I think I made a mistake? need help badly before they hatch!?

[nataliab]

ok - im going to suggest reading slowly as i may confuse you!

so ive been researching incubating chicken eggs and i decided to give it a try seeing as i lost half my flock this year form all types of reasons. I have a small 7 egg incubator and i have four eggs in it at the moment. The thing is, I did date them, and i have been turning and all are growing nicely. but they are different dates, put it at different times.

I fear i may lose even two out of four for my mistake. I have two put in on the fourth of august, one of the 5th of august and one o the 6th of august, newly layed and taken straigh to the incubator each time. but after looking at the humitiy and moisture needs of each hatch there is a possibility something bad is going to happen.

If i need to turn up the temp for the 4th of august egg, something will happen to the others because they wont be ready, am i correct? or can i fix this?

because if you arent meant to open the incubator while hatching etc, what happens to the august 4th chick ready to come out but i have august 5th pipping? can someone help me im confused and may have ruined everything and confused all of you!

 

[IrishAcreFarm]

I think you will be ok with the first three eggs, the last one I would be a little worried. I have had healthy hatches with them spread out by a day. When the first two eggs hatch, try not to remove them right away. They will fumble around and encourage the other two to hatch quicker. I would not remove the first two chicks until at least the third one is born. You may be surprised, I have chicks whose eggs i put in a day late, hatch before an egg who was started earlier. There is still hope also, I actually reduce the temp a little at hatching, not increase it.

 

[The Chickeneer]

I have had hatches spread over a 3 day period, so it will be ok. Wait until the first three hatch, and are completely fluffy and dry before you open the incubator to take them out. Opening the lid at this time would not affect the humidity for the last egg to much, because the humidity during hatch goes up by itself naturally weather you ad water or not.

next time I suggest you put the egg in all at the same time so you don't run into this issue....eggs can be stores for up to 14 days, so you don't have to incubate them right away. Hope your hatch goes well, good luck

 

[Sphinx]

I've never deviated my temperature when hatching eggs. In my forced air incubator, I always keep it at 99.6 the entire time. If it's still air, I keep it around 101.

I do bump the humidity up the last couple days, but never the temperature.

In the future, I'd suggest you collect eggs for a few days, then set them all at once.

 

[nataliab]

Also I do have a mother hen who has (riughly 21 weeks ago) had a group of eggs she hatched. Do you think it's possible if I bring her inside as give her feed and water put the fluffy hatched chicks under her to mother? And of course maybe set up a brooder in case ? What do you think ?

 

[miss silky]

I'd say try it! Let us know

 

[angel8035]

Don't give the chicks to a hen unless she is currently "broody" on a nest trying to hatch eggs. She won't think they're her chicks and she could kill them. If she's been sitting on eggs for a few days trying to hatch them, you can try sneaking the chicks under her at night and removing the eggs. Otherwise, you need to put them in a brooder so they'll be safe.

 

[nataliab]

One of my younger hens who hasn't started laying sits on eggs and clucks to we self for periods of 20 minutes at a time before hopping off for scratching and such. Am I to assume she is just behaving like a hen or is this positive? Is she too young?

 

[angel8035]

She is just getting ready to lay her first egg. She may do that for a few days before it actually happens. It's not the same as being ready to raise chicks.

 

[Sphinx]

Yep, a hen that will actually raise chicks and be a mother to them will sit in the nesting box for days at a time, only getting up a couple times a day to eat or drink. they are there CONSTANTLY.

I'd plan on setting up a brooder for them and raising them yourself.