craftyhunnypie Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Hi everyone! As you know, my chicks are due to hatch on Monday & Will stop being turned on Friday! Exciting stuff! I'd like a bit of advice really. They have 7 days left ( 6 after 7pm tonight), at what days left to go can I expect the eggs to go rolling around the incubator & hear cheeping from inside the eggs? Another thing, my sister has always used jam jar lids to put the drinking water in for chicks - to prevent them drowning..is this the best idea? She also puts the chick crumb on a red tray until they are a bit holder. I've bought a chick hopper, with red tray bottom..will this be ok or am I best just putting them in a pile on the tray at first? She also puts a dish cloth in with them..a plain new cotton dish cloth for them to cuddle into. Is this ok..or would they be better with a little teddy bear? I have read to provide some thin twigs to encourage perching, as some very very young chicks will hop onto twigs.. a good idea or not? As you can tell, I am very excited. Went and got a bag of shavings today & the bag has burst in my car ...you can imagine!!!! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 Hi - just bumping this up, as I've not had any replies / advice. Maybe the post got hidden amongst all the posts in such a busy forum! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 (edited) Erm water and food either way is fine. A container helps prevent mess but they kick it everywhere anyway.Water as long as they can't drown so if its a proper small drinker then marbles or small stones in the water. I've never given mine a teddy. Actually I lie I gave my first one one because I thought he might be lonely and he ignored it. I know other people do though but I don't think its necessary. It entirely depends on the eggs you have, the temp and humidity etc when you'll find they start hatching. I normally find a chick before I know anythings started. The eggs sometimes move a bit but I haven't had them all rolling around. hth edited for appalling typing Edited April 9, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina C Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 At Sacrewell Farm last week they had the chick crumb in egg boxes (no lid of course ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 Thanks for the replies! It's geting very tense here in the Hollyho household! Think hubby is more excited than me..oh yes coz apparently they are his eggs & his chicks! Going to set up the brooder tonight / tomorrow all ready, so that if they hatch early - all will be ready for them. 5 days to go from tonight! Think I might use the tray from the feeder for the crumb & stick with a jam jar lid at first for the water, then maybe a drinker with some of those glass nugget things in, to prevent drowning! I know they are messy little things, coz my sister said orville & Co got really messy chucking stuff about! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuggywoo Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Hi Emma When my chicks started hatching they were rolling around and jumping for about 8 hrs (the first was hatched at 1.15am), the hatching itself took about 4 hours! It was so exciting to hear the tiny little peeps coming from inside! The first 'crack' in the shell is a fantastic thing to see. It was 21 days to the day, and almost to the hour, for mine to start rolling. Re: the food & water, I used a cat bowl for the crumbs as it was low enough for them to get in yet high enough not to make that much of a mess. The water I put in a small drinker with small clean (boiled) pebbles. I put a woolly hat in with mine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluckbok Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Sorry don't know the answer to the questions, not experienced with little chickkies. But how lovely you must take some pics and put on here when they hatching/ed! It's like a new mum anticipating the arrival eh!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I give my chicks a lamb. Here's a Silver-laced Wyandotte chick asleep on it I use a small galvanised metal trough for the crumb and a small plastic drinker - you can see them in this pic of my brooder set-up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 Awww the little Wyandotte on the lamb is so cute - I will have a look what i can give my chickies! The cat bowl idea sounds good - think we have a spare one somewhere! I do have a mushrrom drinker, but I think the water will be too deep unless I put pebbles in it. I too have a large plastic crate for my brooder, proper heat lamp, but I wasn't thinking of using the lid / putting mesh on like you have...good idea though. There will be lots of photos when they hatch - fingers crossed they hatch properly - because I won't interfere with nature & help them out of the shells. I don't agree with that, if they can't get out, then in my opinion they will be too weak to live. Humidity & temperature are all automatic with the RCom, so no need to worry about anything apart from the fact that the chicks may have given up & be quitters. I've not candled them since day 10 / 11 - I just daren't interfere too much. They weren't bad eggs, no bacteria rings, blood spots etc & they weren't clear eggs either. We saw movement & dark curved shaped masses. It was fascinating! So hopefully we should have chickies! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
