i need some advice

[good ole boy]

i have a few questions, today is day 21 for my eggs, currently i have 1 pip in action. my questions are i work nights. if my chicks all hatch off tonight will they be ok in the bator till i get home around 7am, i leave for work around 5 pm. and how long will it take for any to dry. my wife will be home till around 11:00pm. i really do not want to loose my newbies if all possible. any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks terry

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Quote:
I always leave our newly hatched chicks in the incubator for 24 hours. It can take several hours for them to dry off and fluff out, plus a few extra hours in the incubator lets them get steady on thier feet. They will be perfectly fine until tomorrow.

 

[good ole boy]

hey thank you very much it is a big relief knowing they will be ok till morning, i really appreciate it

 

[mississippifarmboy]

No problem, any of us are glad to help any time. Good luck!

 

[chickengrl]

Chicks can actually survive 3 days without food or water because they can live off the yolk they absorb right before hatching. i think in some ways they do better without someone hovering over them messing with the hatch. Way too tempting for some folks to "help" the chicks out of the shell when it seems to take too long. This can sometimes kill a chick if they aren't ready. Also, everytime you open the incubator you lose humidiity and can get chicks shrinkwrapped. So, at least for some folks, not being there may be better. Not that you would do these things. LOL

 

[luvinrunnin]

I'm so glad you asked this as I also work 12 hr night shifts, and drive 80 miles each way. so am gone for at least 16 hrs each night that I work. Thankfully I only work 3 nights per week (but sleep all the next day...)

 

[chickengrl]

Quote:
Yucky hours. My husband has been doing the exact same thing with the 1 1/2 hour commute on each end. They fired a guy, so he has been having to do 7 days stretches of this stuff. The overtime is good, but he is sure tired. It sure beats being out of work though, which was where he was for over a year. Your chicks should be fine.

 

[Glenmar]

Yep. I work even/ or nights. They are just fine.

 

[good ole boy]

Quote:
well i now have 2 pips

 

[Glenmar]

You will come home in the am to chicks.