Emergency hatching no incubator

[PalomaNova]

Long story short, my first time broody abandoned her eggs at around 18-20 days (different egg age by up to few days).
I have noted her out and about and not coming back to the nest anymore and not willing to sit despite my efforts. I am a first timer and very spontaneously decided her to let stay broody without further planning.

So i saved the eggs yesterday and put them in my oven at 35c (95f) setting (lightbulb heat, the only suitable setting) with a thermometer measuring internal temperature at around 30 c (86f). I put some towels, a bowl of water for humidity and a hot water bottle to try to raise the temperature and could maximally reach to 36-37.5 c (96.8-100.4 f) but most of times it stays in the middle of 30-35 c (95-96.8 f) (especially at night with cooling of the rubber water bottle).

I just candled the eggs and 4 eggs are moving (yay im excited).
1 of them is probably day 18 and the other 3 seem to be setting to hatch (maybe day 20?). No piping as of yet.

1. To help them hatch, do i need to further try to raise the temperature?
2. And what is sufficient for hatching by experience rather than literature?
3. I read conflicting info re humidity - do i need to try and keep it as humid as possible (and how, any tips?)?
4. Are there any other ways to do this without an oven but with "homemade" methods? My hubby is not a big fan at leaving an electrical appliance not meant to be running for 24/7.
5. Are there any tips to make sure the success of hatching is maximal?
6. can i still try to sneak the chicks to the mother or this is a complete no no and she would not accept them anymore?

 

[boskelli1571]

Long story short, my first time broody abandoned her eggs at around 18-20 days (different egg age by up to few days).
I have noted her out and about and not coming back to the nest anymore and not willing to sit despite my efforts. I am a first timer and very spontaneously decided her to let stay broody without further planning.

So i saved the eggs yesterday and put them in my oven at 35c (95f) setting (lightbulb heat, the only suitable setting) with a thermometer measuring internal temperature at around 30 c (86f). I put some towels, a bowl of water for humidity and a hot water bottle to try to raise the temperature and could maximally reach to 36-37.5 c (96.8-100.4 f) but most of times it stays in the middle of 30-35 c (95-96.8 f) (especially at night with cooling of the rubber water bottle).

I just candled the eggs and 4 eggs are moving (yay im excited).
1 of them is probably day 18 and the other 3 seem to be setting to hatch (maybe day 20?). No piping as of yet.

1. To help them hatch, do i need to further try to raise the temperature?
2. And what is sufficient for hatching by experience rather than literature?
3. I read conflicting info re humidity - do i need to try and keep it as humid as possible (and how, any tips?)?
4. Are there any other ways to do this without an oven but with "homemade" methods? My hubby is not a big fan at leaving an electrical appliance not meant to be running for 24/7.
5. Are there any tips to make sure the success of hatching is maximal?
6. can i still try to sneak the chicks to the mother or this is a complete no no and she would not accept them anymore?

Wow! Kudos to you for trying...
1. you need to get the temp up to 95F at least, not sure how you would do that in the oven...
3. humidity - yes you need it otherwise the inner membrane will 'shrink wrap' them. Humidity > 65% - 70% is better.
4. can't think of anything other than an incubator
5. there are no guarantees with hatching - temp and humidity are important.
6. do not return to mom, she may kill them. You will need a brooding area. Something like a box to protect them from kids/animals etc. You can use a heating pad over a form of some kind to make a little cave for them, temp should be 90F for the first week then reduce by 5 degrees every week until you reach ambient air temp.
2. not sure about this question??
Keep us updated on their progress - how exciting!

 

[Jennc-123]

This is wild! Way to think on your feet! I in no way consider myself an expert and hope you get a good response from someone. I'm excited to see how this works for you

 

[PalomaNova]

Tonight the temperature fell to only 95 f (35c) which is a great improvement as it slightly stabilised. In the morning I quickly raised it back to 37-38 (98-100.4f) but I did notice that some brief moments it nearly reached 40 c (104f). Fingers crossed it was not lethal

Not evident with the oven method as I really need to keep very close monitoring...
I may try to preheat a brick to be able to keep the heat at fixed temperature for longer time stretches (still not convinced it would work though as may risk overheating the oven). For now it's nearly every 3-4 h that it falls to 95 f (35c).

I'm still trying to figure out how to ensure there's enough humidity and that the water bowl is sufficient to keep it humid enough.. When candling the eggs the air sac signified sufficient levels, but I know that during the hatch they need even more.


Anyone with any tips on this entire process please shout out

I marked where the air sack is and turned the eggs at an angle (as directed per hatching guides). I fear one egg may have a malpositioning since I saw the feet during candling.

No pips yet but I will keep you posted on the process!

 

[PalomaNova]

1 out of 4 hatched so far!
Very exciting news

After close monitoring in the oven for more than 60 hours I went asking around and it seems that a neighbour had an incubator, so I brought it to him since he was also hatching some other eggs.

After less than 10 hours in the incubator one of them piped! 24 h later out of shell!
Still waiting for the other ones as I believe (and hope) they also have a high chance to survive!
I understand I can leave a chick 24h in the incubator and after that I need to transfer to the brooder?! I have a warm room (28-30 c) and I intend to use a 20 watt bulb and a water bottle instead of heat lamp. Any input for that please?

 

[Not another roo]

She is so cute! Well done mama, you saved her

I've never hatched any eggs so I can't give any advise, sorry.

 

[The Happster]

Wow.... Good going.
I'd leave her to fluff up.
Shouldn't take too long.
The water bottle is a good idea.


@MGG

 

[Kiraeh]

Well done! Sounds like you have a good set up and plan. I think your warm room and light plan will work fine, just keep an eye on the chicks for signs of being to cold/warm. Look up wool hens, it's a great unpowered heating option, three chicks may not be enough to heat it on their own but you could still shine the light on it and they'd have warmth and dark for sleeping.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

I love this story! Wish I had been following earlier. So excited for you and your little chickie. Check the temperature directly under your 20w bulb. If it's between 90-95f it should be sufficient for them. A red bulb might be a better choice, I'm using a 60w red reptile bulb. Having a white light on all the time might be stressful for them. Hope they all hatch!

 

[boskelli1571]

1 out of 4 hatched so far!
Very exciting news

After close monitoring in the oven for more than 60 hours I went asking around and it seems that a neighbour had an incubator, so I brought it to him since he was also hatching some other eggs.

After less than 10 hours in the incubator one of them piped! 24 h later out of shell!
Still waiting for the other ones as I believe (and hope) they also have a high chance to survive!
I understand I can leave a chick 24h in the incubator and after that I need to transfer to the brooder?! I have a warm room (28-30 c) and I intend to use a 20 watt bulb and a water bottle instead of heat lamp. Any input for that please?

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Well done you!
If you can keep them warm to 90-95F the first week then decrease by 5 degrees each week they will do fine. I think your improvs' have worked well so far, no reason why it shouldn't continue