Frantic mum

[sheena]

OMG is it me or am I imitating a chicken?

I'm so fired up and raring to go.
The babies are nearly ready to be born (or hatched) and hear I am on the edge of my seat looking like I got full blown ADHD!

Been sitting looking inside the window of the incy for a good 30 mins and have seen them moving (ok it was a little wobble- not a roll around)... Humidity is still hovering between 55 and 60% which I know isn't the best but the tray simply couldn't hold another drop.

Temp is stablish, 99.9 - 100.4F, brooder at the ready...

Oh god, let this be over with soon...

As for the driving lesson earlier to take my mind off it... almost took a bollard home for hubby as a souvenir, on a plus side - everyone made it back in one piece, although passengers might of been needing new underwear. lol

[SuzyB]

Good luck - hope you are put out of your expectant mum panic very soon!

[sheena]

I hope so too, how long til hatch after movement?

[julesapple]

Sheena, if you want higher humidity try putting your eggs on kitchen roll and moistening that. Remember to keep it moist though as it'll dry quickly. My bator wouldn't go above 64% even though both reservoirs were full and I had a jam jar lid (with a sponge insert) full of water in there too.

It can be hours & hours from movement to pipping.

Jules

[jessmorris]

My chicks are born early morn or in the day...(sorry - it could be a long night then!...)

[julesapple]

My chicks are born early morn or in the day...(sorry - it could be a long night then!...)

DD says to say that with some birds of prey the eggs won't hatch if it's dark, they'll wait to see light through their shells. Wonder if it might be the same with chickens, but I'm sure folks have said they've found chicks when they've checked their bators first thing.

Jules

[jessmorris]

All times I've found one chick first thing and the rest hatched duing the day. But its hardly a big sample! ;-)

[sheena]

Given that theory, how does it work with broody's then?
Do the chicks wait for mum to move off before attempting to hatch?

Have wet some kitchen towel and laid in along side the eggs rather than under them, don't want to upset the egg temp. Hopefully this will raise the humidity and tomorrow morning I will be a proud mum... oh well off to bed I go, got a feeling i'm gonna be up at the crack of dawn to keep check on them.

Can't wait... it's like xmas eve as a child

[its hilly]

I've gone to bed with three hatched and been up at six to find three more..think their idea of dawn is very different to mine
So far your behaviour sounds very similar to mine when hatch day arrives
And the bad news is...it doesn't alter with more hatches under your belt.

[SuzyB]

Any news Sheena?

[sheena]

Any news Sheena?

Nope, not yet.. have being trying to get the humidity up some more, it was sat just above 60% when i got up this morning, so warm water and a syringe, and went round the eggs and blotted the kitchen towel.

I think today is day 21, so this is it... it's either today, or tomorrow, or the day after, the day after that... no no no, just joking. The sooner the better and then my nerves can go back to normal.

[jessmorris]

Given that theory, how does it work with broody's then?
Do the chicks wait for mum to move off before attempting to hatch?

Have wet some kitchen towel and laid in along side the eggs rather than under them, don't want to upset the egg temp. Hopefully this will raise the humidity and tomorrow morning I will be a proud mum... oh well off to bed I go, got a feeling i'm gonna be up at the crack of dawn to keep check on them.

Can't wait... it's like xmas eve as a child

The eggs seem to hatch UNDER the mother hen - lord knows how, I guess she just shifts her weight around to allow them room underneath her. I guess much of a hens 'undercarriage' is fluff anyway! As for humidity and temerature, I have no idea how the hen does all that! They do pluck off ALL their underneath feathers though so the chicks can warm up very quickly.............
J

[sheena]

Still waiting...

[jessmorris]

Oh how frustrating! Me too, I'm on day 20 for some Pekin banties who should have hatched this morning.........................don't give up though, I had some banties hatch on days 23 and 24 in the spring!

[kirsty b]

oooooh, how exciting! We raised humidity by putting a wet flannel in there. Really must get some more chookies soon, have missed keeping them this last couple of months.