Very new to this, hope everything turns out ok.

[megnchicks]

So my husband and I decided we would raise chickens, and I figured why not start from an egg so we can teach our children out the entire lifecycle of a chicken. I am like a mother hen with my little eggs in this incubator and I have no idea if I am doing things correctly. I got the eggs from a lady off craigslist, and they are sex link chicken eggs. She said she had them sitting out between 1 to 5 days before I got them and placed them in the incubator. I have a Little Giant Still Air Incubator with an automatic turner and it has been stable at about 100/101 degrees. I was told to wait for 10 days to candlelight the eggs to see if they are fertile or bad. I placed them in the incubator on the 20th, so I check them out on the 30th right?

I love this site and am learning so much from it. I also have Raisning Chickens for Dummies, but I think the best info I will get is from you ladies.

Megan

 

[Desert Rooster]

yes you can candle them at 10 days, and it would also be good to candle as well before lockdown ( day 18 ) to make sure that they are developing. and Hello

from Hesperia, Ca and

 

[megnchicks]

Thank you for the welcome message. I am super excited to be hatching chickens. I am constantly looking at the eggs (no touching or opening the incubator) and making sure the temp is perfect. I have not started to blog yet, but I really should. I am a true city girl getting ready to raise chickens. My husband and I just moved from Seattle to VA, and boy has it been a change.

Megan

 

[gryeyes]

from California!

Once you see that first little chick emerge from the shell, you will be in love. It's miraculous.

Happy hatching!! Don't be afraid to post questions - there are plenty of folks who will chime in to assist you.

 

[bburn]

Welcome to BYC from Arkansas. I, too, set my eggs on the 21 in a LG......trying to learn as I go. I have had chickens since last May 8...so these are eggs from my own chickens! My LG is fully loaded and if just half make it, and if there are at least a few cochins I will be happy.

Good luck with yours!

 

[megnchicks]

We have 41 eggs right now so I figured if we get half we are crazy but all will be well. Is 1/2 hatching rate bad or good?

M

 

[ryanhodapp]

what does lock down mean? mine have been under mama, so does she take care of lockdown?

 

[megnchicks]

Quote:
I think my take on lockdown is the few days before hatching you need to stop touching them. I could br wrong though so I am looking forward to other answers.

M

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Mama takes good care of lockdown. She also stays put more, talking to the eggs as the chicks peep from inside them. The early incubation time, she may come off the nest once or twice a day, but during the last few days, hardly at all.

Lockdown is a really a term for us people using artificial incubation. We stop turning the eggs, raise the humidity, and don't mess with the eggs or open the incubator until the hatch is done. (More or less... there are exceptions.)

You stop turning on day 18, and raise humidity for days 19, 20, 21 and sometimes even up to day 24 or 25. If you MUST removed hatched chicks from the 'bator, do it ONLY when there are no pips or zipped eggs at the time. If you lose humidity during this hatching period, the chicks may get stuck in the eggs by the inner membrane drying out from reduced humidity.