Murmur
In the Brooder
- Apr 20, 2018
- 14
- 27
- 44
I'm sorry this is a long first post but I
thought this might give hope to anyone who has an incubator disaster mid time.
My little incubator started fluctuating temperature in the night at day 8. Having thought the problem was solved in the morning of day 9 I went to work . I got a panicked call from my husband at about 9.30 am. ....the incubator was completely dead! No power at all!
As we had no back up the only thing I could think of was that he put the eggs in our henhouse and hope our often broody silkie would feel the still warm eggs and decide to sit on them. Needless to say this was a no go.
It all looked a bit bleak.
I got home from work at about 5 pm and checked over the dead incubator . I checked and changed the cable and the incubator came back on!!!!
We rushed out and grabbed the now stone cold eggs and put then in the cold but warming incubator.
I had zero expectations. The incubator got to temperature and ran smoothly for the remaining days. I left it alone...to be honest I didn’t even check it very often. Didn’t candle the eggs - I hadn't the the heart to. I locked down as normal on day 19 just in case...
I didn't hover over the eggs as I would. I just couldn't allow myself to really hope.
Late on day 21 there was a pipped shell.
By the morning of day 22 I had 4 super lively chicks in that incubator!
We lost one houden chick sadly but I now have 2 silkie and 1 houden chick at 17 days old charging around the brooder like hooligans.
Those eggs had been stone cold. The weather here at the time was freezing. They would have been cold for 7 hours at least.
My little miracles are terrific and proof of the resilience of nature. I'm so glad I didn't give up on them.
thought this might give hope to anyone who has an incubator disaster mid time.
My little incubator started fluctuating temperature in the night at day 8. Having thought the problem was solved in the morning of day 9 I went to work . I got a panicked call from my husband at about 9.30 am. ....the incubator was completely dead! No power at all!
As we had no back up the only thing I could think of was that he put the eggs in our henhouse and hope our often broody silkie would feel the still warm eggs and decide to sit on them. Needless to say this was a no go.
It all looked a bit bleak.
I got home from work at about 5 pm and checked over the dead incubator . I checked and changed the cable and the incubator came back on!!!!
We rushed out and grabbed the now stone cold eggs and put then in the cold but warming incubator.
I had zero expectations. The incubator got to temperature and ran smoothly for the remaining days. I left it alone...to be honest I didn’t even check it very often. Didn’t candle the eggs - I hadn't the the heart to. I locked down as normal on day 19 just in case...
I didn't hover over the eggs as I would. I just couldn't allow myself to really hope.
Late on day 21 there was a pipped shell.
By the morning of day 22 I had 4 super lively chicks in that incubator!
We lost one houden chick sadly but I now have 2 silkie and 1 houden chick at 17 days old charging around the brooder like hooligans.
Those eggs had been stone cold. The weather here at the time was freezing. They would have been cold for 7 hours at least.
My little miracles are terrific and proof of the resilience of nature. I'm so glad I didn't give up on them.