I'll be out of power due to a tropical storm... what to do w/ brooder and incubator?

[Happy Camper]

We'll probably be out of power today due to tropical storm Isaac. I have two eggs in an incubator that are in their last 3 days and three chicks that are 4 days old in a brooder.

I think I can keep the chicks pretty warm for a while but I am most concerned about the eggs... I'd really like to have them hatch...

Any ideas?

 

[20736]

When the power goes out, cover the incubator with as many towels as you can. The idea is to keep in the heat and humidity as long as possible.
Without a generator, it will be hard to save eggs. Anything more than a 2-3 degree prolonged drop in temp will endanger hatch.
Late in the hatch, the eggs do generate a little heat, so that will help a little. After power goes DO NOT OPEN incubator.
I hope you make out OK, electricity loss is a bad thing when incubating.
Do you have any hens? Maybe you can put a hen in a small box where she would have to sit on the eggs to sit down. Just a last ditch thing though.
GOOD LUCK.

 

[Happy Camper]

I have a bad mommy hen... she was actually sitting on THESE and pecked on her eggs killing 2 of the chicks... so I had to remove the chicks that hatched and other two eggs that were put there later (I won't blame her for those, that was my fault allowing another hen to lay in her nest accidentally during the process )...

Anyways... my hens come from a breed that do not make good mommies. I have a great neighbor who has a generator and usually lets us connect our fridge to his power source. I'll probably also connect the incubator if he offers the option to connect to his generator this time around.

Although improbable I am hoping we just don't loose power... Thanks anyways.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Do you have any friends - or is there any place, such as a school - with a generator? If you could find someone with a generator, maybe they could take them for a few days in the event you lose power.

 

[fishnet1971]

Can you get to a hunting or outdoor type of store? They sell those little heat packs for boots and hands? Your pharmacy has those heat wraps for muscle injuries as well. they last 8 hours but one will not get you up to the hot level you need I dont think. Putting a few over top of each other might help and bring it (temp) up enough. It would probably be a little costly.

They sell little propane bottles as well that you could provide you heat, but you would have to be constantly by its side to monitor.

I keep a grill size propane bottle with a space type heater attached to it for radiant heat in my garage in the winter and it really pumps out the heat and safely too.

 

[Happy Camper]

Thanks everybody for your great ideas... Thankfully we were very blessed and power was not affected this time, but I have to make extra adjustments since this could happen to me now (my farm is new to me) anytime between July and November...

We are right where most storms go by on their way up from Africa...

Anyone incubating in FL, watch out!!! Isaac is going your way

 

[Habibs Hens]

just a sugestion for future

how about invest in a 12V incubator

like the brinsea ones so when power goes out you can power it with a car battery

 

[fishnet1971]