4/5 hatched day 20/21 breeding without mum when can I take them out? Also are they ok in the incubator without an air vent? Should I take the shells?

[Damhen]

First time Hatcher my autistic son asked for an incubator for Christmas
Day 20 last night we had our first very big chick around 5am the second and before 6 we had two more out of 5 one is still there the chicks are laying down next to it
I have a box ready for them with heating and lamp food and water my question is do I take the them out they don’t seem to have much space with all the open shells and I also worry about having enough space as our in I shoe hasn’t got a window?
Thanks

 

[NatJ]

You can take the chicks out as soon as they are dry, or leave them in the incubator for up to 3 days after they hatched.

Chicks can go several days without eating or drinking, because they absorb the yolk right before they hatch, so they can live on that. Eating & drinking sooner is fine too. They will typically start to eat sometime after you put them in the brooder, but there is no rush.

Incubators almost always have plenty of air inside, even with no obvious air vents. I do not think you need to worry about that.

When you take out the chicks, you can take the shells out too. There is no need to take them out any sooner.

Chicks do not need much space right after they hatch. They will move around sometimes, but mostly they take lots of naps (lots of sleeping.) If they were underneath a hen, they would be all snuggled tight under her for the first few days, not running around. So the space in the incubator is not a big problem.

It is best if you keep the incubator closed while eggs are hatching. So if you see any other eggs hatching, do not open it. If it looks like the other eggs are just sitting there with no holes in them, you can open the incubator to take out the chicks and eggshells, then close the incubator again. The other eggs might hatch late, or they might not hatch at all. Give them a few days to see which it is.