The chicks hatched in the incubator - what do I do?

[stokiechicks]

Wooo hooo The second chicks popped out, a Serama I think:

I think I need to leave the house. The excitements proving to be too much

I must repeat: Leave incubator alone, leave incubator alone, leave incubator alone .....

 

[arianna]

That's pretty exciting to watch. Can you tell me what kind of incubator you have? I like it because is so small, it's perfect size for someone who only wants to try few eggs or keep it as a back up if the broody hen quits.

 

[Edwards' East of Eden]

Ack! Precious babies!

Your humidity should be up and stay up for lockdown, but your temperature needs to stay around 99.5-100* - that's 37.5C, I think - to hatch. As they hatch, they can stay in there 2-3 days at that temperature. Don't change the temperature on the incubator/hatcher.

When you bring them out to the brooder, 95*F for the first week. That's ... erm ... help me here, Professor Google ... ah! 35*C. Then you'll drop the temperature by an additional 5*F (apparently 2.5*C, about) each week for the next five weeks or so, until they're fully feathered (instead of downed) and you've made a solid approach to your natural ambient temperature. During this course of time, keep the heat lamp on one end of the brooder, not in the middle, and you're not shooting for a constant temperature all over the brooder. The babies will be smart enough to huddle under the lamp if they're cold, and to move far away from it if they're hot. With that in mind, you really want your chicks mostly milling around in the middle area, neither huddled or straining to get away. So - adjust the height of your heat lamp - or use a dimmer switch for it, if you have one - accordingly as they grow and need less heat, so that they're naturally staying in a nice wide perimeter around the heat source.

More pictures!

 

[stokiechicks]

Quote:
It's a Brinsea Octagon 40DX, it can hold upto 48 eggs, more if bantams. Costs just under £300 ($450) They have a 20 egg version too. It's expensive but came very highly recommended by breeders here in the UK. The auto turn cradle is on the outside, twin fan air circulation and generous humidity tanks. A very reliable albeit bloody expensive incubator.

 

[stokiechicks]

Quote:
Perfect! Thanks so much. I've noted the brooder temps and will leave them in incubator for the next two days. Really kicking meself for not getting a Hygrometer in time. Right, I need to get out the house and sample the autumnal London air - the excitements been a bit too much

More pics in a while

 

[arianna]

Quote:
It's a Brinsea Octagon 40DX, it can hold upto 48 eggs, more if bantams. Costs just under £300 ($450) They have a 20 egg version too. It's expensive but came very highly recommended by breeders here in the UK. The auto turn cradle is on the outside, twin fan air circulation and generous humidity tanks. A very reliable albeit bloody expensive incubator.

Thank you for the info, I'll look it up.
Good luck with your new babies. It's so nice to be able to see them hatch.

 

[stokiechicks]

Only two chicks hatched so far. It's coming to the end of day 21. What are the probabilities of further chicks hatching? There's still 18 eggs to go. Two further eggs pipped over six hours ago, nothing else since then.

I'm fearing the others aren't going to hatch

 

[Edwards' East of Eden]

I've heard of hatchings on day 27 - and you have a good incubator. Settle in for the wait.

 

[stokiechicks]

Quote:
Wow day 27! Its so tempting to peel the egg shells back on the two that have pipped and leave the rest for a few days more.

 

[Ladybird CA]

Are the ones that pipped 6 hours ago chirping? I've heard some say wait 12 hours and if there is no progress in the zipping then you can take one and carefully puncture a hole to see whats going on...