T-5 days to 21

[tjb]

First incubation... I am a little nervous about the hatching. Is there anything specific I need to watch for to make sure of healthy chicks??

 

[CountryFlock]

Depends on your hatcher. If you have one of those crappy styrofoam hatchers then you need to watch out for hot spots or cold spots.

Some things that I have learned:

Be careful when transporting the eggs. They roll and a violent roll will kill the chick.
Never have humidity lower than 70%. I prefer 75%
Never have temp higher than 99.9F. I keep mine at 99.0 - 99.5 for hatching.
Never assist a chick unless it absolutely needs it.
Be patient.
Don't move them out of the hatcher too quickly.
I wouldn't have humidity at 70-75 during day 18-19 when you move them. Keep humidity at around 60-65% for a day maybe two after moving them into the hatcher then day 20 and 21 up it to 75%

 

[tjb]

Well, I do have a "crappy" styrofoam incubator. I borrowed one from a friend to save myself the expense...
The temp has been staying consistent at 99-100, bumping 102 a time or two but I work from home and keep a pretty good eye on it.
I candled for the last time today and saw good movement to I am hopeful for surviving chicks.