Taking over the hatching process...a few ques....

[jolojaly]

We have had a broody hen sitting on eggs for nearly the 21 days. Today, we noticed she was off the nest longer than usual. My kids and I went into her coop and saw that two eggs had small holes in them...yay! When we tried to coax her back to her nest she was not having anything to do with it. When she finally decided to get back on, she jumped on her nest in such a hurry that she cracked open one them, with baby inside. There is a small amount of blood, so were not sure this one is going to make it. For fear of this happening again, we have removed the eggs and have them inside now in a cage (to keep our cats out) w/ a towel nest and a 95 watt light bulb on them. Is the humidity still crucial at this stage? and how do I go about providing that if so? We are having fun watching a # of the eggs moving about. Please let me know if we are forgetting anything and how long does it take for them to hatch after they make the first air hole?
Thank you & Shalom!

 

[lockedhearts]

Yes, humidity is very critical, get them up to 45-50% , some will say higher, but that should be sufficient. A steamy bathroom in a pinch, but keeping that going will be short term. Do you have a humidifier? That in a small room (bathroom) should work. Ice Chest, light bulb small fan and wet sponges is another quick way.

 

[Apriljc]

I believe I read that it can take 24 hours to fully hatch after the first pipping. Good luck!

 

[jolojaly]

Thank you! We do have the humidifier, though it is a "cool-mist" one, so I turned on the small space heater we have along with the humidifer. Also added a few wet towels around the nest area. They are in our small bathroom (now if I can get the kids to stop going in and out

We are so excited as this is our first attempt at hatching, though we have raised a number of chicks. We look forward to the nest, er... next... 24 hours!!!!!!