Incuview Incubator

[junebuggena]

I've never heard of the possibility of chicks eating shavings.... Is that a danger?

They will peck at and eat the shavings, but it very, very rarely causes problems. Generally, you don't want shavings in the brooder for the first few days. Newly hatched chicks don't know that shavings aren't food. Some chicks will eat them to the point of impacting their crop, very rare but can happen. I don't add shavings to the brooder until everybody is eating, drinking, and pooping normally. Then they get shavings to play in.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Yes I have heard it can kill them at such a yong age so I'm not taking any chances

 

[Storybook Farm]

Day 20 has dawned. I have chirping and 4 external pips, all but one in great positions, and one not-so-good is in the side of the egg (not on the air sack region but not all the way at the narrow end either). Since I have 22 eggs, we still have a ways to go, but its really encouraging so far!

 

[Storybook Farm]

They will peck at and eat the shavings, but it very, very rarely causes problems. Generally, you don't want shavings in the brooder for the first few days. Newly hatched chicks don't know that shavings aren't food. Some chicks will eat them to the point of impacting their crop, very rare but can happen. I don't add shavings to the brooder until everybody is eating, drinking, and pooping normally. Then they get shavings to play in.

We have an abundance of hay left over from this mild winter. I'm going to switch out the shavings that I have in there for are nice soft fluffy hay today.

 

[PD-Riverman]

We have an abundance of hay left over from this mild winter. I'm going to switch out the shavings that I have in there for are nice soft fluffy hay today.

I use the bigger pine shavings that tractor supply carries and I never have a problem with hundreds of chicks in many brooders from hatch. I would never use hay because the poop just lays on top of it---not mixed in---gets all over them----I had rather use sand than hay. Just my opinion!!

Edited to add---My preferred brooders have wire floors, but with only 6 of those I have to use the other non-wire floor ones which are always set-up with those shavings before the chicks are placed in them.

 

[aart]

Quote: Agrees.
I use sand/PDZ, great for cleaning poops up, but food and water are on a tote lid for the first week or two, so they don't eat too much sand. Video in this post.

 

[Finnie]

I just wanted to update about my Incuview lid. I wrote to the company and they wrote back that most likely the base was not trimmed to size properly, and that I should file it down until the lid fits.

So I filed a TON, especially where the blob of plastic was in the one corner. Now the lid goes down all the way around and it seems to be keeping the temperature perfectly.

But the built in hygrometer always reads "add water" even though my other two hygrometers read in the 50s and 60s. I'm doing a second test of those in a plastic bag with wet salt to make doubly sure they are right, and when that's done tonight, I will put them back in the Incuview and keep playing around with getting the humidity just right. Then I will write again to Incuview to keep them updated. They said they were glad I was keeping them informed.

Storybook, how exciting that your hatch is underway! It's fun to watch your progress since mine is so many steps behind that.

 

[Storybook Farm]

2 chicks are OUT!

6 others have pips that are looking good! I wasn't expecting any checks today. How fun! My grandson got to watch the second hatch via FaceTime via iPhone. He is three and he was really into it!

True confessions: I am itching to put my hand in there and take out the broken egg shells. So far, I have resisted temptation. These chicks are falling all over them. The edges look so sharp. Are they?

 

[aart]

2 chicks are OUT!

6 others have pips that are looking good! I wasn't expecting any checks today. How fun! My grandson got to watch the second hatch via FaceTime via iPhone. He is three and he was really into it!

Fantastic....great for GS!
Might want to start a new hatching thread.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Why would getting Silkies make any difference in how you are going to brood these chicks that are due to hatch?
Are you hoping that the Silkies adopt these chicks?

Know I just have been wanting silkies don't have them yet I was just wanting to get me about he same age as these ones so they can be raised together so that maybe they won't be so mean to the silkies