Set on 2/4...who's with me?

[AriLovesChickens]

My chicks

will go into a Rubbermaid tub/brooder - for maybe a week or so, and then I hope to move them out to a brooder coop.

 

[Spangled]

my eggs started wiggling!!

Wiggling? Cool. I don't think my eggs have done that before, unless they've pipped.

 

[cupman]

Had a hatch at 4am and another hatch while I was in class. I suspect it happened around noon. Two chicks, one white and one black. It's so tempting to open the lid and snatch the chicks real fast. I just want them to dry out and get on solid ground. They are really uncoordinated.. but that could be the wire floor and the fact they are newborn. I'll update with pictures once things get more exciting.

 

[Spangled]

Had a hatch at 4am and another hatch while I was in class. I suspect it happened around noon. Two chicks, one white and one black. It's so tempting to open the lid and snatch the chicks real fast. I just want them to dry out and get on solid ground. They are really uncoordinated.. but that could be the wire floor and the fact they are newborn. I'll update with pictures once things get more exciting.

Congratulations!

I don't know how people do it. I know I'm never supposed to open the incubator from Day 18 until the hatch is completed, but I always take the chicks out once they are fluffy or after an hour or so in the incubator. I think it's easier with an Brinsea, though, but I do it with my styrobator, too. Plus I also keep a couple of folded up paper towels in small plastic lids in there, too, to keep the humidity high. I can never keep the humidity high enough unless I open the incubator and quickly squirt a little water on the papertowels with a turkey baster. But don't follow my bad example. The experts make up the rules for good reasons.

 

[LilyD]

None hatching so far here. We are officially in lock down though and temp and humidity are good now comes the time in incubating when I have trouble getting any sleep lol. Can't wait to see what hatches.

 

[mstricer]

Well did I have a surprise, I was going in my room to lock down and heard the sound of a chick that just hatched. I am now thinking I may have set a day earlier than I thought. The Ameraucana's are hatching and pipping. Had to stop and think through what to do. I too a deep breathe lifted turner out, (with chick still sitting in bottom of shell) placed in empty bator next to it, added water to incubator and returned eggs one by one back in and closed the lid. I hope the ones that were pipped will make it.Well anyways these were my birthday eggs and it's a Happy Birthday gift to me.

 

[karmlacres]

I have 11 due to hatch today. Well, technically 2 of them are due tomorrow or Friday. Not a thing going on. I think I have seen a few wiggles. No pip. Nothing. I'm not going to get any sleep tonight! We have a new brooder built for their arrival - I'm anxious to put it into use!!!! Mine will be a mix of mutts. The roos were a French Black Copper Marans, 2 French Blue Copper Marrans, Black Ameraucana and a splash Orpington (skeptical that he fathered anything as he has only one wing and at a disadvantage). The girls are 2 Wheaten Marans and a Blue Splash Ameraucana. None of the eggs from my "old girl" (2 yr old mutt - I'm sure on the age, not sure on her heritage) were fertile. Seems the boys like the "younger girls". 4 of the eggs are from the Ameraucana. The others are from the 2 Wheaten Marans.

It used to be that the entire incubating process was so long and stressful, now it's just these last few days in lockdown! I'm ready for these babies to be born!!!! I have things arranged with my daughters' teachers to login to a website to see the chicks live. But there's nothing to show

 

[Spangled]

I have 11 due to hatch today. Well, technically 2 of them are due tomorrow or Friday. Not a thing going on. I think I have seen a few wiggles. No pip. Nothing.

Oh, dear. I'll keep my fingers crossed. It can take a lot of fiddling to get good hatches with Marans, or at least it did for me with the French Black Coppers. Do you have a candler that can see through the shells? I sure don't. I could never candle mine.

 

[AriLovesChickens]

I'm just putting mine into lockdown tonight. Did all of you with chicks (now) hatch bantams?

 

[cupman]

I have 2 chicks still that arrived at about 18.5 days. It's now day 20 and there's 2 more eggs that are hatching as I type this. I did not hatch any bantams but what may have caused the early arrivals is the temperature of my incubator. It was sitting steady at around 100*F-101*F. I believe the perfect incubation setting is 99.5*F. From what I've read even a couple degrees can affect the speed in which the eggs are born.

Another thing to note is that I set my eggs on 2/3 and the thread is about eggs set on 2/4. I just joined because I was close to the same date as you all.

One thing that is driving me nuts is my two little chicks jumping around and rolling the other pipped eggs around. I'm sure it's not a big deal but still has me a little uneasy.