Need advice on how to incubate and raise young chickens

[kelly77]

I have not decided it we are going to make an incubator or buy one. Either way I understand the temp and humidity levels and rotation of the eggs, and last 3 days donot rotate but raise humidity. So if all goes well and my eggs hatch....then what do I do? Is a period they stay in the incubator? Or can they go from there into a brooder? Do I keep humidity or just heat? When do they start eating and drinking? Do I need to use a dropper to feed them? I have 2 eggs waiting...they are 2 days old at room temp. I am turning them 3 times a day until I have a few more to put in an incubator.

 

[math ace]

I have not decided it we are going to make an incubator or buy one. Either way I understand the temp and humidity levels and rotation of the eggs, and last 3 days donot rotate but raise humidity. So if all goes well and my eggs hatch....then what do I do? Is a period they stay in the incubator? Or can they go from there into a brooder? Do I keep humidity or just heat? When do they start eating and drinking? Do I need to use a dropper to feed them? I have 2 eggs waiting...they are 2 days old at room temp. I am turning them 3 times a day until I have a few more to put in an incubator.

They stay in the incubator until they are totally dry, 12 to 24 hours
You want to open the incubator as rarely as possible during the hatching time, so once a day at most.
Each time you open the incubator, you risk shrink wrapping the unhatched chicks.

Once you take them out they need a heat source that will heat an area to 95. They need to be able to move out from the light if the heat is too hot.

I use towels for the first few day. I find there are less issues with pasty butt if you make sure they don't eat the wrong stuff. So, I put chick starter down and water from day one. I take a baby and put his beak in the water. Once one finds the water the others will too. They can go 3 days without food or water, but I offer it ASAP...

If you use chick starter they can eat it without assistance. As far as water goes, make sure you are using a chick waterer or use marbles in the water so that they can not drown themselves.

 

[kelly77]

Marbles ..what a great idea. I raised my chickens from about 3 weeks old on. They did not do well with a chicken water thing..they were always knocking it over. So thank you for the marble trick! What is shrink wrapping?

 

[Roxannemc]

Marbles ..what a great idea. I raised my chickens from about 3 weeks old on. They did not do well with a chicken water thing..they were always knocking it over. So thank you for the marble trick! What is shrink wrapping?

Kelly
shrink wrap is when the membrane drys out in the egg from too low humidity why youraise it at the end to avoid this..The chick cant move into hatchicg position or hatch himself membrane tightens around him like hes shrink wrapped..

 

[3Dchicken]

I do not know the specifics as to what shrink wrapping is, but I'm pretty sure it happens when the chicks are pipping out of the shell, and you open the top of the incubator and it suctions the air out from around the chick in the shell, and it causes the chick to be "shrink wrapped" in the substances surrounding the chick. It is dangerous because if this happens, the chick will have a difficult time getting out of the shell, and has a greater chance of dying because of it.

 

[kelly77]

so is it safer not to open the incubator at all during the last week? or do I still need to rotate the eggs? I wonder if an incubator that rotates them for you is expensive

 

[3Dchicken]

You can rotate the eggs the last week, but not the last three days. You can rotate them up until the 18th day, but then you should leave them, and don't open the incubator until they are all hatched. You also need to raise the humidity up to (i think) 50-60...? I don't know.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I have not decided it we are going to make an incubator or buy one. Either way I understand the temp and humidity levels and rotation of the eggs, and last 3 days donot rotate but raise humidity. So if all goes well and my eggs hatch....then what do I do? Is a period they stay in the incubator? Or can they go from there into a brooder? Do I keep humidity or just heat? When do they start eating and drinking? Do I need to use a dropper to feed them? I have 2 eggs waiting...they are 2 days old at room temp. I am turning them 3 times a day until I have a few more to put in an incubator.

Here are my saved links that I throw in an article for incubating.... this is the article, full of info if you need more! https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

it has alot of info on candling and lockdown and helping IF NEED be.... a bunch of info on shrink wrapped vs sticky chick too!

A chick is ok to take out of the bator when its fluffed up and walking around, which can take up to 24 hrs, and thats ok but I like to add a papertowel and clean up a bit and add a little lid with marbles/sav a chick in it and seems they do better, her is a pic of some drying off in our cooler bator we made, waiting to go to the brooder box.... (the link to the coolerbator is in my signature, easy peasy and 100% hatch on local eggs) One thing about the brooder.. the first two weeks be sure your temps are correct or you will have peeps dying for seemingly no good reason, except they got cold! read links below on brooder!! Or brooder/s are also in that article link above...


DIP THE BEAK OF THE CHICK IN THE WATER BEFORE YOU TURN IT LOOSE. A taste of water right away helps them to find more water soon. If your chicks are at all stressed, add about 3 tablespoons of brown or table sugar to each quart of water for extra energy. Most baby bird loss is caused because the bird doesn't start to eat or drink. Never let your bird run out of water. http://odysseyranch.com/Chick Care Tips.html

Dont forget to have Sav-A-Chick™ Electrolyte and Vitamin Supplement on hand! AND ITS CHEAP at TSC its Balanced electrolytes supplement for newly hatched and adult chickens, ducks, turkeys, and other domestic poultry. Fortified with vitamins A, D3, E, C, K, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9 and B12. Convenient, single-use packets each mix into one gallon of drinking water. Use during hot weather or other stress to support optimal hydration and bird health. JUST IN CASE you have a weak bird! OR You can add sugar to the water in the first couple of days.

Read more: How to Take Care of a Newborn Chick | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5606840_care-newborn-chick.html#ixzz27mVIqunS

http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyard-chickens/chicken-care/chapter-4-caring-for-baby-chicks.aspx





The Care of Baby Chicks, Ducks, & Geese http://www.strombergschickens.com/chick_care


3 Essential Chick Care Tips (pasting up and Cord info) http://ezinearticles.com/?Do-You-Know-These-3-Essential-Chick-Care-Tips?&id=4449831

Some causes of EARLY CHICK MORTALITY ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/39604/some-causes-of-early-chick-mortality



CHICKEN ORTHOPEDICS ~ (I have these saved in my favorites for hatch)

https://sites.google.com/a/larsencreek.com/chicken-orthopedics/leg-braces
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/72885/boot-for-curled-toes-on-3-month-old-chicken-update-w-pics
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/spraddle-leg-in-baby-chicks-what-is-it.html


Small Animal Euthanasia at Home http://www.alysion.org/euthanasia/index.php
How to cull chicks http://www.waldeneffect.org/how_to_cull_chicks/
How to Dispatch a Chicken.http://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/how-to-kill-a-chicken

SEXING CHICKS ~ With in TWO DAYS you must do this or wait till they crow or lay!! refer to : http://www.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/sex_linked_crosses.html & http://www.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/Feather_sexing_practice.html

 

[chicken pickin]

Here are my saved links that I throw in an article for incubating.... this is the article, full of info if you need more! https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

it has alot of info on candling and lockdown and helping IF NEED be.... a bunch of info on shrink wrapped vs sticky chick too!

A chick is ok to take out of the bator when its fluffed up and walking around, which can take up to 24 hrs, and thats ok but I like to add a papertowel and clean up a bit and add a little lid with marbles/sav a chick in it and seems they do better, her is a pic of some drying off in our cooler bator we made, waiting to go to the brooder box.... (the link to the coolerbator is in my signature, easy peasy and 100% hatch on local eggs) One thing about the brooder.. the first two weeks be sure your temps are correct or you will have peeps dying for seemingly no good reason, except they got cold! read links below on brooder!! Or brooder/s are also in that article link above...


DIP THE BEAK OF THE CHICK IN THE WATER BEFORE YOU TURN IT LOOSE. A taste of water right away helps them to find more water soon. If your chicks are at all stressed, add about 3 tablespoons of brown or table sugar to each quart of water for extra energy. Most baby bird loss is caused because the bird doesn't start to eat or drink. Never let your bird run out of water. http://odysseyranch.com/Chick Care Tips.html

Dont forget to have Sav-A-Chick™ Electrolyte and Vitamin Supplement on hand! AND ITS CHEAP at TSC its Balanced electrolytes supplement for newly hatched and adult chickens, ducks, turkeys, and other domestic poultry. Fortified with vitamins A, D3, E, C, K, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9 and B12. Convenient, single-use packets each mix into one gallon of drinking water. Use during hot weather or other stress to support optimal hydration and bird health. JUST IN CASE you have a weak bird! OR You can add sugar to the water in the first couple of days.

Read more: How to Take Care of a Newborn Chick | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5606840_care-newborn-chick.html#ixzz27mVIqunS

http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyard-chickens/chicken-care/chapter-4-caring-for-baby-chicks.aspx





The Care of Baby Chicks, Ducks, & Geese http://www.strombergschickens.com/chick_care


3 Essential Chick Care Tips (pasting up and Cord info) http://ezinearticles.com/?Do-You-Know-These-3-Essential-Chick-Care-Tips?&id=4449831

Some causes of EARLY CHICK MORTALITY ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/39604/some-causes-of-early-chick-mortality



CHICKEN ORTHOPEDICS ~ (I have these saved in my favorites for hatch)

https://sites.google.com/a/larsencreek.com/chicken-orthopedics/leg-braces
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/72885/boot-for-curled-toes-on-3-month-old-chicken-update-w-pics
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/spraddle-leg-in-baby-chicks-what-is-it.html


Small Animal Euthanasia at Home http://www.alysion.org/euthanasia/index.php
How to cull chicks http://www.waldeneffect.org/how_to_cull_chicks/
How to Dispatch a Chicken.http://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/how-to-kill-a-chicken

SEXING CHICKS ~ With in TWO DAYS you must do this or wait till they crow or lay!! refer to : http://www.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/sex_linked_crosses.html & http://www.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/Feather_sexing_practice.html

This is all very good info! especially for those who are new and still learning. I will refer back to this if I need help with anything particularly from the bottom of the list now that im hatching chicks I know potential problems could arise That I may need to deal with.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Glad my stuff can help others too!! teamwork works!