Lining the incubator at day 18.

[DunK]

Hi there.

Day 18 in my first incubation looms ever closer, tomorrow infact. Reading up and it seems some folk line the incubator with cheese cloth to save mess. Not having cheesecloth and being a miserable git who doesn't want to go out and buy cheesecloth for this purpose, what else can i use. I have plenty old cotton t-shirts cut up for rags, would they be any use or does it not matter as long as the humidity can stay up.

Cheers

DunK

 

[Marigold]

The main reason for lining the inci after turning has ended and before the hatch is to help the chicks find their feet and stop them slipping around on a smooth surface with not much friction. In the early hours when newly hatched, their leg muscles are still weak and their legs can splay out sideways if they slip, and this can cause a condition called spraddled leg. The malformation can 'set' very quickly, in the hours they're drying off in the incubator, so the chick can't walk properly as it develops. Efforts to correct it by tying the legs together with splints are sometimes successful, but it's very tricky and obviously you want to avoid this, hence cotton or similar fabric can be used as a lining on the floor of the incubator to provide friction. Any sort of comfortable cotton fabric will do so long as it provides grip and reduces skidding, but is smooth enough not to tangle fibres in the chicks's claws. It does also help keep the incubator clean inside and should be thrown away afterwards to avoid infection, before you sterilise the incubator. (BTW, clean the incubator ASAP after the chicks are transferred to the brooder, as it gets harder once the mess has stuck on.)
See this thread http://poultrykeeperforum.com/posting.php?mode=quote&f=7&p=37481
Good luck with the hatch, let us know how it goes!

 

[DunK]

Great info Marigold, thanks for that. Will get a square of cotton ready for tomorrow.

Thanks

 

[chickenfan]

kitchen toweling works well, or a clean flannel.