Hi Everyone,

 

I want to first start off by saying that I know many people think this cannot be done, but I want to try anyway. The last of 6 eggs was supposed to hatch today. I checked around noon and the egg was fine, along with the four babies. (the 5th baby died from aspiration, after the mom would not feed it.) Anyway, I checked again tonight as I always did and noticed the egg had still not hatched and this time it was kicked to the corner of the box and was cold. I immediately took it out to candle it to see if the baby was still alive. The baby did not move so I decided I would try warming the egg on a heating pad to see if that was what it needed. As I warmed the baby, I noticed movement in the egg and also actually felt the baby pick at the egg. So, here is my question. Has anyone ever had to incubate an egg and done so successfully? Also, how long after the chick starts pecking does it actually crack the egg open? Any help would be truly appreciated. Also, I am thinking since it is getting late here, to leave the egg in the brooder overnight with the babies I am handfeeding. Will that be okay? Thank you for helping! Wendy

Wendy, I can't help with brooding, but I'm pretty sure that it can take up to 48 hours for a baby to hatch once they start.

Here is an article to read http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/incubation.html

(it says 24-48 hours to hatch as Lin said), but the process of the hatching and why they start to hatch is fasinating.

 

You can also go through the rest of the articles too for information you may find more http://www.birdsnways.com/birds/artbreedeg...#BreedingChicks

 

Good luck, keep us updated.

Well here is the update. I was up all night because I have a heating pad that automatically turns off. Anyway, up until I last fell asleep around 4am, the baby was pecking at the egg and even chirping. I saw that as all good signs. I woke up at 6am and noticed the baby had stopped chirping. I thought maybe it was because the heating pad was not as hot and I turned it on again. The baby never chirped or pecked at the egg again, even though the egg did have a crack in it. When I candled it, there was no more movement. Anyway, I decided to do a little egg autopsy of my own. When I gently peeled the egg opened, I found the baby chick had already died. It was fully grown but missing both of it's legs. I figured maybe somehow the mom knew and that is why she did not sit on it on the last day. Anyway, we are still left with 4 babies in the nest, that is probably what mom and dad can handle anyway. Thanks for the advice. I need to get some sleep now.

Hugs, nature sure as a way, it is amazing what they can sense. He/she is flying at Rainbow Bridge happy and healthy.

Okay so I have to revise my last statement. When I looked at the baby in the egg this morning, I was tired and not seeing well. I recently looked again to find that the baby was fully formed. It made me mad because had my heating pad remained heated, I feel the baby would have made it. I will go out today and try to find an incubator or heating pad that does not turn off for future emergencies. I hate have a "learning curve" when there are baby's lives at stake!

 

Wendy

hugs

Wendy you can make an incubator using a 40w or 60w lamp. I'll try to get some information for those that end up in Wendys situation.

 

To construct a cardboard box incubator which will hold about three dozen eggs you will need the following:

 

Two cardboard boxes, one l6" wide x 20" long x 12 1/2" high, another l4" wide x l8" long x 13" (or more) high

 

Single-strength pane of glass l6" x 20"

 

l/4"-mesh welded hardware cloth l8" x 22"

 

Commercial heating unit or porcelain socket and light

 

Cake tin (water pan) 1 1/2" deep x approximately 9" x l4"

 

Glue

 

Masking or scotch tape

 

Newspapers

 

Two brooding or incubator thermometers

 

The incubator is constructed as following:

 

1. Please the smaller box inside the larger one. The inner should be higher than the outer box and about two inches smaller in both length and width

 

2. Mark a line on the inside box about 1/4 " below the level of the outside box. Use a yardstick to make a straight line on the inner box after it is removed from the box

 

3. Cut off the top of the inside box along the line made in step 2.

 

4. Use cut-away piece of the inside box to line the bottom of the inner and outer boxes where the flaps do not meet. You could also use pieces from a third box if you don't have cut away pieces

 

5. Glue on the bottom of the inner box and then center the inner box in the outer one. There should be one inch between the sides of the boxes, then secure the inner box until the glue is dried.

 

6. Mark a line on the flaps of the outside box where they come in contact with the inner edge of the inside box.

 

7. Cut off the flaps of the outside box along the lines drawn on step 6. Cut the corner pieces on a diagonal so that it will make a neat, flat corner.

 

8. Stuff strips of newspaper lightly into the space between boxes. Do not bulge the sides of the incubator. Wood shavings, or styrofoam can be used in place of the newspaper strips.

 

9. Use tin snips to cut a two-inch square from each corner of the one-fourth inch mesh hardware cloth, then bend the projecting pieces of the screen down so that they form legs to support the screen.

 

10. Place the cake tin, which will cover about one-half of the surface area of the inside box under the hardware cloth screen.

 

11. Install the commercial heating element as per the directions. If you use an electric light to heat, mount the porcelain socket on a board six inches square then place the mounting board on the screen. Nex, place a tube of cardboard around the light. Position the tube so that it surrounds the light and stands like a chimney, but to reduce fire hazard do not let it come in contact with either the light or the covering glass. An oatmeal box would make a good tube.

 

12. Tape the flaps of the outer box to the sides of the inner box as you will be sealing the area in which the insulating material was placed.

 

To build a plywood incubator you will need the following:

 

Plywood

 

Glass

 

Cake tin

 

1/4"- mesh welded hardware cloth

 

Heating unit: either a commercial unit or porcelain socket and a light bulbs

 

Masking tape

 

You may construct the incubator according to the size desired. It can be a small one for only a few eggs or it can hold several dozen eggs. The large incubator will be more difficult to maintain temperature. You may even have to put a small fan to circulate the heat.

Edited February 20, 200619 yr by daz

Wendy you can make an incubator using a 40w or 60w lamp. I'll try to get some information for those that end up in Wendys situation.

 

Thanks Daz,

 

I am going to have that ready for the next time any emergency arises.

 

Wendy