When Should I Move the Chicks from the Incubator to the Brooder?

[wsdareme]

Quote:
Oh, heavens, it's not your fault!! I think it was the excessive humidity -- and so far only one has died. It had a large head when it was born, so I think it might not have made it anyway. The other 6 are drying out in the brooder. They are pretty much laying out flat, but will get up a move a few inches when stimulated. Is that fairly normal for day-old chicks? I could see that they'd be exhausted. But, I've seen a video clip of day-old chicks at the hatchery that are being packed for shipping, and they're pretty healthy looking and very active. Maybe mine just need to recover from me trying to drown them in the incubator...?

 

[Kedreeva]

The first hatch I did, the chicks mostly laid around and slept. Occasionally they get up and hobble a few inches and then they fall asleep because a few inches is exhausting work when you're that little. The ones I have now are about a day old and they can stand and walk but they can only stay awake <2 minutes at a time before life is just so tiring. They get stronger as they go and eventually you will miss the time when they slept (quietly) all the time, especially if they are indoors.

 

[Keri78]

Just be careful not to overheat them. I always just use a reg. 100watt. light bulb(actually a red bulb from the reptile section at Petsmart). I keep a digital thermometer in the brooder and most of the brooder stays around 80 degrees. Directly under the light is warmer of course(90-95). Don't be too concerned about lots of sleeping. They don't usually wake up fully for a few days.

 

[FenDruadin]

I'm so glad you don't blame me! I still feel bad, though...

I hope the little ones turn out just fine. It is normal for them to sleep A LOT the first few days, especially if they've had a bit of a rough time. I'm afraid to give any advice so I'll just confine my remarks to saying that I'm crossing my fingers for them!

 

[wsdareme]

UPDATE: I have lost 4 of 7 chicks. I don't know if it was the high humidity or something else. The last 3 are hanging on and seem to be doing alright, but I thought that about all 5 before I went to Walmart for a few minutes and came back to find 2 more dead. Please send good thoughts my way! This is just making me sick.......

 

[FenDruadin]

I am so sorry for all your losses. How horribly disappointing to wait three weeks, watch them hatch, and then have so many of them die like that. I'm sending good vibes your way. Wish there were more I could do.

 

[wsdareme]

This is what my incubator looked like at the end of the hatch. It's hard to see because of all the moisture on the inside, but I think it will give you an idea:


And here are my 3 scruffy looking little survivors (at least, they've survived so far...):


They seem to be doing pretty well. Let's hope they continue to improve. Thanks for your good thoughts!

 

[Snipes]

Awww, so sorry to hear about the troubles, but at least some survived! Also, howdy neighbor!

 

[Cgreene]

Do you have an air circulating fan in your incubator? I am in the process of my second incubation, the first time I took each one out as it hatched and put them in the brooder and it worked very well, but this time I am leaving them in the incubator and with the air circulating fan they dry out very well, plus, I think that their movement encourages the others to hatch, kind of afraid to leave them in there 72 hours without food, so, I will be moving....soon, every time I go look to see if I should move them I can see that two or three more are attempting to make the break.

 

[Jan/new chicks]

I have a large incubator and have a good many eggs in it. One batch is due to hatch in a couple of days. My question is how do I take the hatched eggs out when instructions say don't open the door for fear of cooling off the other eggs. The second batch are to start hatching in 6 days. Any suggestions would be appreciated.