… It’s the wait that gets even the best of us breeders. You thought you saw an egg wiggle; a sure sign of cute little life about to explode from it’s calcium-clad pod! But then…things go quiet again, and eggs are very still. Years go by (okay… it’s really only hours, but it FEELS like years), and then suddenly…there’s a crack…the tiniest of holes in one egg’s shell! OH JOY the process has begun! Like a frantic father in the maternity ward, you’re searching for SOMETHING you can do to help. SO…go prepare your brooder box! That’s a great project to work on while you’re waiting for your chicks to hatch ♥ There are a lot of different ways to create a comfy nest for your new chicks; the essential points being:

• Make it safe from children and pets!

  • We use large, clear plastic tote boxes with breathable wire mesh lids ♥ To make the lid, you can cut a big rectangle out of the center of the lid that came with your tote box. Then cut a piece of hardware cloth 1 inch bigger than the hole in your lid. Drill some holes in the lid around the edges your just cut, then attach the hardware cloth using small machine screws, washers and nuts. It sounds complicated, but it’s actually really easy! Note: 1/4 inch opening hardware cloth works best to provide ventilation and good protection for your chicks. Now that you have a safe box, the next step is to…

• Make it warm!

  • The first week you’re shooting for a floor temperature of 99.5 to 103 degrees Fahrenheit (you will need some kind of thermometer to lay on the brooder floor to monitor the floor temperature). There are a number of different methods to heat your brooder box, and the method of choice should depend on where the brooder box is located. Indoors in a temperature controlled room, you could opt for a brooder plate or heat lamp. Heat lamps can be equipped with either the standard red heat lamp bulbs or a ceramic heat element (we use the elements). For indoor use, a 100 to 150 bulb or element is typically all you’ll need to keep your brooder box warm. If you brooder box is located in an uninsulated room though (like a garage or shop), be prepared to use a lamp that can handle a higher watt bulb or element as you’ll need the extra heat to compensate for the night time temperature drops. DO NOT USE lamps with plastic bases with higher wattage bulbs! You will need a lamp with a ceramic base; when in doubt, check the wattage rating for the lamp you are purchasing.

  • Always double or triple secure your heat lamps! Do not trust the clamps they come with. You can use the clamp, but be SURE to also wire the lamp to something solid so the lamp and heat source is not in contact with anything flammable…!! Also be sure the lamp itself is protected from pets and children.

  • Make sure there is plenty of room in your brooder box for your chicks to move in and out of the heat. They are usually very good at gauging their own heat needs, and will position themselves under the heat source accordingly.

  • As a general rule of thumb, your chicks will need about 5 degrees less heat every week they age. If you have enough room in your brooder box, you may not need to adjust the height or position of the heat source too much, as the chicks will move them selves further away from the heat as they get older. At about 8 to 10 weeks of age (or a little longer for Cemani chicks), your babies will be “fully feathered” and will no longer need supplemental heat - YAY!

  • The final step in preparing your brooder box for your new chicks is to…

• Make it easy to walk on and relatively dust free!

  • We use 2 inches of pine bedding pellets covered with puppy pee pads (incontinence pads), or layers of heavy duty paper towels. After your chicks legs and feet have “hardened” at about 5 days old, you can remove the pads or paper towels and let them zoom around on the pellets ♥

Now that our brooder box is prepared, we wander back to the incubator and stare in awe as our adorable little bundles of joy begin…THE HATCH!

Soo much can be taught and explained about hatching chicks. And there are great YouTube videos on the subject and LOADS of photos on Google. The key points to know:

1) Healthy chicks typically hatch within about 24 hours of pipping. So do try to keep an eye on your eggs and keep track of roughly when each egg pips. If an egg is pipped, and does NOT hatch within about 24 hours, you may need to preform an “assist hatch”. Please watch YouTube videos on how to assist-hatch a chick (Key points: go SLOW, stop if there’s blood, attempt to just pull the shell away from the membrane around the middle of the egg, keep the membrane moist during the process, and work in multiple sessions if needed).

2) Try to keep all the chicks in the incubator and minimize opening the incubator lid for the duration of the hatch. If you do need to open the lid for some reason, try to lightly moisten any exposed membranes on the eggs RIGHT before putting the lid back on. This step helps prevent the dreaded “shrink-wrapping” issue where a chick becomes trapped by a drying and tightening membrane.

3) It is pretty common for humidity to spike right after a chick hatches, and is no real cause for concern. If the humidity in your incubator stays excessively high though (say above 70%), it may be good to crack the lid or vent for a brief time to release the excess humidity. As a rule, you want your hatch day humidity to stay around 52 to 65%.

4) It is VERY common for newborn chicks to look soaking wet, smell dank, and fumble around before they can stand on their own. Most chicks end up standing and walking on their own within about 4 hours, with some breeds being up-and-about quicker (our Old English Game Bantams are an example of this - we call them our “Insta-Chicks” as they tend to fluff out fast and are almost born on their feet…lol!).

5) If you have ANY issues with your hatch, PLEASE do not hesitate to contact us! We are available via phone or text almost 24/7 (almost), and are happy to help.

6) In a perfect world, your hatch will be over within 72 hours of the first chick hatching. Occasionally there will be stragglers that hatch a couple days late. But more often than not, most of your chicks will hatch within the first 24 hours ♥

7) So now you have an incubator filled with adorable fluffy chicks awaiting their Marek’s shot! So without further ado, on to our Marek’s vaccination guide…!

The Herbelin Family Farm’s Chickie Vaccination Guide

(Note: It is extremely helpful to have 2 people to vaccinate chicks!)

Vaccine Prep…

 Set out 1 Botle of Vaccine Dilutant to bring to room temperature.  Keep actual vaccine vile in refrigerator.

 Line work area/table with paper towels.

 Open up a 1-gallon freezer zip-lock bag to put all used syringes and vaccine waste in.

 Prepare a warm transfer box to put chicks in after they’ve been vaccinated.

 Set out 1, 3ml transfer syringe + 1, 1ml syringe per every 10 chicks to vaccinate.

 Place both the Dilutant and the Vaccine Vile on the work table.  Remove the protective metal collar from the vaccine vile using needle nose pliers.  Then gently lift caps from both bottles using finger nail.  Sanitize the rubber tops of each bottle with rubbing alcohol.

Using the 3ml transfer syringe, draw 3ml of Dilutant out and inject it into the vaccine vile.  Remove the syringe and swirl the vaccine vile around until the vaccine wafer is completely dissolved.

Using the 3ml transfer syringe again, draw back to fill syringe with about 2ml of air. 

Inject the air from the transfer syringe into the vaccine vile.  Then turn the vaccine vile upside-down and draw all the dissolved vaccine into the syringe.  Draw the needle almost out to get the last little bit of vaccine out of the vile.

Now inject the dissolved vaccine into the Dilutant bottle.  Remove the needle from the bottle and discard.  Then swirl the Dilutant thoroughly to mix the vaccine with the Dilutant.  The vaccine is now active and ready for use.

THE VACCINE IS ONLY GOOD FOR 1 HOUR – WORK QUICK!

Vaccine Administration…

The 1ml syringe/s can be pre-filled with 0.2ml vaccine, or you can fill them between chicks.  Or simply place the bottle on the Bottle Mount Vaccinator, adjust the dose to 0.2ml, and fill the chamber for the first shot.  Please note that the dose is point 2ml, NOT 2ml 😊.

Have the filled 1ml syringe ready and close at hand!

Now get your first chick, and have your assistant gently flip the chick onto it’s back in the palm of their hand.  Once the chick is stable in that position, have your assistant gently extend one of the chicks legs away from it’s body to expose the fold of skin between the leg and body.  Then inject the vaccine into this fold, being careful to angle the needle so the vaccine is delivered between the skin and muscle (subcutaneous) and not into the muscle or body.  If the needle tip is in the right location, you should see the skin fold bulge a little as it fills with the vaccine dose.

Give worm treat 😊 and place chickie into transfer box. ♥

Repeat these last 4 steps with each chick until all chicks have been vaccinated.

When all vaccines are complete, seal the vaccine waste bag and dispose of it immediately in an outdoor waste can (you can double-bag this as an added precaution), or burn the waste if possible (this is the method suggested by the manufacturer).