The Poultry Keeper

Squidge · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 269 Location: Folkestone, Kent

Following on from my request for an incubator in earlier posts it is now 19 days and I have six eggs in the incubator and am very nervous about how they will turn out especially as three had dropped 3ft onto the floor whilst candling! I have not even got a heat lamp or anything set up yet as I didn't want to "count my chickens etc". Watch this space!!!

JC · Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 1116 Location: Sussex

3ft to the floor! Did you drop them?

Squidge · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 269 Location: Folkestone, Kent

I had the candling box on the bed where I could plug the lamp into an extension. They were all nicely in an egg box but I pressed on the side of the bed in the dark and they rolled off the bed onto the carpet. Obviously they didn't break but I don't know if that might have killed them. I candled them straight after and whereas the embryos were moving before I couldn't see anything moving after the fall and I looked the next day. I just have to keep my fingers crossed.

mojo · Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 4:39 pm Post subject:

sqwidge...........first dont panic....second continue exactly as instructions say..............you dont need a heat lamp just use a 60 watt light bulb at the right height so temp directly under iton brooder floor is 98 degrees...............if you get chicks go out and buy a dull emitter bulb if you want to .......do a search for brooder information on the forum and read it all before the new arrivals come

Squidge · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 269 Location: Folkestone, Kent

Thanks mojo. Just one question....dull emitter bulb???

NannyP · Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 6:30 pm Post subject:

Provides heat but not light....looks like a ceramic bulb I think Confused

Squidge · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 269 Location: Folkestone, Kent

I never thought about that. Do you have one for day and another at nightime?

mojo · Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 8:47 pm Post subject:

no a dull emitter can be on all the time with normal bulb for light or daylight ..............or choose a red heat bulb for light and heat

Sylvia · Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:36 am Post subject:

Any cheeping or pipping yet Squidge - it is day 21 today isn't it?

Woodburner · Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 10:26 am Post subject:

Dropping isn't good for eggs. Hopefully they'll be ok but if those three fail to hatch and the others are ok you can be pretty sure that's the reason. Sad

Here's hoping for the best. Smile

Squidge · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 269 Location: Folkestone, Kent

It is day 21 Sylvia and no, no pipping!! Really worried now. Thanks for your thoughts folks.

Sylvia · Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:42 pm Post subject:

Don't give up, they can hatch up to day 25. Have got my fingers crossed for you.

Squidge · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 269 Location: Folkestone, Kent

Everything is crossed. Trouble is I'm at work all day tomorrow and feel I need to be around in case. In case of what I don't know....How do you know if a chick is having problems getting out of the shell. I don't want to go through all this and then find out something at the very end went wrong....wish I was more experienced. Here's hoping!

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3540 Location: Monmouthshire

You are far better off at work than fiddling about with the eggs. They'll either hatch or they won't.

Squidge · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 269 Location: Folkestone, Kent

Yep, you're right! I'll chill out at work....a bit!