when to move them to a brooder

[heksa]

I have 3 chicks that hatched today on day 20. The are all fluffed up and resting in the incubator. When can I move them to a brooder?

 

[debilorrah]

As soon as you have no more pips and they are dry.

 

[heksa]

Thank you! No. 4 and 5 just popped. I'm going to wait for them to fluff up and then make a move. I don't see any more pips, so we are probably done for today. ;-)

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
They are actually safe in the bator for up to 72 hours. Mine hatched Thursday and Friday and I just moved them to the brooder. They are sooo cute!!!

 

[heksa]

I'm not in a rush to move them. More then that I wanted to clean up in the bator - take the shells out to make more room if anyone else wants to hatch.

This is our first successful hatch. Very exciting!
And the chicks are adorable. All Silkies.

 

[duckking]

Congratulations!

 

[ScissorChick]

Congrats!

Just as debiraymond said, once all are hatched and fluffied up.

Be sure they are totally 100% dry, please. Try not to open the bator when

others are hatching. You don't want to shrink wrap them. If you have to, open

the lid slow so that a gust of cold air doesn't swoop into the incubator.

They can survive off of their ubsorbed yolk for three days, which is how they survive

when they are shipped.

❀ScissorChick❀

 

[heksa]

Thanks for the congrats! This was an exciting day!

I moved all five of them into a brooder. Added warm water to the bator to up humidity in case it dropped while it was open. Is that OK?
Then few minutes later I noticed crack beginnings in two more eggs. Gosh, I hope the bator stabilizes before they pip.

Also, the newborn chicks' legs aren't very strong. Is that normal? They mostly lay and crawl, but are able to stand if needed for a sec or two.

 

[gryeyes]

One of the reasons I don't mind leaving chicks in the bator for a day or two is for them to get their land legs. They've been in such an odd position for SO LONG it takes a while to get motor skills up to speed. Chicks that just lay there in the incubator are staying nice and warm and toasty while they rest from hatching. By the time they are wreaking havoc inside the incubator, they are better able to run around in the brooder. But they'll still sleep A LOT (and in the darnedest positions) for a couple more days.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
You are fine. Bators stabilizer faster than we realize. Yes, adding water was ok. And those cracks? They are called pips.

Newborn chicks, even a couple days old, roll more than they walk, especially if they had a large yolk sac. Those are the funny lookin ones!