The Little Incubator on the Prairie -- an incubation diary

[PrairieChickens]

February 6, 2014

It is officially day 14 for all but two of my eggs, with only a week to go until the due date and a few short days to lockdown. Humidity is holding steady, and upon candling, I have verified that ALL 15 eggs are still going strong.





As always, they were active, but it was neat to see that now when they move around, I can see them kicking their little feet and stretching their little bodies. Nature is amazing!

As an unexpected bonus, I don't have work next week because of parent teacher conferences, which means I get to stalk my eggs all week long until they have all hatched! WOO!

 

[Spongegirl]

Hey, I have really related to your thread from title thru the great pictures! Thank you. First, I love the name! Laura Ingalls is my hero. I watched that show growing up and wanted to be her. Now, I'm trying I thought your husbands sentiment was so sweet. I am also on my first hatch. I have been wondering and reading and candling taking it all in, making notes. We are both on the same day with our chicks. I use the Little Giant, no egg turner, it has a fan. FUN! FUN! Good luck to ya! and me!

 

[PrairieChickens]

Hey, I have really related to your thread from title thru the great pictures! Thank you. First, I love the name! Laura Ingalls is my hero. I watched that show growing up and wanted to be her. Now, I'm trying I thought your husbands sentiment was so sweet. I am also on my first hatch. I have been wondering and reading and candling taking it all in, making notes. We are both on the same day with our chicks. I use the Little Giant, no egg turner, it has a fan. FUN! FUN! Good luck to ya! and me!

Very cool! I look forward to seeing pictures of your new babies on the big day!

 

[PrairieChickens]

February 9, 2014

Lockdown starts tomorrow, and I can't wait! I candled all of my eggs last night and confirmed movement in all but one of them--and that was only because the dadgum thing is so dark!


Who told you you could get tinted windows?

As a bonus, I was able to buy a large wire cage that will work MUCH better as a brooder than the mish-mash of frankenstein-ed cardboard boxes I'd lashed together with packing tape and lined with a cheap plastic table cloth. For one thing, this cage will be much harder for my chicks to get out of. For another, it will be much harder for my other animals to get IN to. The only downside? It wouldn't fit through my office door, so after assembling it, I had to then take it apart again, move it into my office, and put it back together.


Just look at that monster!

I have found in the past that if I give my chicks a warm, dark place to sleep, they would rather sleep there. This cardboard flat is the perfect size and shape for the brooder and should work nicely. I want to get a thermometer set up so I can monitor the temperature inside the box, but my dad has a few that I can borrow, so that's no problem. Other than that, all I need to do is fill the waterer with pebbles so the babies don't drown in it and perhaps elevate the food and water on something so they aren't constantly filling with pine shavings.

My broody hen from October has gone broody again. I may tuck a couple of this hatch under her and see if she takes to them. I have no intention of putting eggs under her in this weather, and if I can get her to adopt these guys and abbreviate the broody period, all the better.

Remember that you'll be able to watch the chicks hatch (And the chicks in the brooder!) From my LIVE webcam HERE!

Here's a few more chick embryo photos for you. As you can see, they are nearly filling the eggs by now.

 

[PrairieChickens]

February 10, 2013

Lockdown has begun! I am broadcasting the hatch live from my webcam HERE The real action probably won't start until tomorrow, but I know from personal experience that banties like to arrive early to the party, so I have the cam trained on the bantam egg for now.


A screen shot of the webcam feed

 

[PrairieChickens]

February 11, 2014

Despite my hopes that I'd have a super-early arrival, there have still been no pips on any of the eggs. The due date still isn't until the day after tomorrow, so I'm not surprised--I'm just impatient.

Connection issues with my webcam feed have been resolved and it is now broadcasting smoothly. I intend to record at least some of the hatching. Once the chicks have hatched, I will have a 24/7 webcam of their brooder until they graduate to the coop.

 

[PrairieChickens]

WE HAVE A PIP! It's finally happening!
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-crafted-kansas-webcam-shop

 

[Spongegirl]

Hey! That is so awesome! I am looking at your cam. I wanna do that!

 

[PrairieChickens]

We're up to five pips. The banty egg is in hour 14 after it first showed signs of external pipping.

 

[PrairieChickens]

We have a hatch!