HELP! One of our eggs we were incubating has hatched, but we don't know what to do!

[ChickenLady2015]

Ok so about an hour to 2 hours ago, one of our eggs hatched and my dad removed the chick from the incubator immediately after hatching. When we got home, the baby was really cold, so we put it back into the bator. It's one of those cheap ones from the feed stores that are made of styrofoam and it's a still air incubator, should we take it out and put it into a plastic tub with a 250 W red heat lamp? It seems to be moving around really good but it's not dry yet. What do we do???

 

[Talithahorse]

I would leave it in the incubator until it dries out. Babies can go the first 24 hours without food/ water Do you have others that are getting ready to hatch? Once it has a chance to dry out, then you can move it to your brooder box with the lamp. How big is your brooder box and where is it located. Depending on the size, and location 250 might be too hot. Do you have a thermometer that you can use to determine the temp. in the brooder box? The baby should have enough room to move in and out of the light to regulate its temperature. Congratulations on hatching the baby out.

 

[nchls school]

Ok so about an hour to 2 hours ago, one of our eggs hatched and my dad removed the chick from the incubator immediately after hatching. When we got home, the baby was really cold, so we put it back into the bator. It's one of those cheap ones from the feed stores that are made of styrofoam and it's a still air incubator, should we take it out and put it into a plastic tub with a 250 W red heat lamp? It seems to be moving around really good but it's not dry yet. What do we do???

Leave the chick in he incubator until morning or a bit longer. Maybe more chicks will hatch. Chicks do not need to eat or drink for 24-36 hours. An incubator should not be opened while eggs are hatching as it changes the temperature and humidity at a crucial time. Good luck.

 

[ChickenLady2015]

The bator we have has holes in it in the bottom big enough for his beak to fit through. There's water in the bottom, should we drain the water out of them? We have eggs from different times in there. Some aren't ready yet, but others are.

 

[ChickenLady2015]

There are 3 still inside the incubator that should be hatching anytime. The brooder box is a large plastic tub that you can buy for storage, and it will be in our laundry room since there are no windows, doors, or air vents that a draft can get through. I have a 100 W bulb I could also use, and I have a digital thermometer though I don't know how effective it will be at giving accurate temp measurements considering it's in a small room with an open plastic tub.

 

[rt farms]

The humidity is critical, do not drain the water, does it not have the wire to protect the chick from water? The red bulb is what I use on the baby's that hatch here, and I just set it up so that one end is heated and the other is not they find a comfortable place. If u are worried about chick then remove it the opening of the bator for just a split second should be ok, and has been in my experience.

 

[ChickenLady2015]

It has like a plastic grate with holes in it. I'm not sure how much water is in it, because my mom set it up. Seeing as it's a really cheaper incubator, there is no hole for a light to go in, it's digitally temperature controlled. The chick seems to be doing fine, slowly drying off and moving around pretty good for being only a few hours old. I think we'll move it into the brooder after it's dry since I had to lower the temperature a little bit. It was a tad too high for freshly hatched babies.

 

[junebuggena]

Newly hatched chicks need about the same temp as incubating eggs.

 

[donrae]

I use a cheapie Little Giant Styrofoam incubator for a hatcher. I leave the chicks in there for at least 24 hours before I put them in the brooder. The wire screen or plastic screen on the bottom is fine for them. They're not going to get their beaks stuck, or mine never have. I do lay a paper towel down in the middle, don't know if that makes a difference. I find leaving them in there that 24 hours lets them dry off all the way and find their legs. When a hen hatches chicks, they stay under her for the first day or so as a rule, so I try to copy that. After 24 hours (or longer if I have active hatchers and don't want to open the hatcher) I move them to the brooder. They're actually fine to go 72 hours after hatching before they need to eat or drink, as they absorb that entire yolk just before they hatch.

You should do a search for the momma heating pad brooder, or a heating pad cave. Much better for brooding than a heat lamp, IMO.