My first egg ever incubated egg hatched August 8th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[highschoolhatcher]

Well since I'm new here and all I guess I'll introduce myself my names Dino and I'm a sophomore in high school. Well, I have always had an interest in animals and birds since was a little boy and my grandpa and grandma from both sides of the family owned farms and so I thought might as well give a crack at it (no pun intended) and started incubate 10 eggs in a homemade incubator and I had the humidity and temperature correct and just an FYI I got the eggs from a friend who owns a farm and incubates many types of eggs and asked for the basics. five survived

and on the 21st day of incubation I noticed a crack in one of the eggs

about 25 mins later.
It hatched

so after a day in the incubator. I noticed it was jumping on the other eggs so I made a brooding place well I'm pretty sure thats what its
called. after checking out the temperature and grinding up chick feed with oatmeal and adding yeast to the water I put little Junior in the brooding and he's been jumping around eating and drinking and he's full of energy.

But now I'm worried I've used cedar wood as insulation and people say I shouldn't being using it and it might kill it and I don't want little Junior to die

and so far he's been doing fine doing its little chick thing. any pointers to keep Junior alive because I feel like a father and it would break my heart if he died because of me and as for the other eggs I think there late hatcher since Junior hatched two days ago w/o my help and in just 25 minutes

and sorry about everything is so jumbled up I kind of rushed this.

 

[Cherlyn]

Are these cedar wood chips or shavings, or something like blocks of wood? The wood chips or shavings would not be good for Junior because he could ingest them. Blocks of wood would be fine, I imagine - not much chance of him ingesting a block of wood!

Congrats! Any photos?

~Cherlyn

 

[highschoolhatcher]

A few of him hatching and a few of him just jumping on my hand. I'll get a good one soon since I'm spending the night at my friends but once I read cedar chips could kill him I called my dad at 3 in the morning and told him to get his butt downstairs as fast as he can and change that bedding to newspapers for now. When I get back later on I'll change it to something less slippery. any suggestions? oh and thanks! Oh! and more good news I got two beautiful hens yesterday

I'm pretty sure they're Araucanas so hopefully I'll get my own eggs!

 

[highschoolhatcher]

Update: Junior is supposed to be an Ameraucana well thats what Mr. Burnette said... lets hope.

 

[Cherlyn]

Pine shavings work well, as do puppy training pads. Congrats on the new hens! Beautiful breed.

~Cherlyn

 

[highschoolhatcher]

Thanks again! Ones silver and the other brown three bucks each too! And they look perfectly healthy. Hope to get pictures up later today. and Junior is doing fine as of now doesn't like my dad though or anyone else but me

 

[newchickmom09]

Don't keep them on newspaper, put down paper towels. They work and are a very easy clean up. If you don't have any then put down some wash rags. I had pine bedding down with paper towels over it. It made it very easy and that way I could tell if everyone was pooping and no one ate any bedding. Once they start eating the bedding or anything other than chick starter you need to give them chick grit.

Congrats!

 

[highschoolhatcher]

Okay I'll try that then. Thanks!