my babies are pipping & i need some advice! - first hatch

[lamNervousNellie]

like i said i have some lil guys pipping, but i have a few questions and a concern (this is my first hatch & i'm STRESSING!!:

one of my chicks busted a tiny bit of his shell out at least 5 hours ago & hasn't made any progress since.. my concern is that i have shrink wrapped him because i opened the bator a few times to add water / wet paper towels because my humidity was getting low. (i have a little warrior who has been going at it for quite some time now, & i also have another egg with some starter cracks, the other eggs aren't showing much action but this is only day 20 for them.)

question one is: what is the best way to go about adding water to the bator without opening it? there are some vent holes at the top, should i drip water down inside those?

question 2: if it's probable that i have shrink wrapped my lil guy should i count him as a loss or go in & grab him to assist?

question 3: assuming i get a few that live (i only set 13 eggs) i have a tank set up for them with some lights.. is there a certain temp i should try to keep in the tank? (we've been checking the temp with a laser therm) we're planning on keeping them in the garage & it's a little cool out there (we live in NW indiana) so the lights will probably need to be on 24/7.. will that bother the chicks? we could potentially keep them in the house if necessary. i just need some wisdom & advice from the pros!

thanks in advance everyone.. i'm a nervous wreck!

 

[skillswife]

I plugged one of my vent holes with a paper towel chunk so it hangs down in the bater a bit, and then I am adding warm water to keep it moist. Seems to be working but I know others use droppers through the vent holes.

 

[Jake1297]

Hi, my first one just hatched. It piped around 11am and then not much until around 7 pm when he worked his way around and out. Took him almost an hour to do the zip. So yours may be just resting. For adding water through the little holes I have one of those giant needles for injecting marinate into meat. I use that for adding water.

 

[Missouri Chicken Chick]

As far as assisting with the partially hatched chick, I would say do that as a total last resort. As long as it is still moving and has made a hole through the shell, hopefully it will be okay. You can usually tell if the egg starts moving a LOT and you don't see any progress as far as the chick "zipping" around the egg.

The chicks need to be in a brooder space that can be kept at a minimum of 95 degrees for at least a week.

 

[lamNervousNellie]

thanks guys. i'm a little more at ease now since i saw my lil guy move again. my little warrior is still making progress & my other chick is attempting his 'zip' now as well.

as far as adding water through the vent holes, what would you do if you added too much water and your humidity got above a desirable range?

 

[lemongrass]

I have added humidity by putting a straw into the incubator and dripping watter down the straw. I had sponges at the bottom of the incubator to absorb the water. Also, I'd do the same to fill the depressions built into the incubator specifically for water.

I have had eggs not make progress after pipping for 24 hours, and then come out. Alternatively, toward the end of the 23rd day, once the hatching slowed down, I did have 2 guys pip and struggle for a while, and just not get anywhere. I noticed on these guys that the skin inside the shell (forgot what you call it) was very dry and was sticking to them. In these cases, I helped them out. I got warm water and dripped / rubbed it on the dried shell skin. Then I helped them hatch by slowly breaking away the shell and taking them out of it, always adding water if it was too dry. You have to be careful because you can kill them doing this. It must remain warm, moist, and you must go slow.

You could always just count them as a loss, but its your call. The two I helped have grown up fine. One of them came out with its head down and it couldn't lift it. After a day or two it was just fine though. It looked a little funny because its neck was really long, but now at almost 6 weeks he blends right in. Him and the two others that came out toward the end with him are just smaller than the others, but they are perfectly healthy.

If its EARLY in the incubation period, give them time to do their thing. I wouldn't step in just yet.

What kind of tank, like a fish tank? How big? Be careful with tanks because they can sort of work like greenhouses and over-heat... but in your garage might be okay. Just keep an eye on them, make sure it doesn't get too humid. It needs to stay dry.

At first (first 3-4 days) the lights should be on all the time anyway. A lot of people here use normal lights the whole brooding period. Personally, I prefer red reptile heat lamps because I can get them on a day/night cycle after that 3rd day and not have the bright light on them all the time.

The temperature should begin around 90-95 degrees and can decrease after that. How much you decrease is up to you. Some people do 5 degrees per week for 4-5 weeks or even more. Mine were just about fully feathered at 3 weeks and I went very slow with them. They didn't leave the brooder until 4.5 weeks. They were chilled at night and huddled very close together in their new enclosure (it was mid to high 30's at night), but not so chilled that they got sick. With all their feathers it might be a bit of a shock but they'll be okay. Currently I still only let them outside on nice sunny days, and inside at night because I don't have their chicken tractor built yet.

Your best judge of temperature is the chick's actions. Are they huddled under the light? Its too cold, lower the light or switch to a higher bulb. Trying to get away from the light, listless, beaks open? Too hot, raise the light or go to a lower bulb. If most are sleeping just outside the "rim" of the brooding lamp, then you have a good temperature, could possibly be even a tad cooler.

The garage is fine, if you're worried about it being too cold. As long as they have an area to go to that is warm, the rest of their enclosure can be quite cool... and in fact, should vary in temperature so they have a place to escape to. The food/water should be outside the heating element, but not too far. Make sure the chicks are drinking before you leave them alone. What I do is tap the water, which makes them notice it. I will also dip my finger in the water and dip the droplet onto their beak. They usually get the idea before long. And, if one chick notices the water and drinks, most of them will catch on.

How I do it is to give water first. Make sure they all drink. After between several - 24 hours, I'll start giving grit and scratch. After another several - 24 hours (so a maximum for 48 hours after hatch) I begin giving the chick starter/grower. I feed unmedicated Dumor.

The first water can be a sugar/water mix. I do 1/2 cup white sugar per quart water. Don't make a whole quart for only a few chicks, they won't drink it fast enough before you have to change it. In fact, for chicks you hatch at home it may not be necessary, since thats mostly just for chicks that are mail-ordered. But I do it anyway..

Oh, and congrats! This is a very exciting time

Edit to add: If humidity gets too high you can lift a corner quickly to let some out, or open both vent holes if they aren't already open.

 

[Jake1297]

Nervous Nellie. If your humidity is really too high. The fastest way I found to lower it is lift the top and put it back down quickly. I have found the humidity lowers fast and heat loss is at a min if any. Of course only had to do it once and today 4 out of 6 have hatched and I'm waiting on the other two.

 

[dolly85]

I've had several chicks take nearly 24 hours to get out of the egg from pipping! Sometimes they just need extra time. Aim for about 90 degrees F on one side of your tank and 80 degrees F on the other. Your chicks need to be able to cool off if they get too warm, and I've found they do better with slightly cooler temps then warmer.