Lessons from my third hatch

I'm now into my third month of incubating bantam chicken eggs, and I just started my fourth attempt. I've already written about my first hatch. My second and third attempts didn't go as planned. Here's what happened and the hard-earned lessons I've picked up along the way.

The Second Attempt: All Eggs Infertile

Out of four eggs, none were fertile - which shocked me, given that my roosters outnumber hens two to one. Was it poor mating, improper egg storage, or just bad luck? I'm still not sure, but it was a frustrating setback. These eggs were place under a table in the hall at Malaysian room temperature, by the way. Ceiling fan was running for 8+ hours everyday.

The Third Attempt: A Brief Victory

This time, I set seven eggs. Only one hatched - a tiny triumph - but the chick died after a week due to my mistakes. Three other eggs showed early development but stalled around day 14.

Here's what I learned:

1. Location Matters
   Placing the incubator in the hallway seemed ideal for family viewing but turned out to be a disaster. The ceiling fan (running 8+ hours daily) created drafts, causing temperature swings inside the incubator. The only egg that hatched was the one farthest from the fan - probably not a coincidence.

2. Hatch Timeline
   The chick pipped on day 19 and hatched by day 20.

3. A Chick's Struggle
   
   

   

   
   The chick had trouble standing and showed signs of wry neck (stargazing). After 48 hours, I moved it to a plastic container tilted at an angle to help it stand upright. Amazingly, within a day, it was running around on its own. Also, I fed it some cow's milk just in case it had some nutrient deficiencies.
   
   

   

   
   

4. A Fatal Mistake: Cow's Milk Isn't for Chicks
   I fed it cow's milk as it seems to be not pecking on the cracked corn. But by day six, the chick was weak and scratching itself, most likely from dehydration. It died the next day. Lesson learned: chicks need proper feed, not dairy substitutes.

5. Better Nutrition for the Flock
   Since the chick had developmental issues, I suspect my hens and roosters might need higher-quality feed to produce healthier eggs.

6. Preparing for Future Hatches
   Next time, I'll have chick starter feed, proper feeders, and a secure brooder box ready - especially since my house is surrounded by curious cats.

7. Knowing When to Stop
   On day 24, after candling showed no progress in the remaining eggs, I turned off the incubator.

8. DIY Cold Storage Success
   As an experiment, I stored eggs in a homemade polystyrene cold storage box (with temperature ranging between 22°C - 24°C) for seven days before incubation. Frozen ice in a plastic bottle was replaced every 8 hours to maintain the cool temperature. The hatched chick came from one of these eggs. So it seems to work!

Final Thoughts
Each hatch teaches me something new, even when things go wrong. With better prep - stable incubation conditions, proper feed, and smarter storage - I'm hopeful attempt #4 will be the breakthrough. Wish me luck.

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