OMG I feel awful!!!

[zowieyellowflame]

I am incubating for the first time. They are just hatching right now and one lone chick came out first and so far is all alone. He is bawling his head off and stumbling around the grate in the incubator, getting turned upside down and stuck that way and so on. It is agonizing to watch, I know he wants a mom and then he looks up at me through the plastic window and bawls. What I would like to do is pick him up, but I don't. Another reason I am upset is one chick pipped and died while I was at work today. What could cause that? He seemed fully developed. It makes me worry about the others that are pipped.
I am also setting up their new home, cardboard box, wood shavings and some hay with a 65 watt bulb. What temp do I need before they go in there? Does humidity matter? Can a lightbulb catch the bedding on fire?

 

[Sillystunt]

i think it's like 958 and then decrease 5* each day. Just don't use cedar shavings and you will be ok. Put light at one end of box near food and water

 

[mom2chicksandpups]

The first chick always chirps its head off from my little bit of experience with hatching. When it dries off enough to move it out of the incubator, you can put it in the brooder with a stuffed animal or a rolled up towel or washcloth. Mine always lay next to the stuffed animal that I use and it seems to calm them down. Maybe you will have more chicks soon to keep it company!

 

[roche477]

You want your brooder to be around 95 degrees the first week and this decrease by 5 degrees every week.

 

[ginbart]

If you leave the chick in the bator it will help the others want to come out faster. It can stay in there for 2 days. So before you make the mistake that I did I would leave it in there or your temp and humditly will go down. He won't be lonely for long.

Be careful with the hay in there hay does get hot.

 

[zowieyellowflame]

Oh good! I was wondering what to do with THEM when I go to work.

There are 4, with 3 more pipped.