My hatch has started

[Poulet des Bois]

Went to start lockdown last night & already had pips! 1 Olive Egger (silver) hatcher this afternoon, another OE (blk&wht) just now.
Have about 14 pipped so far out of 26 eggs.
The 1st one is already thirsty; should I put it in the brooder?
Thanks.

 

[Tyaloria]

I'm not an expert as I'm on my first hatch, but from what I have read in books and on here, once they are fluffed up and seem stable (and I think they have to stay in the hatcher for 24 hours?) then I personally would put baby in the brooder.
I would wait for more replies though.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The humidity rises a lot when hatching so I take the chicks out as they are near dry to help in letting out some of that excess moisture. You can leave them in for a few days without food and water until all hatch or be very quick and grab them once they have rested and are starting to get active. Either way works I prefer to grab when ready as high humidity during hatch causes problems.

The yolk they absorb prior to hatching give the nutrients for 3 days. It's how day old chicks can be shipped in the mail.


BTW, if your that early in the hatch then your incubating temp was a tad high or they are bantam eggs. You should note that on thermometer so you incubate a degree lower next time.

I've one chick out this morning too and a few more pips. Day 21 ends for me mid afternoon so my temp is dialed in. This is my second hatch this year and have shipped eggs coming for the third and last one this week.

 

[Poulet des Bois]

Thanks all.
Before I got to bed another hatched, each time I tried to get off to bed another popped out till there were 6 ! The first was so darling running over to greet & seemingly encourage the others. I finally left them to themselves & awoke to 20 happy babies! Now 21. 5 to go. All doing well. Going to brooder now.

 

[Poulet des Bois]

Thank you for the tip on the heat. This is my 2nd hatch, most all grew 1st time, but only 2 pipped, none made it out, heat got too high I think.

On this batch I didn't count a day till it was over, so these could started on 20-21.
Last time I thought I was a day too early cuz I counted day in as day 1.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

An easy non confusing way to count days is to mark the time and day of week you start incubating and three weeks after that same day of week they are due to hatch, eg. if you start on a Tues. then hatch day is a Tuesday. Usually they start wiggling and maybe some piping 24 hours before the time you set and stragglers finish hatching out 24 hours after the time you set.

 

[Poulet des Bois]

Yep, that's what I did. Set at 1:am Wed, marked Wed the 14th as hatch day.
Hatching began 11:30 pm. Sun. 5/12, most hatched after 1:00am. Monday the 12th, more on the 13th & have 3 waiting in bator, 1 of which is peeping today: the scheduled hatch day.
Candled & floated lost 2, &1 never developed.
Thanks ill remember that.
Btw I miscounted have 19 healthy happy chicks: 80% hatch rate!

 

[Poulet des Bois]

I'll have lots of Marans to sell in NW Indiana!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Congratulations, that's a good hatch.

If these are not bantam eggs I'd mark the thermometer that it reads a degree high so you can adjust temperature next time. A day and half early is a degree high. I use the same equipment each hatch and make notes like that to dial my incubating in with my tools. My thermostat is a degree high too so have been incubating at 98 F with it for two springs now. If I set at noon they start popping out after midnight and finish up mostly by midnight of hatch day.

 

[Tyaloria]

Fingers crossed.
my silkie blues have started to hatch, I have had such a bad hatch rate so far and so many dead/rotten chicks (the joys of mailed eggs maybe?)
I hope this little wobbling egg is going to make it.

good luck to anyone else who has a hatch on today!!!