March Hatch-Along Thread- Come Hatch With Us!!!!!

[PugBug]

if i keep them in the house with out changing there bedding for 4-5 days how bad wil it smell? how big of a food and water source will they need? my sister works all day so she wouldn't be able to put food and water in the brooder till she gets home. she works from 8-6, 7pm.

i have 6 right now, but i think i might end up with 10. i put 27 in the bator...but i don't think anymore will hatch. so realisticly how much will 10 chicks need for food and water?

holy molely what i am going to do?

A LOT! I have 7 chicks in one brooder, 9 in another and each group goes through almost 3 cups of feed per day, and 32 oz of water every 2 days. Plus if you have a brooder lamp I'd be scared to leave that plugged in unattended. I have brinsea ecoglows for heat in my brooders.

 

[PugBug]

I put horse pellets in yesterday and they are enjoying eating the dust from the pellets...have you had this problem? They scratch down to the bottom and peck/eat the sawdust.

I have not had that prob. with the pellets, but I did stop using them after a week. I lost 5 of my basque chicks in 3 days. They were squishing each other to death! I couldn't figure it out, DH is the one who pointed out to me how hard & stiff the pellets are so that when they all pile up the ones of the bottom were getting smashed to death. I loved that the pellets were so much cleaner and the poop smell was gone- but it also cost me the chicks. Since I changed back to shavings I have not lost any more chicks.

 

[PugBug]

Pug mine seem to be all coming a day or 2 late. dont know why but Brook told me hers are too......so spring?
I have no idea but everyone dont throw them out until day 25 at least!.

Mine always come late. Mine never pip till day 21-22, then don't hatch till 22-23

 

[PugBug]

Been so busy bators all over the house hatching and setting...anyway they are coming out one here andone there.
That one bator is a mess. had 3 hatches in there been locked since Thursday!!! EEEEUUUWWW
and now 3 are about done but still one here and one there popping out Odd i havent seen cracks just then chirp chirp there is a baby!

I have 10 new Los now and i dont know they move around but about 8 Black Orp Brahma mixed. One is so funny he has white eyebrows!!
I have hatched out about 12 of these and its the first one had any white but on chest and tips of wings.He looks funny .
My son gave me a new camera for my birthday As soon as i figured how to get my pics on my computer i will post some with it My old one was a 7 megapixel this is a 16!! No WONDER my pics were terrible!It was so ungodly old too.
Good luck to all you other hatchers out there

Can't wait to see pics of the eyebrow baby! Sounds too cute Rox!

 

[TheH Klan of 10]

I put horse pellets in yesterday and they are enjoying eating the dust from the pellets...have you had this problem? They scratch down to the bottom and peck/eat the sawdust.

I noticed they were scratching eating something but I think it's the feed the kids have dropped into the bedding cause they only dig on one side of the brooder that the kids feed them out of their hand I haven't really had any prob with it and my chicks very rarely get close to one another they just run everywhere

 

[Brookhavens]

For lockdown it does need to be higher- I run my humidity higher than most other's do for lockdown/hatch, about 65-70. It's what works best for me. The air cell will be a little down one side usually, and they should be good size...

x2

 

[Brookhavens]

Pug mine seem to be all coming a day or 2 late. dont know why but Brook told me hers are too......so spring?
I have no idea but everyone dont throw them out until day 25 at least!.

All my shipped eggs were hatching late-day 22-23 until this last batch of CCL's, they were 21. My own eggs have all been hatching on day 21.

 

[Brookhavens]

I have not had that prob. with the pellets, but I did stop using them after a week. I lost 5 of my basque chicks in 3 days. They were squishing each other to death! I couldn't figure it out, DH is the one who pointed out to me how hard & stiff the pellets are so that when they all pile up the ones of the bottom were getting smashed to death. I loved that the pellets were so much cleaner and the poop smell was gone- but it also cost me the chicks. Since I changed back to shavings I have not lost any more chicks.

Aww Pug I am so sorry to hear that. Was it under the eco glow's that they were getting smushed? I haven't had anything like that happen with mine but I use a heat lamp.

 

[Arkansas81]

Sorry y'all ive not been around since this morning. Trying to get packed to leave tomorrow, and getting the brooder ready, running back and forth getting 12 chicks throughout the day transferred from bator to brooder. Since we are keeping them had to go buy some chick stuff.

Since they hatched so late we don't have time to sell them so ive set up the brooder up in the tub for now. Ive got my sister watching them for us till we get back. Ive got a ten gallon feeder going in tomorrow, then on either side of the brooder opposite the heat lamp I'm going to install 2-64 once water bottles. I dnt want to do a auto drinker so they don't make a wet sloppy mess of the water and brooder. My sister will only have to mess with the water in the evening. I bribed my sister with a day at the spa for checking on the babies.

We have 12 maybe one more on the way. Man the incubator stinks!!!!!! Ive already took the opened eggs, sponge, paper towels out when I took the chicks out. Number 12 is still in the bator, I will take that one out in a little bit. I'm exhausted!!!!! I really ddnt think we were going to get this many out. I'm taking pictures tomorrow, then when we get to our destination I will post pictures.

Again thank u for all the encouragement and kind words!! Man what a day! Off to bed, chat again tomorrow night.

 

[redriver]

Alright. I almost have a final tally on my hatch.

40 went in at lockdown.
29 have successfully hatched
1 still in the bator with a pip
1 still in the bator without an external pip, but with an internal pip

1 pipped through a blood vessel and died
1 my husband thought needed help ended up dying
1 pipped internally and then died
6 died without pipping internally or externally

I think not bad for my first (chicken) hatch. Used to breed lovebirds and parakeets, but that was about 20 years ago, so I'm not sure it counts. 15 of the 40 were shipped eggs.