Today is 21 and we have over 20 eggs in the incubator. So far, 4 have peepholes. Tomorrow, we are going on a five hour road trip and I am wondering if anyone has ever transported at this point. I am able to plug the incubator in and can put something in the incubator in to keep the eggs from rolling. My husband will be able to check on the eggs a couple times a day, but is going on a 48 hour shift tomorrow morning, so if I leave them, they will be pretty much unattended. Once we get where we are going, we will be there for several days. I am wondering what will be better overall. This is our first time to hatch, so don't know much about it. Thanks!
They won't survive unattended for the first several days if left in an incubator. From the learning center: How To Care For A Chick - First 60 Days: Young Chick Brooder - Can be as simple as a sturdy cardboard box or a small animal cage like one you'd use for rabbits. Flooring - Pine shavings work best Temperature - 90 to 100 deg. for the first week, decrease 5 deg. per week. A 100 watt bulb pointing in one corner (not the whole brooder) works well. Food & water - chick crumbles / starter & a chick waterer Play time - Play with your chicks when young to get the use to being around people. Outside time - Section off an area in your yard where the chicks can explore, scratch, etc. Make sure you can catch them when it's time to come in. You could skip the outside time and even the playtime, but not the food and water and a heat source, in a brooder large enough for them to move away from the heat if they wish. Typically, they frequently make a mess of the water (if not the food as well) and these need attention, too.
Faced with those alternatives, if it were I, I would find a piece or more of eggcrate foam ( alternative: numerous layers of folded bath towels?)to cushion road bumps and plug the bator into the car and set it on the floor on the foam. By tomorrow AM, there may be chicks or there may not. I would not worry about opening the bator to stop the egg rolling especially since you have pips. Hatched chicks will roll other eggs by themselves. Concentrate on keeping the bator steady and heated. Keep your mind on your driving and check on the bator during breaks. I'd bring some water in a spray bottle to add humidity if something strange happens: lid pops off or something like that. When you get where you are going, set up the bator gently and hopefully all will be fine. You do not have to open the bator for at least 24 hours after the first chick hatches. Of course, many of us do I go thru my LG's windows to remove rambunctious chicks and let the others hatch. Find a fairly large box for your destination and rolls of paper towels to use under the chicks. You don't need the mess of shavings if it will only be a few days. Make sure you have chick feed and a chick waterer with you and of course, the heat light. For the return trip, I'd use a smaller box for the chicks and scatter food on the bottom every hour or so, and stop to offer water to them every hour or so. IMHO, leaving water with them during the trip will just lead to mess. Just stop and offer water regularly. If you travel at night, I wouldn't bother to stop because chickens don't eat during the night when it's dark. For heat during travel, I'd go by the noise of the chicks. It's possible that the body heat of them in the closed box will be sufficient to keep them happy. Dont' crank the air conditioning up high! If they are noisy, it means something is wrong and you need to figure it out. Sorta like a new baby... they cry and you figure out why!
