Jan./Feb. 2014 hatch a long

[rayray983]

Got out of bed to cover my birds they were being crazy loud and I see this

 

[Heidisgran]

Thank you all for your support. It is very sad, hardest part was unplugging the incubator. For so long now every time I walked through the room I checked it, I keep getting the instinct to go check it but it's empty. We didn't think this would work from the get go, so I felt prepared for a loss, but it was a lot harder then I thought it would be. Looking forward to spending some time with my big healthy girls in the coop tomorrow, so grateful to have them.

Wasnt absorbing its yolk.....it wasnt you!
I know how hard it is most of us us have been through many highs and lows

 

[otis7]

Thank you all for your support. It's been so sad today not checking on them. I hope they're up there in chicken heaven following their dad around and driving him crazy! I think we will most likely adopt a rooster, and hold off on another attempt. Our homemade incubator wasn't cutting it and involved way too much checking/maintenance. I have been considering getting a turkey as a pet, so maybe we'll try with turkey eggs? Is it much different? Then I wouldn't have to be so worried about gender...oh I don't know. This is a wonderful community and I'm so happy for all your great advice! Sorry to be the debby downer in the hatch a long thread, but I guess that's all part of it.

 

[Aacre]

Hey we should hatch close to the same time I have 24 barn yard mixes and that are at the 8 day mark and will be at day 7 with my rhodebars on tuesday. All my barn yards are growing well and some of my rhodebars are looking good.

Oh! This will be fun! I believe mine are due on the 3rd of February and a few that are due a couple days later since I couldn't resist putting a couple more in after I started. Mine are all mixes too!

 

[dfreas]

With hatch day coming up next week I'm starting to make room for what will hopefully be a bunch of new chicks. I recently purchased a 110 gallon rubber tank that I have set up on my back deck:



At what point can I move them into this? We don't have very cold nights where I'm at - it drops down to the 30s most winter nights, and the place where I have it set up is completely sheltered from the wind with walls on three sides. 250 watt heat lamp is on the top - right now it is clamped to the side but by the time the chicks have arrived I will probably have made a wire top for the tank and have the lamp sitting on that pointing straight down.

I'd like to get the baby chicks out of the house as quickly as possible, but I also don't want to risk losing them.

Opinions?

 

[AmericanMom]

Thank you all for your support. It's been so sad today not checking on them. I hope they're up there in chicken heaven following their dad around and driving him crazy! I think we will most likely adopt a rooster, and hold off on another attempt. Our homemade incubator wasn't cutting it and involved way too much checking/maintenance. I have been considering getting a turkey as a pet, so maybe we'll try with turkey eggs? Is it much different? Then I wouldn't have to be so worried about gender...oh I don't know. This is a wonderful community and I'm so happy for all your great advice! Sorry to be the debby downer in the hatch a long thread, but I guess that's all part of it.

I cannot say with any authority but I have heard that hatching Turkeys is a bit harder than chicken ...But I have yet to attempt it (this spring will be my first try)
This is a wonderful community and I have learned so much here. Just remember, don't give up, I don't think any of us haven't had our ups and downs through the incubation process, I have lost eggs because I myself thought they weren't viable, took them out of the incubator and opened them up to see what was wrong only to see that little baby die right in front of me... Its all a learning experience dear and the best advice I can give is to NOT give up!

 

[DeannaA]

Thank you all for your support. It's been so sad today not checking on them. I hope they're up there in chicken heaven following their dad around and driving him crazy! I think we will most likely adopt a rooster, and hold off on another attempt. Our homemade incubator wasn't cutting it and involved way too much checking/maintenance. I have been considering getting a turkey as a pet, so maybe we'll try with turkey eggs? Is it much different? Then I wouldn't have to be so worried about gender...oh I don't know. This is a wonderful community and I'm so happy for all your great advice! Sorry to be the debby downer in the hatch a long thread, but I guess that's all part of it.

WIsh you lived closer. I have some great roosters. I'd give you one. Turkeys are great. I love my MAx. I would try to hatch more than one or else your the mom. Now more showers alone. You will have to eat over the sink to get a bite of your dinner before it's drooled on. It's great but lots of work. Turkey eggs take a little longer but not too different. Ijust googled temps and humidity. There are lots of charts out there. I have several homemade incubators. If you add a temp control, there isn't much checking. Still turning, or tilting as I do. We all have the bad times after a sad hatch. This is about the only place to go. No one else understands how really sad it can be. I have been so sick to my stomach after hatching a weak one and nursing for a week to have it still die. It's hard. But then you have one that snuggles and wants you to carry it everywhereand you almost forget the sad ones. It gets a tad easier with time. I can send you pictures of what I've made and parts I've used on my incubator if you're interested. But for now I'm off to buy new waterpipes. My chickens are drinking bottled water.

 

[Cynthia12]

With hatch day coming up next week I'm starting to make room for what will hopefully be a bunch of new chicks. I recently purchased a 110 gallon rubber tank that I have set up on my back deck:



At what point can I move them into this? We don't have very cold nights where I'm at - it drops down to the 30s most winter nights, and the place where I have it set up is completely sheltered from the wind with walls on three sides. 250 watt heat lamp is on the top - right now it is clamped to the side but by the time the chicks have arrived I will probably have made a wire top for the tank and have the lamp sitting on that pointing straight down.

I'd like to get the baby chicks out of the house as quickly as possible, but I also don't want to risk losing them.

Opinions?

Down into the 30's is still pretty cold for the babies. If that is a red heat lamp, then a couple of weeks should be good. Make sure you have something like a wire top to cover it, I see they could have visitors.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I put my 2/3 week old chicks in my coop with heat lamp and cover and mama hen, and ravens came because they hear babies. the babies stayed safe.

 

[chickydee64]

I have three hygrometers in. All calibrated with in a few degrees and had read the same
sitting on the counter before I calibrated. This morning reading reading 10, 25 and 40...
Moved them around and still came up with funky readings....................
I am going to try to get into town to purchase a scale that will read grams and hope this will help
with this hatch.............
I am sure this has been my problem hatching the past few times.............
Maybe I should buy one of he probe hygrometers?????????