new to hatching and this forum, need advise

[AHappychick]

Ok I have made many mistakes with my first few batches (the first being that i put eggs in on 4 different days each 2 days apart making it very hard to keep my mosture up when i still have to turn some while other are trying to hatch (i have now resorted to using a stick and poking them gently to move the others through the vent of the bator, anyway...

Out of the first 10 eggs 4 hatched and they are doing great it is just they keep getting poop stuck to their butts. I have been washing it with warm water and cleaning them but it keeps happening what should I do?

The secound it out of the 2nd batch of eggs one hatched and one struggled to. I got impatient after waiting 12 hours and helped it along a bit. It foot looks turned in though, I dont really mind having a handicapped chicken (I have seen one similar that a friend had and she was such a gentle hen and they just never hatched her eggs) But is this because of something? Did it happen because I became impatient?

Also there was a day when I though I was supposed to stop turning the duck eggs (yes I crammed those into the bator as well. They are due to hatch Wed not Sunday like I had thought so I stopped turning them by mistake on Friday. I realized my mistake today after consulting the calander and doing the math again but am not sure if it will have messed them up.

I am not sure what I was thinking ordering 4 different sets of eggs from ebay all at once but I plan on learning from these last few errors and I still have 6 chicks so far so I am not unhappy.

I would love any advise or recomindations I have 5 hens and a roo now and just love having these chickens!

 

[Mahonri]

If the poop is sticking, it's probably too dry. They need more moisture... make certain they are drinking.

 

[william9792]

hi, you can put eggs in bator on different days, the way you that it is done is you have to have two bators, one incubat and one to hatch the chicks in ( for day 1 thur 18 you put them in bator one, on day 18 after last turn you move them to bator two for the hatch. ) in bator one keep huimdy as you would (i keep mine @ 35% ) in hatch bator i keep it at 70% all the time william

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
They are drinking for sure, but my house is dry (I have forced air) should I put a humidifier in the room?

 

[Chicken Woman]

It wouldn't hurt to give them some humidity. I would put vasiline on butts so poop falls off and doesn't stick. Can they get away from heat lamp if they need to ?
Do you have a thermometer in brooder ? Not over 85 or 90.

They should have plenty of room to move away from the heat source if they are to hot. You don't want them to hot or cold.

You also don't want them to be to crowded.

You should lower temp 5 degrees a week and they will feather out faster.

 

[flamingauburnmustang]

I'm glad you have a few eggs that have hatched.

When are the ducks due?

 

[Jamie821]

If you stop turning your eggs a few days to early should not be a prob turning is the most important in the earlier days of incubating . I have stopped turning mine a couple days early if I wasnt going to be here to stop turning them on the right day. The prob with you chicks leg is prob not genetic or helping it out it usually is caused from the position in the egg while incubating. As far as the pasty butt make sure you are not putting sugar in their water and sugar can cause pasty butt and also what type of feed are they on. Make sure you keep it washed off and it can cause them not to be able to poop and that will kill them. Also make sure you dont have newspaper under them in brooder it can cause splayed leg.

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
It is about 99 degrees in the make shift home i MADE, i HAVE 2 HEAT LAMPS ON THEM AND THEY ARE IN ONE OF THOSE LONG LARGE PLASTIC BINS USED FOR STORING STUFF. OPPS CAPS... Anyway I thought they had to be kept really watm, they have plenty of room and often rest onder the lamps, I was told if it was to hot they would go to the cooler corners, but they dont they roam all over the bin. what do you think?

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
the bad footed chick is from a batch that I think is having trouble, I felt flutter movement is some of the eggs last night but this morning still no more chicks. I feen them organic chicken started feed and there is no sugar in their water just plain tap water. The eggs should have hatched by now, should I try to hatch them myself?

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
These I am soooooo excited about!!! I candled the duck eggs last night (could not help myself lol) and they all appear to be doing great, I even saw one egg move last night.