HOME STRETCH ***UPDATE EGSS ARE NOW STARTING TO PICK THEIR WAY FREE***

[Chicken Woman]

I add water by putting a little hole in the side of bator and putting some small aqaurium tubing thru it. After day 18 I don't open the bator. I add hot water by using a syringe and connecting it to the tubing which goes to the tray in the bator where I have
sponges that collect the water.
I add a syringe full of hot water every 12 hours or so depending on the readings on my hygrometer.

My last hatch I starting hearing peeps on day 20. This time I may not be able to hear them because I have a bator with 8 chicks in the same room and they can be noisey. If I sneek in and not disturb the chicks I might be able to hear the babies in the eggs.

Once the first chick hatches you don't usually need to worry about the HUM as the chick creates alot of moisture in the bator. That's why it's important not to open the bator to get out early hatchers or you will loose the HUM. They can be in the hatcher for 48 hours and be just fine. I found it took along time for them to get dry and fluff out anyway.

IM going to beat you HA HA HA HA !!!!!!

I'll have my eye on your progress. Have fun !

 

[98 gt]

hope they come out well...

 

[Mourningdove]

Well today is day 19 and I am still awaiting signs of peeps and have heard nothing so far, is this normal? In the meantime I have busied myself with setting up the brooder and all is ready for the little fuuzy butts!
Today Ideal ships out my 25 pullet chicks I am so excited, So when should I expect my new babies to get here?

 

[Chicken Woman]

Don't worry they will come when they are all ready ! Today is day 20 and I have 2 pips out of 7 eggs. IM leaving the house to go ru errands and grocery shop as if i don't leave it will drive me nuts !!!

 

[Mourningdove]

I know what you mean, the waiting is rough on the nerves! Keep me updated on your progress! Here's hoping

 

[Wynette]

My last hatch I didn't get a pip until the 4th hour of the 21st day. I heard NO peeping, saw NO rocking... I thought my chicks were doomed. Once they started, though, it was like popcorn!

OH - here's a hint that I learned on BYC: buy a plug in light dimmer for your heat lamp; then you do not have to keep moving the heat lamp up & down. It has a little button on it that you slide up& down (like a dimmer on a light switch). I got mine at Home Depot, and man, that sure made this last batch much easier!

Oh, and you don't need to feed grit until you start giving them treats, which you really shouldn't until they're at least a week old.

Also, you don't want to put them onto shavings for at least 3 days. I use paper towels (it needs to be something not slippery like newspaper). GOOD LUCK!

 

[Mourningdove]

Today at 8:00 marked 21 days for these eggs and so far right now I have no peeps, no pips, rocking or anything, I am begining to worry
about this batch of eggs I am scared that no mater how hard I tried to
do exactly what I was suppose to do that somehow thhey won't hatch, I am worried...

 

[Chicken Woman]

How did they candle ? Be patient they don't always hatch day 21.

 

[DouglasPeeps]

Hang in there! Don't open the bator! Maybe they will pip when you are NOT looking!

I am a couple of days behind you. I am on day 16 today. I can't wait to see how your hatch goes!

 

[Mourningdove]

I couldn't see that well in most of the eggs due to my eyesite being bad, I couldn't see through the EE eggs at all... but as for the light brown eggs they all looked somewhat ful like a big dark glob, so I left all 22 eggs I had left in the bator.