Too Early for Feb Hatch-A-Long Thread??

[CluckNDoodle]

Ok so Ill plan to lock down tomorrow night. The other issue is I have to travel to NY early Sat morning until Sunday Mid day for a dog show. Of course Sat is day 21. So unfortunately if anything goes wrong I will not be here to do anything about it. My kids and hubby will be here and I may be able to give them advice over the phone but... Im hoping if they hatch on Sat they will be fine to just stay in the incubator until I return on Sunday. Thoughts? Now I hope they dont hatch on Friday. If they do hatch say late on Friday will they be ok in the incubator until Sunday morning or should I move them to brooder early Sat morning before I leave for NY... Such bad timing on my part. I was so excited to get my eggs in the bator that I didn't look ahead and realize I had a huge dog show this weekend, Im so dumb!

They can survive off of the absorbed yolk for up to 72 hours, in nature this gives the rest of the chicks time to hatch under a broody hen until she gets up to start tending to them. So yes, they would be ok for an extra day. I would keep the room they're in darker if you plan to do that, to reduce any pecking of hatch mates while they're trying to figure everything out.

I personally like to take them out as soon as I can though...maybe if you have the brooder warmed up and ready then your husband can just move them over once they're done hatching?

 

[Merrymouse]

I personally like to take them out as soon as I can though...maybe if you have the brooder warmed up and ready then your husband can just move them over once they're done hatching?

Thank you and good idea. Ill have everything ready for sure. I incubate in my bathroom and I usually put the chicks in my jacuzzi tub for the first day or so because I like to really keep an eye on them. Ill set up a Wyze camera so I can watch them and alert my family if anything happens once they are in the jacuzzi. Its going to kill me to not be able to check on them every 5 minutes but the camera will help. Im just so mad at myself for not thinking the timing through, well I won't do that again. Im also worried because I only have two viable eggs so if one doesn't make it or whatever Ill have a singleton. Well, we'll see what happens, Ill do my best. After a couple days in jacuzzi if they are doing good I move them to the basement brooder. Thanks for the tip about keeping it kind of dark, Ill do that too. Thanks for the continued support and help

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Thank you and good idea. Ill have everything ready for sure. I incubate in my bathroom and I usually put the chicks in my jacuzzi tub for the first day or so because I like to really keep an eye on them. Ill set up a Wyze camera so I can watch them and alert my family if anything happens once they are in the jacuzzi. Its going to kill me to not be able to check on them every 5 minutes but the camera will help. Im just so mad at myself for not thinking the timing through, well I won't do that again. Im also worried because I only have two viable eggs so if one doesn't make it or whatever Ill have a singleton. Well, we'll see what happens, Ill do my best. After a couple days in jacuzzi if they are doing good I move them to the basement brooder. Thanks for the tip about keeping it kind of dark, Ill do that too. Thanks for the continued support and help

Don't beat yourself up, I get excited and set hatching eggs without thinking about the hatch date sometimes too. Honestly, I didn't think about how many ongoing projects we have right now and I really should have just waited to start hatching chicks in general...but I have a hen that went broody and that meant I had to fill my incubators too right? lol
I have my fingers crossed that both chicks hatch happy and healthy for you!
Anytime!

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

I’m over here candling for lockdown!!! So excited. Debating whether to leave the turner tray in my incuview or take it out. On one hand it would sort of keep them from rolling around a bunch once they start hatching... on th other hand, without it in there it’s less to stumble around on. Thoughts??

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I’m over here candling for lockdown!!! So excited. Debating whether to leave the turner tray in my incuview or take it out. On one hand it would sort of keep them from rolling around a bunch once they start hatching... on th other hand, without it in there it’s less to stumble around on. Thoughts??

I left the turner in the first time I hatched in the IncuView, it doesn't really get in the way too much but I prefer removing the turner and adding a no-skid shelf liner.

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

I left the turner in the first time I hatched in the IncuView, it doesn't really get in the way too much but I prefer removing the turner and adding a no-skid shelf liner.

Very helpful... hypothetically if you didn’t have a shelf liner on hand would you leave it in or take it out?

 

[ShannonsChimkens]

I’m over here candling for lockdown!!! So excited. Debating whether to leave the turner tray in my incuview or take it out. On one hand it would sort of keep them from rolling around a bunch once they start hatching... on th other hand, without it in there it’s less to stumble around on. Thoughts??

I’ve become fond of using an egg carton that’s been cut just for little “seats” for the eggs. That way it can be thrown out when it’s done.

Someone did mention lack of air going through the egg carton. So this time I modified it, cut it shorter, cut the bottoms out of each cup and put holes on the sides. We’ll see if it helps with hatching at all starting tomorrow through Thursday.

 

[BuckeyeFoodie]

Good news! My Ayam Cemani hen is defintely laying, and it's highly likely that the eggs in my bator are hers as I locked her and her boyfriend in a crate for two days and there were no eggs on the ground. The bad news is that she and her boyfriend squished the two eggs she laid while in the crate.... I'm trying to figure out a solution to separate my my two breeding groups that doesn't result in neurotic half-tamed birds going bonkers because they aren't loose...

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

I’ve become fond of using an egg carton that’s been cut just for little “seats” for the eggs. That way it can be thrown out when it’s done.

Someone did mention lack of air going through the egg carton. So this time I modified it, cut it shorter, cut the bottoms out of each cup and put holes on the sides. We’ll see if it helps with hatching at all starting tomorrow through Thursday.
View attachment 2018211

Interesting! So you’re hatching upright?

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Very helpful... hypothetically if you didn’t have a shelf liner on hand would you leave it in or take it out?

Hmm...I'm not sure. I hatched goslings in the IncuView the first time I used it and they tripped over it a bit and their little legs kept slipping, so I switched up my tactics. They're obviously much bigger than chicks though and they didn't get splay leg, I just think it had the potential to cause it because it's somewhat slippery.
...while typing this I could have sworn I left the turner in with chicks once too. I found that hatch from last year, the chicks were more stable on it than the goslings were but what bothered me was I had a chick that kept hanging it's head over the edge of it.

It was this chick, though I didn't take a picture with it's head hanging, you can kind of see what I'm talking about. Tired little chicks flop around a lot and this one kept flopping there with it's head hanging over.