please me. The first thing I did when the older chicks got here is make sure he knew they were MY chicks, not toys and not lunch. After that he has guarded them every single night. He sleeps right next to their brooder. Now, when his brother comes near the chicks, he growls. We've watched him chase his brother away from the chicks several times. When the chicks are out running around, he sits patiently watching them and only moves if he thinks they've gone where I don't want them to be. He also watched me take care of the new chick all night. So my guess is that when he first heard the 2nd hatchling chirping last night, he might've tried to wake me up but went to take care of things when I wouldn't get up. Perhaps he thought he could bring me the chick like a mama cat would move a kitten. I know I may be wrong, but... yeah...

 

[HippiAiti]

And another thing, I'm never using a cheap plastic incubator ever again.

 

[lnm03]

My cat is the same way!!! We have not had chicks very long only about a week and when anyone or thing but me gets near the cage she hisses and growls at them. It is just too funny!! My DH called me because the cat attacked his feet for trying to open the cage

It is too funny! We get a couple out every day and let the kids "play" with them...they just watch them run around the little area I set up for them too cute! The cat lays on the floor next to them and watches and stays with them until they are put away safely!!!

 

[HippiAiti]

Here's how she looks this morning:

(I picked her up to check her out and she got very upset with me)

(Once I put her back down she seemed to be walking better)

I showed her the water and then she started pecking around for food.

 

[cjeanean]

Don't forget to get her a mirror and a stuffed toy to snuggle with! That's sad that she won't have any buddies....

but at least she did okay! Good luck on any future hatches!!!

 

[citychickers]

I totally believe you about your cat. Mine has been sitting guard ever since we put our lone chick in the brooder.

I think your cat was doing the motherly thing. Sorry about your loss of the chick though. I was looking at one of those mini-bators as a possibility. Now that I've heard your story I won't consider it. Thanks!

 

[HippiAiti]

Yeah, I don't suggest them. In the spring I'm going to take the time to make one myself. It seems to be my favorite option.

 

[Akane]

If your serious about hatching eggs the chick bator is not the way to go. If you just happen to be given a few eggs or have some free eggs that you aren't too concerned if they hatch or not then the really cheap chick bators might be fine. More hatches fail from these things than survive though. If you really want live chicks in the end you need at minimum a cheap styrofoam bator which will run you about $40. I've already spent far more than that on the eggs I've hatched from it though.