It takes FOREVER doesn't it?!? I don't drink either but total know what you mean
Try to leave them alone as best you can, every time you open the bator the humidity drops immediately and less will hatch. Don't worry toooo much about the little pips, I've had them take another whole day to start zipping. It seems like once one hatches, all the peeping and commotion wakes up the rest and they get busy. It's best to leave the little guy in there for 24 hrs, if you can stand it! (Sometimes I'll sneak in a grab one out after 12 though- yikes!) Mama hens will continue setting for 2 days after the first one hatches, so you are far from done yet! Congrats on the new babies!!
I'm only on day 3, and stressing. I've got a long way to go. This is going to be the longest 21 days of my life! Cute little guy/girl you have there! I'm making a mental note to lock the cats out of my computer room, when lockdown starts. Yes my bator is also next to my computer
believe me - you will need to lock Y OU out of the room. seriously. That was the single worst test of my patience ever!!! And if I get home from work and there is no progress I start all over again!
WOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!! FOUR chicks and FIVE more pips!!! all from a disasterous first attempt at hatching with an incubator (or at all really)
2 striped ones, a buff looking one and a brown one (well, wet it looks brown)!! The daddy is my white EE Roo "Big Poppy"... the hens are either - Brahma, BR, Golden Comet, RIR, JG or BO. None of the EE eggs have shown any action
ETA - They seemed to hatch way faster without me watching!!! LOL - I guess a watched pot never boils and a watched pip never zips!
Edited again - the chicks are rolling the eggs all over the place, should I take out the chicks? they are still so wet though.......
I hate how they roll the eggs like that, but it doesn't hurt them any. I usually take them out two at a time when they are at least mostly dry. If you take out the two oldest ones that will settle them down a little. Don't give up on the green eggs yet, I've noticed sometimes with my mutt eggs that different breeds hatch at slightly different times, kind of in groups. Could just be me, but I've definitely seen that a couple times now. Make sure to keep that humidity up! Yay for mutts!
I am at work for a while longer and then I'll go do a "recount" (I AM from Florida, ya know
).
The chicks will get to / have to stay in the incubator tonight but hopefully tomorrow morning I can get them shifted over to a proper brooder. Have to figure out where I am going to put them at my parent's house while I am in Texas.... they have 2 cats!
Just came in from work to find 2 more chicks and 4 pips, one zipping along. One of the new chicks is black and is so tiny it could nearly be a bantam! Of course, it is also brand new and really wet......
No staying up all night tonight, it doesn't seem to go nearly as slow when I am not counting the seconds!!
Besides, it is killing me to hear those eggs rolling around and the chicks are way too wet to take them out.
Try to leave them alone as best you can, every time you open the bator the humidity drops immediately and less will hatch. Don't worry toooo much about the little pips, I've had them take another whole day to start zipping. It seems like once one hatches, all the peeping and commotion wakes up the rest and they get busy. It's best to leave the little guy in there for 24 hrs, if you can stand it! (Sometimes I'll sneak in a grab one out after 12 though- yikes!) Mama hens will continue setting for 2 days after the first one hatches, so you are far from done yet! Congrats on the new babies!!
I can hardly stay out now checking temps. And to make matters worse...I'm self employed, work from home
. Gonna make lockdown fun
