Simulated Natural Nest Incubation~Experiment #1 So it begins....

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Lacy Blues said:
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I hadn't even considered that. A wall hanging? Is that a picture or fabric quilted thing?

On the eco-glo heat plates, I don't think the chicks touch that bottom surface, I could very well be wrong but the pictures that I've seen show them standing under it with space over the top of them.
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I use the eco-glo heat plates and when the chicks first hatch, even on its lowest to the ground setting they don't touch it. The newly hatched stay in my house, (aka small little apartment above a horse riding arena) for a day or two till I make sure all are healthy and looking to thrive, eating/drinking then out they go. It is recommended to not use the eco-glo in outside temps lower than maybe 45deg. can't remember, but I brood all chicks outside in a horse stall using the eco-glow in temps that have gotten as low as 20deg. Never had a problem. Also place food/water a ways from the heater so they have to move around to get to it. Kinda tough love I guess!
 
DaveOmak said:
On the subject of heat pads..... I ran across this item..... ~ $16 ..... http://www.amazon.com/Flukers-Delux...664097&sr=8-8&keywords=heat+pads+for+reptiles



Appears it could have multiple uses for us......

Dave
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It sure does! Says it operates at a steady 100*! How perfect is that?? Only problem is if it is 100*, will it only heat the internal eggs to 92-93? That's where I was going wrong with my first nest...heating the surface temps at 100 and all the while the internal egg temps were much, much lower.

But for brooding chicks it would be divine! And also keeping water and wet feeds from freezing, warming seedlings, etc.
 
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Well...hit a few snags last night that may have spelled death for these chicks. The power went out around 2ish and so I put some hot water into a hot water bottle and continued to warm the eggs, with a feather pad between the bottle and the chicks. At one point they got up to around 104, so I immediately took the bottle off, aired them out, and reapplied with more padding between the two and it settled down to 100 and stayed there.

Then the power came back on around 4ish and I put the pad back on them, removing the bottle......and like an idiot, forgot to turn the pad back on. Awakened about 15 min. ago to find the eggs at 80* and I don't know how long they've been like that.

This incubation thread is starting to sound like a "How to Do Everything Wrong While Incubating" book....I may have to utilize that float test just to see if anything lives still in there. I know that folks have told me that temps have dropped in their incubation before and the chicks survived, but was it preceded by a temp spike? Not sure.

Anyhoo...so now the fate of these chicks is uncertain and I only pray that I haven't botched the set. Again. Stayed up half the night to get it right only to forget one thing...one very important thing!
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Well...one way to look at it...these chicks will either get tough or die. The 5K incubator blurb said that dropping temps now and again would make the chicks tougher and make for a better hatch, so I guess we shall see!
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