My first incubation experience!

[charcamchickens]

Hi...its kitchen roll...erm...that's what we call it. Like toilet roll but bigger for use in the kitchen to soak up spills. Maybe its called something else in other countries? I just put 2 squares of it on the areas the chicks use the most...keeps the brooder very clean...so far I'm changing it twice/day.

 

[charcamchickens]

Here are some more pics, on the last one you can just about see the first pip on the egg on the left...and a small beak poking out. I am using a brinsea mini eco.
The chicks have now been moved to a large carboard box with a brinsea ecoglow 20, with water and feed containers. These I placed on top of a layer of chopped straw and then some kitchen paper on top (under the ecoclow heater)...chicks are nice and snug. I put the heater on its middle section as the lower level looked like it would crush the chicks. They are happy with that, they're coming out and enjoying their box. The ducklings will be joining them in there soon.

 

[loveourbirds]

kitchen roll is paper towels in the U.S.

everything looks good with your hatches!

I have heard of people melting a crayon and covering cracks in eggs.

one last note, you shouldn't mark on eggs with markers. something about them can kill chicks.

 

[charcamchickens]

Paper towels means something else in UK...kitchen roll is white and on a roll...paper towels are green and usually come in a dispenser on the wall.
I used pencil to mark my eggs not marker pens...so no danger. Chicks are all doing well, starting to get tiny little feathers appearing on the ends of their wings. Can't wait for the ducklings, about 2/3 days to go.

 

[loveourbirds]

we call both paper towels. just to be on the safe side I found an image.



is this something like what your talking about?

 

[azer]

I use my phone use your flash light application.. I love it easy to candle and clear view of what's inside

 

[azer]

we call both paper towels. just to be on the safe side I found an image. is this something like what your talking about?

what kind of incubator are u using??? I want one , )quote name="charcamchickens" url="/t/770822/my-first-incubation-experience#post_11049358"] Here are some more pics, on the last one you can just about see the first pip on the egg on the left...and a small beak poking out. I am using a brinsea mini eco. The chicks have now been moved to a large carboard box with a brinsea ecoglow 20, with water and feed containers. These I placed on top of a layer of chopped straw and then some kitchen paper on top (under the ecoclow heater)...chicks are nice and snug. I put the heater on its middle section as the lower level looked like it would crush the chicks. They are happy with that, they're coming out and enjoying their box. The ducklings will be joining them in there soon. [/quote]

 

[charcamchickens]

Yes that's the kitchen roll I was talking about...or paper towels if you prefer.
Just had another chick hatch this morning...a little bantam...unbelievably cute! Held it in my hand and it was dosing off to sleep, out it back in the brooder...it wanted back in my hand.
The other chicks started pecking at it so I partitioned off the heater with some cardboard to gcse the new chick some peace...after an hour I tried again and they were fine...if anything it was the little bantam doing the pecking...very funny as it is half the size of the others.
The incubator I have is a Brinsea Eco mini...it's only for a small number of eggs...this is the first time I've used it and so far it's been really good. It always seems quite humid...droplets on the side. You can see what's going on easily. If I need to open it for any reason the temperature is really quick to respond...takes just seconds to get back to full heat. I wold have liked the more expensive advanced version with auto turner but It was quite a lot more money and I decided I could turn the eggs myself...which I've been doing 3 times per day. I have only had one egg not hatch so far. I have a theory in this one...the shape of the egg is a bit odd..it has 2 fat ends so I think the chick may have gone to the wrong end...just a theory. It looks fully developed when candled...now about 4 days overdue. I'm leaving it a few more days just in case...I've read on here that they can go quite a long way over due time in rare cases. Really looking forward to my duck eggs hatching...should be any day.

 

[charcamchickens]

The paper towels/kitchen roll keeps the chicks really clean and it takes seconds to refresh them. I put the paper under the heater as they spend most of the time under it...so most of the mess happens on the paper. I've also been refreshing the water twice/day as they poop in it! For a brooder we have a big cardboard box with chopped straw in the bottom. A Brinsea ecoglow 20 heater..with the kitchen roll under it. We have partitioned off one half of the box...once they don't need so much heat we'll open up the partition for them to have full use of the space. The cardboard box is about 120cm x 60cm.

 

[charcamchickens]

what kind of incubator are u using??? I want one , )quote name="charcamchickens" url="/t/770822/my-first-incubation-experience#post_11049358"] Here are some more pics, on the last one you can just about see the first pip on the egg on the left...and a small beak poking out. I am using a brinsea mini eco. The chicks have now been moved to a large carboard box with a brinsea ecoglow 20, with water and feed containers. These I placed on top of a layer of chopped straw and then some kitchen paper on top (under the ecoclow heater)...chicks are nice and snug. I put the heater on its middle section as the lower level looked like it would crush the chicks. They are happy with that, they're coming out and enjoying their box. The ducklings will be joining them in there soon.

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