Just started my first chicks today at 6:45 need some help!

[bigtime400]

Ok so I started my eggs that I got in the mail today. The incubator has been a pretty solid 98-99.5 degrees with 51% humidity. I let the eggs sit out in the air for an hour or 2 and now they are in the incubator. Is there anything else I should be doing? Am I missing somthing?

The big sides are up and I know to rotate 3 times a day. Anything else? Sorry haveing a little panic here......... just dont want to screw it up. Is there a detailed article on hatching chicks anywhere??

 

[Lacrystol]

Sounds like you have everything under control, the only thing I would have done differently is probably left him out for at least 9 to 12 hours to sit, however I have gotten shipped eggs and put them in the incubator with less time then that and they are in the process of hatching right now. ha ha ha I can here one of them calling me now. But your good, I turn my only 2 times a day and have had great success but I have heard 3 times as well. There's not a whole lot you can do right now except play the waiting game. This is where the days become EXTREMELY long because you just want them out. So have a lot of patiences it gonna be a long 21 days. Don't forget about lock down day that is 3 days before the 21st. You jack up the humidity, I have mine up to about 65% 70% and don't open it... Happy Hatching..

 

[bigtime400]

one thing I should mention. The package was on my door stop with the big sign on the bottom that said. Eggs!! turn over on other side!!! with a bunch of arrows and stuff pointing the other way right on top...... I guess you dont have to be able to read to be a postal worker..... Not only that they left my door slightly opened so the wind caught the door and bent the rod on the closer.

Anyway would it be much of an issue if they were on the wrong side for a while? maybe 2 hours tops. ofcorse.... who knows how they handle it in transit.


ohh... and when do you candle? Should I look at them to make sure the air sack is still ok? None of the 18 eggs were broke.


one more thing. The temp was a solid 99 or so degrees. Thats ok right? It has since dipped down to 95 and I turned the light up a bit I imagine eggs are still cooling the air slightly.

one more thing I didnt think about..... I have some more eggs that are going to be here tomorrow.......one day diffrence in putting them in the incubator isnt going to make that much of a diffrence is it?

 

[Lacrystol]

I would candel them right now, yes, sometimes there are cracks that you can't see with your eyes but yet you can with candeling. Again, I would have waiting a little bit longer for setting than 2 hours but I think your still going to be alright. When candeling check for loose air cells, I have had 16 eggs shipped to me recently and 15 of them had loose air cells. I have never tried this but I have read that if you do have loose air cells, simple put the egg in an egg carton with the larger end up and let them sit in the incubator for about 2 to 3 days for the air cell to set. This did not work in my case because I didn't do this as soon as I got my eggs, 4 days had already gone by before I realized they all had the loose air cell.

Wrong side could cause three issues, 1. loose air cells
2. scrambled yolk..
or 3. cracked shell..

I agree I don't think you need to learn to read to work at the post office, ha ha ha. They treat all packages the same: I think they learned how to deliever packages from watch Pet Detective with Jim Carrie in it. I believe that's how they get trained..

Candle them now. In 4 days you will see the spider, that is if they are fertiled and everything is in tack...

99 degree's is good, my incubator flexuates it will go down to 94.8 then up to 101.8. You have to watch it because when it comes closer for those guys to come out it will change. Mine today, reach a high of 103.8 I just about freaked. Of course, I got it down and back to normal and like I said I have two that are cracked and talk there heads off at me. I also had my humidity go up as high as 80 percent. BAD.... you want to keep the temp below 102 if at all possible. 99 to 100 is idea but don't freak to much if it happens to reach 102 as long as it doesn't stay at that temp for long, you will be alright.

My light turns off at 99 when it is off it still raises but like I said it doesn't get any higher then 102 except for the one little problem of it reaching 103.8 but a little ajustments took care of that. My light turns on at 95.5, if that helps any....

for got to ask you do you have a still incubator or one with air flowing? If still then you need that temp up higher...

 

[bigtime400]

it has air. A pretty good fan I think. I actually posted yesterday with pictures of the incubator I just got done building. Asked for advice. I changed a few things since then. I wasnt sure if the eggs would show up today or tomorrow.

 

[Lacrystol]

good then sounds like you are in good shape, keep me posted, i just had one hatch out tonight.

 

[ThaJuicyJuice]

Searched high and low, read and read, here is the best article from Texas A&M.


http://gallus.tamu.edu/library/extpublications/b6092.pdf

 

[fatbassetvineyards]

This is a great site:
http://gallus.tamu.edu/library/extpublications/b6092.pdf

Thank you so much!

I learned so much. I am on my first hatch in an incubator. I am trying to candle in a classroom with excited middle schoolers. It was only day 6 and we made our own out of a box and a light bulb. Not the easiest with such a big hole. I think we will try next week with a focused light.

They keep very good records of the temperature and humidity (taken 3x a day).
Thanks for the information.

Thanks,

Denise

 

[Cynthia12]

bigtime..I got some eggs today too! I'm waiting until tomorrow morning to put them in the bator.

I have had the same problem with the P.O. setting my eggs...sideways...on my porch. So, I now call early in the morning to let them know I have eggs coming, and that I will come and pick them up. By the way..the eggs were fertile, and I got quite a few from them..didn't think I would!

Sounds good with temps..nice to have a fan. When I first started hatching, I can remember that I set mine in the bator early too, only once though.. but had a pretty good hatch. The eggs were pretty fertile..I wouldn't candle until the 5th day at the earliest since you are new at this, and maybe then, maybe not until the 6th or 7th. You will be able to see for sure by then if the egg is clear..if you see little black dots, that move slowly around, you know you have a baby!

I know, it's going to be hard to wait, but it's better than doing it and not knowing for sure. Trust me, when you see a live baby in there, you will know it, then you can easily compare with the others and not be thinking you need to throw some away.

Just wait...now that you have eggs..and I do..maybe we can start a thread on the date they are supposed to hatch. My husband goes into surgery tomorrow, but I am getting up early to set these in..so my date will be a day later than yours.
Now, I have to go to the hatching eggs area. I just had something happen that I have never had happen before...Day 19 for some eggs. Take them out of the bator they are in..to go to another that I put them in for lockdown...and what do I hear??? Cheep, cheep!
I could hear it clearly in two eggs! I just thought, hmmm, internally pipped..but then I looked..and saw a pip in one! Say what? Like I said, new experience..have to go ask some questions..after I repeat what I just wrote here. Maybe someone here has had that happen?

Good luck..talk later, let me know if you want to start a thread on the date they are due. Don't count this day you put them in. Count tomorrow as your first day. Go to day 19, write on calendar>>stop turning eggs...I write this, but it is actually my last day of truning, then, in two more days..day 21, I write...hatch day for this particular breed. Make sense?

 

[Cynthia12]

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