Now what???
After my neighbor died, I took over caring for all of her chickens. I go down to her coop every day, at the same time, so I can be sure to grab up all of the eggs so nobody starts sitting. Well, a while back, and I marked the day, one mean little hen started sitting on what started out to be about 5 eggs, but turned into about twenty by the time I took them out (with my now bruised and pecked hands).
I got an incubator and turned the eggs as directed. I candled the eggs that I knew were some of the first, and marked them with stars.
Anyway, a few that I thought were new-comers, and never got around to cleaning them up or candling them, were never marked, but always turned.
Today, as I was on the phone, I kept hearing little peeps, but I looked and saw nothing until a while later, when one little chick was trying to hatch out. Now, I have a cute little black chick. I kept him in the incubator until he dried, while I looked around for something to keep him in which was safe to be used with my heat lamp. I'm so freaked out by the risk of fire, so I hate using a heat lamp. I have a tall iron bird cage in the living room, so I put some paper confetti in the bottom of my crock pot ( this shall not be his fate) and hung the heat lamp over him. I put the plastic lid of a container in with some chick starter, but I read that they don't eat or drink for 48 hours? So, am I doing everything right? What is a safe water dispenser for the little guy? Should I put hay in there instead or use a box so he doesn't slip? Remember, I'm afraid of that darn heat lamp.
After my neighbor died, I took over caring for all of her chickens. I go down to her coop every day, at the same time, so I can be sure to grab up all of the eggs so nobody starts sitting. Well, a while back, and I marked the day, one mean little hen started sitting on what started out to be about 5 eggs, but turned into about twenty by the time I took them out (with my now bruised and pecked hands).
I got an incubator and turned the eggs as directed. I candled the eggs that I knew were some of the first, and marked them with stars.
Anyway, a few that I thought were new-comers, and never got around to cleaning them up or candling them, were never marked, but always turned.
Today, as I was on the phone, I kept hearing little peeps, but I looked and saw nothing until a while later, when one little chick was trying to hatch out. Now, I have a cute little black chick. I kept him in the incubator until he dried, while I looked around for something to keep him in which was safe to be used with my heat lamp. I'm so freaked out by the risk of fire, so I hate using a heat lamp. I have a tall iron bird cage in the living room, so I put some paper confetti in the bottom of my crock pot ( this shall not be his fate) and hung the heat lamp over him. I put the plastic lid of a container in with some chick starter, but I read that they don't eat or drink for 48 hours? So, am I doing everything right? What is a safe water dispenser for the little guy? Should I put hay in there instead or use a box so he doesn't slip? Remember, I'm afraid of that darn heat lamp.
