The feathers look all wet but aren't.. It's been 8 hrs. or so since I've been sleeping. The chicks will be o.k. in there when I go to work right?

-- Maureen (onemaur@yahoo.com), December 15, 2001

Answers

Yes Maureen, they will be o.k. in there until you get back from work.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 15, 2001.

The directions in my incubator say to take them out only once a day. If you take each one out as they hatch the incubator loses heat and moisture. Also says that you can leave them in there for 24 hours. I always get mine out each afternoon. That way they are completely dry. In the event that you have one that is just hatching or still very wet when you get them out that day: leave it in for the next day and just get them a little earlier. Baby chicks are really sweet! :~)!!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), December 15, 2001.

I agree with the above responses. Once each 24 hours is best for opening an incubator. Please note that when chicks are ordered from a hatchery, they have not yet been fed when you receive them. The total shipping/receiving process takes more than 24 hours sometimes and the chicks do just fine.

-- Dianne Wood (woodgoat@pacifier.com), December 15, 2001.

How accurate do thermometers need to be or how critical is the temperature of 101degrees? Right now I have 3 thermometers in the incubator, with 3 different temperatures in a still air homemade incubator. One is just right, while the other 2 read a few degrees higher. They are all located the same distance from the light bulb. I don't know if the incubator is too hot or not.

-- Wally Kempf (wdkempf@netnitco.net), December 15, 2001.

Wally, what do you mean by a few degrees higher??? One or two should not be a BIG problem, I think I read once that they would just hatch a little sooner but I don't know how reliable that information would be.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 15, 2001.

Mine stays about the same temp(102)....but in Carla Emery's book Encyclopedia of Country Living...it says that anything above 103 will kill the baby chicks. Now...I have found that not to be entirely true....we have some Summers that it gets above 105 on some occasions and the eggs taken at that time still hatch...so I would think that 101 to 102 is optimum. Her book also says that 102 F. for a still air incubator is about right. So a couple of degrees over shouldn't be a problem. The most important thing with mine has been to keep the moisture level up. Every time that I open my incubator up I give it a couple of mists with my plant mister.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), December 15, 2001.

Oops, wrong information....I set my temp. at 99 to 101. I try to not let it get over 102 when they start to hatch out. Sorry, my memory is not like it used to be. I have to write everything down!~ :~)!!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), December 15, 2001.