Pheasant incubation for a beginner

[birdbeginner]

If you are turning them by hand I would highly suggest getting an automatic one because every time you open the incubator to turn them you are loosing heat and the humidity and with ringnecks it will be harder to hatch. It is so worth the 40 in the long run.

I think next time we will get an automatic one as like you said will give better results!

 

[birdbeginner]

I just got done hatching 7 out of 12 pheasant eggs . I started out with a home made incubator then bought a incuview incubator with the automatic turner it is great. Still have 5 more eggs in it but do not think they are okay I candled them last night and can see them kinder but there is no movement at all. They are ringneck and have been in the incubator for 26 days now will let them stay there until day 30 if no movement then I think they will not hatch. It is amazing how fast they can run the next day.

Good luck for the 5 other eggs!

 

[pheasantfrenzie]

If they are ready to hatch if you put them up to your ear you can hear the chick pecking at the shell and if it is real weak he has been in there to long and get out of the shell but if you have never helped a chick out of the shell before be very careful.

 

[birdbeginner]

We've never helped chicks out of the shell before, do you have any advice for this?

 

[gary04]

I just them do there own thing on hatching, am legally deaf so I can not hear them at all. Sorry am no help

 

[birdbeginner]

You guys have been very helpful thank you. We are approaching lockdown and I was wondering if we should stop turning them on day 23 or day 21? Some people say different things, I just want to get it right.

 

[gary04]

I stopped mine on day 21 because i read some might hatch early . I understand that they will hatch between 22 thru 26 days. Well am glad I stopped mine on day 21 because I had 2 hatch on day 23 and the rest hatched thru the rest of the week. I had 3 die inside there shell fully grown it looked like but do not know why they didn't not hatch. Good luck.

 

[birdbeginner]

Ok I will try that, thanks. Do you guys add a damp sponge to raise humidity or a wide pan of water during lockdown?

 

[Bruiserdog99]

Yeah that works and thats what im gonna do in my homemade incubator make sure you test it out with measurements of water to humidity so you know exactly what the humidity will be at that step of incubation you dont want to open it up unless you need to. some incubator you can poor water in kinda scary i almost lost 18 day old ringnecks. last night at like 2:00 am i got up and went to the brooder the tempature was 80 f. they were all huddled together i run an inline dimmer switch for my brooders and homemade incubators and somehow it must have slid down or the dog knocked it off the table. so i raised it back up to 95 f and all of them are fine now but you always have to be careful of stuff like that

 

[birdbeginner]

At least they're ok now I think the thing I'm most worried about is the fact I don't precisely know how old they are, I saw veins the first day we put them in the incubator (I didn't look for the "eye") but other than that, no idea. I've tried and tried to candle them but can't see through them. What would you guys advise? I want to make sure I put them into lockdown on the right day.