First Ringneck Pheasant Chicks Hatching...

[AnnabellaGamebirds]

Bought a used GQF Sportsman 1202 from the local classified ads. I have raised hundreds of pheasant, chukar and rhode island red chicks from day old but have never hatched any from eggs. I must say, I am officially hooked. I watched for hours as my first two chicks hatched in my trial batch of 80 ringneck eggs that I collected from my own birds.





Hopefully I will wake up to an incubator full of healthy chicks. I was unsure of the fertility rate of the eggs as I had 3 roosters in a community setting with about 30 hens. Also, I was nervous about storing them in my fridge on it warmest setting (44 degrees). I am thrilled to just see any chicks hatch out at all.

[frank_lap_127]

Nice pictures, I hope for you it's going to be a good hatching!

I have only two (helping) comments :

1- Try to avoid as much as possible dust in the incubator and place the eggs 3 days before hatching out of turning crates.
2- Reeves is gonna probably tell you the same (as I readed his topic about this) but don't keep your eggs in a refrigerator because it will dehydrate them.

Keep up the good work and I wish you many hatches!

Frank

[NH/Pete]

 

[AnnabellaGamebirds]

We awoke this morning to about 30 more chicks that hatched out during the night.



So let me get this straight. On day 22 or so I should have moved the eggs out of the incubator crates and just let them roll around on the trays in the hatcher? What about humidity since my hatcher does not have a water pan in it? I was just worried that the eggs would roll all around without any support. But, watching a few hatch out I can see that it is very hard for them to hatch out while still in the egg crates. How long before they need to be moved to the brooder circles with heat lamps etc.? Some of them are dry and energetic while others are still wet and groggy.

I appreciate any pointers as this is my first time. I am just thrilled to have any measure of success on my first try. It looks like the roosters were doing their jobs.

[wildergamebirds]

  With a small number, like that, you might as well leave them all in, untill they are dry (as long as they can not escape the hatching basket).  I am a bit confused about a hatcher with no humidity.  Humidity should be about 10% higher during the last three days, so you were right to not put them anywhere the humidity was low. 

[birdlover17]

Congrats  AnnabellaGamebirds!!      

Your chicks look very good, good luck with them.  

I wish you many more great hatches in the future.    I myself have an egg pipping hopefully he'll make it.

[AnnabellaGamebirds]

Thanks for the kind words. Yea, I was wondering about the lack of a water pan in the hatcher. I can get that fixed up for next time. Setting 64 more pheasant eggs now.

Thankfully, the weather has been quite humid here with afternoon thunderstorms each day. I think this has helped my birds to keep fair conditions for hatching despite their rookie gamebird farmer.

I posted a video of the first chick hatching on my dog training blog if you care to check it out. http://www.pointinggundogs.com/

[PAcortunix]

Beautiful Birds! What strain of ringneck are they?
 

[greyghost]

Well done AG, the normal time to move eggs to the hatcher is 3 days before the hatch. As Frank said, increase humidity. Not all will hatch at the same time or the same day. My chicks hatch in the turner day and night. Got 10 Coturnix and six Blue-backs in the last three days. Hatching your own chicks is fun, if from your own breeders it's better.

[CharlieHorse]

I should have moved the eggs out of the incubator crates and just let them roll around on the trays in the hatcher?

Yep.   

Those chicks will clear the sides of those hatcher trays as previously mentioned.