What to do?!

[mandi100]

You know how you do all kinds of research and you think you know what you're doing until the moment comes and then you realize you're clueless? Well, here I am.

Started incubating some eggs and time got away from me and today for the first time I have baby chickens from my own chickens.

What I'd read in a couple article ssimply said that once they're done in the incubator you move them to the brooder. What I didn't realize through Reading was that they're kind wet when they're born. So upon reading more articles now they're saying don't move them to the brooder keep them in the incubator until they're dry. But nobody talks about this, how do they get dry when the humidity so high in the incubator? Do you dump the water? What about the other eggs? I never anticipated these logistical questions

 

[I Love Feather Babies]

You know how you do all kinds of research and you think you know what you're doing until the moment comes and then you realize you're clueless? Well, here I am.

Started incubating some eggs and time got away from me and today for the first time I have baby chickens from my own chickens.

What I'd read in a couple article ssimply said that once they're done in the incubator you move them to the brooder. What I didn't realize through Reading was that they're kind wet when they're born. So upon reading more articles now they're saying don't move them to the brooder keep them in the incubator until they're dry. But nobody talks about this, how do they get dry when the humidity so high in the incubator? Do you dump the water? What about the other eggs? I never anticipated these logistical questions

The warm circulation of the air will dry them. Chicks don’t typically eat or drink till they are 3 days old. During those days they are absorbing the yolk that sustained them during development. Just make sure your brooder is ready and warm. If you don’t notice any chicks starting to eat/drink and you know they should be, you might have to show them where it is. May even have to dip their beaks in the water. If 1 or 2 start eating and drinking the others will follow.

 

[mandi100]

The warm circulation of the air will dry them. Chicks don’t typically eat or drink till they are 3 days old. During those days they are absorbing the yolk that sustained them during development. Just make sure your brooder is ready and warm. If you don’t notice any chicks starting to eat/drink and you know they should be, you might have to show them where it is. May even have to dip their beaks in the water. If 1 or 2 start eating and drinking the others will follow.

Without knowing to leave them in the incubator, we waited till the brooder was already up to 100 and then transferred them. But they are still a little damp. No drafts in the room and I even put a towel over the other half of the brooder to maintain heat.

I figure it's probably more traumatic to move them again than to leave them there at this point. It was after that was done that I started reading other articles and made this post.

 

[nuthatched]

Most people wait until the chicks are running around, then put them in the brooder but there's no one good way to do this

 

[Susan Skylark]

My incubator humidity runs 85% At lockdown and they never dry. I move quail chicks to the brooder as soon as they are upright and coherent, otherwise they trash the place and cheep all night! Have never had an issue even with these little guys, would think chickens would do fine too!