Mallredphoto
Hatching
- Apr 27, 2020
- 7
- 0
- 3
I’m not new to “hatching” babies. Well at least ducks. This was my second time to hatch chickens and my incubator just wouldn’t hold the temp. It would fluctuate between 99.4 to 99.9 and sometimes go to 100.2...but never sit nice at 99.5.
I had no issues with humidity until the day of hatch when it spiked to 89 and sometimes 90. I tried to keep it consistent at 79 and did remove the one red plug when the first baby hatched kicking up the humidity. I took the second out when I couldn’t get it to stay down.
The temperature however would still not stay constant and the heater was constantly coming on to keep the temp where I had set it. But it would never sit at 99.5 as the directions for that incubator stated. And it also stated if I didn’t keep it at 99.5 my chicks could experience leg problems.
SO when two out of the 10 that hatched with sprawled legs and with twisted feet I was very sad!!
I’ve been working with one diligently. The other was able to correct with only 3 days of bandaid bracing.
The second also had bandaid bracing on her...but the feet kept turning in and she keeps one tucked under her. In fact that one was contracted so bad when she hatched; I was very afraid she wouldn’t be able to make it. But it has since loosened with the bandaid brace. So after two days of still no improvement as the other one I found a video on how to make shoes. And I also made her a chick-chair. They both got vitamin B...the supplement is from the TSC store. It’s mostly B but has some other proprietary vitamins too. The first chicks as I said bounced back.
But she just isn’t. She is now 3 days old and needs to be eating and drinking on her own. But she just lays around. So I made the chick chair. She still seems too depressed to try. I’ve tried to feed her...I’ve been giving her water. And I gave her a little sugar water to buck her up and her her energy up to want to eat. The vitamins seemed to perk up the other chick. He did really well. She isn’t responding. Any suggestions?
Please Note that I have had birds with leg issues in the past. Both were Turkeys. I did have to cull one at 8 weeks; and that absolutely killed me!! The other lived to be 3 years old. She went lame at 2 1/2 years and I would just move her to shade and her food and water as needed through out the day. SO I’m very familiar with leg issues in birds. I am hoping to correct her feet before she struggles or has to be culled. And I’ll put that off as long as I can!!
I had no issues with humidity until the day of hatch when it spiked to 89 and sometimes 90. I tried to keep it consistent at 79 and did remove the one red plug when the first baby hatched kicking up the humidity. I took the second out when I couldn’t get it to stay down.
The temperature however would still not stay constant and the heater was constantly coming on to keep the temp where I had set it. But it would never sit at 99.5 as the directions for that incubator stated. And it also stated if I didn’t keep it at 99.5 my chicks could experience leg problems.
SO when two out of the 10 that hatched with sprawled legs and with twisted feet I was very sad!!
I’ve been working with one diligently. The other was able to correct with only 3 days of bandaid bracing.
The second also had bandaid bracing on her...but the feet kept turning in and she keeps one tucked under her. In fact that one was contracted so bad when she hatched; I was very afraid she wouldn’t be able to make it. But it has since loosened with the bandaid brace. So after two days of still no improvement as the other one I found a video on how to make shoes. And I also made her a chick-chair. They both got vitamin B...the supplement is from the TSC store. It’s mostly B but has some other proprietary vitamins too. The first chicks as I said bounced back.
But she just isn’t. She is now 3 days old and needs to be eating and drinking on her own. But she just lays around. So I made the chick chair. She still seems too depressed to try. I’ve tried to feed her...I’ve been giving her water. And I gave her a little sugar water to buck her up and her her energy up to want to eat. The vitamins seemed to perk up the other chick. He did really well. She isn’t responding. Any suggestions?
Please Note that I have had birds with leg issues in the past. Both were Turkeys. I did have to cull one at 8 weeks; and that absolutely killed me!! The other lived to be 3 years old. She went lame at 2 1/2 years and I would just move her to shade and her food and water as needed through out the day. SO I’m very familiar with leg issues in birds. I am hoping to correct her feet before she struggles or has to be culled. And I’ll put that off as long as I can!!
