cathybf Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I am incubating seven eggs.5 cream legbar, 1maran and 1 bluebell/orpington. It is my first time and we are now on day 17 .Tonight I noticed one of the eggs( the largest one- maran) was moving around a bit. Is this normal for day 17 ? Does it mean that they are likely to hatch early ?? I am also rather worried about my humidity . I have 2 hydrometers (both are reading at around 75% humidity outside my still air incubator( covatutto 16) but when I put either of them in the reading drops to about 35%. I have put water in the inside circle as the instructions said from day 1 but have worried about putting in more water as I have read in this country it really isn't that necessary to use water at all for the first 16 days. Finally when they hatch how long do you advise I leave them in the incubator before I move them to the indoor rabbit cage? Have bought a heater and wooden cat litter and feeders.Anything else required ?? Apologies for all the questions but I am a newbie and don't want to get it wrong !! If anyone can offer any advice I would be most grateful. Many thanks Catherine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweety Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Hi Catherine, I wouldn't worry about the moving egg - I would say it is a good sign, but not necessarily an indication that the egg will hatch early. As for the humidity, I ran my incubator dry for the first 18 days and only added water once I stopped turning the eggs. I did have a few problems keeping the humidity levels steady at around 50% in the last 3 days, but 7 out of 9 eggs hatched successfully. You could put a piece of damp kitchen roll into the incy to up the humidity level to about 50%. After hatching, the chicks should stay in the incubator for 24 hours or so, until they are dry and fluffed up. It sounds as if you have everything you need, assuming that you have some chick crumbs too, so good luck with the hatching! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 It sounds like the hydrowotsits may be next to useless, try putting one in for the next day or so and see if it sorts itself out Try to get a reliable humidity readout if you can, keep the humidity somewhere between 50-55% if you can. If you cannot get a reading then top up the channel that has water in now and then leave it, dont add any more water to other channels or pots, when the first chick hatches it will raise the humidity anyway Covotuttos have a habit of getting condensation on the inside and also if you open them they take ages to get back up to humidity so what you do on a hatch can be make or break After the first chick hatches sit on your hands and wait for them all to hatch, if 36 hours after the first chick has hatched there are no other eggs pipped then quickly whip out the chicks that are dry. do not open the top if there are eggs pipped or partially hatched, the rush of dry air can cause the membrane to dry out and trap the chick Always keep them in till they are dry and fluffy, they can survive a couple of days with no food or water. if in doubt leave the inccy closed for longer I'd normally say take any dry chicks out after 24 hours but the Covotuttos arent known for their stability once opened after a hatch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathybf Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 Thanks for that..most useful.Perhaps I should have researched my incubators more thoroughly !!! Now got two moving eggs so fingers crossed and I will take your advice when they start to hatch. Can't wait even if a little nervous. Catherine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 They arent bad incubators, just a little more unforgiving than others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
