Hatching chickens on last days

[kuchchicks]

Two questions: What percentage of your eggs hatch and what do you do when you open the incubator?

Like Amy, I do open my bator during lock down. I keep my humidity up to at least 75%. I don't open the bator wide, leave the lid off, and goof around. BUT if there is a reason, I do open it. When I open my bator I do it quickly and with a purpose. Most of the time if I am opening my bator it is because I am removing chicks after they hatch. The reason why I started doing this is because when I use to leave them in there until all were done hatching I noticed that I had chicks that would pip but never progress... they were typically eggs that got rolled by the hatched chicks. I often did not see that they had pipped as they ended up pip side down from being rolled. After a few hatches of losing chicks at pip, I decided to start taking my chicks out shortly after hatch. I have a second incubator that I use to allow them to dry. But if you don't it is possible to put them into a brooder as long as the temp is correct and you are watchful. My average hatch rate over the last 12 months is 94%. I have never had an issue with chicks getting shrink wrapped. I run my bator dry during the first 17 days (do not add water unless humidity goes to 25% and then I don't allow it to go over 35%). Then like I said at lock down I raise it to 75%. When I open my bator it is opened for less than 10 seconds, open it just enough to get my hand in, and quickly shut. It takes less than a minute for my humidity to recover. To my knowledge Amy incubates and locks down the same way. I cannot speak to how and why she opens her incubator during lock down.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Two questions: What percentage of your eggs hatch and what do you do when you open the incubator?

I have 90%+ and my last hatch was 100% Not everyone is hands off. They key is making sure that you keep your humidity up. I remove my chicks after hatch when they become active, remove shells and flip over and pippers that have been knocked over. I also assist if I feel it's neccessary. I have NEVER had a chick shrink wrap after pipping or die after pipping or during a zip. I rarely ever have post hatch deaths either. People have different philosophies, it doesn't make anyone right or wrong. I don't think less of people who choose to be hands off, I expect the same respect.

I'm new to this so do you suggest I open it from lockdown and soak up the water. Or...

If the egg is sitting in water, yes.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Like Amy, I do open my bator during lock down. I keep my humidity up to at least 75%. I don't open the bator wide, leave the lid off, and goof around. BUT if there is a reason, I do open it. When I open my bator I do it quickly and with a purpose. Most of the time if I am opening my bator it is because I am removing chicks after they hatch. The reason why I started doing this is because when I use to leave them in there until all were done hatching I noticed that I had chicks that would pip but never progress... they were typically eggs that got rolled by the hatched chicks. I often did not see that they had pipped as they ended up pip side down from being rolled. After a few hatches of losing chicks at pip, I decided to start taking my chicks out shortly after hatch. I have a second incubator that I use to allow them to dry. But if you don't it is possible to put them into a brooder as long as the temp is correct and you are watchful. My average hatch rate over the last 12 months is 94%. I have never had an issue with chicks getting shrink wrapped. I run my bator dry during the first 17 days (do not add water unless humidity goes to 25% and then I don't allow it to go over 35%). Then like I said at lock down I raise it to 75%. When I open my bator it is opened for less than 10 seconds, open it just enough to get my hand in, and quickly shut. It takes less than a minute for my humidity to recover. To my knowledge Amy incubates and locks down the same way. I cannot speak to how and why she opens her incubator during lock down.

Ditto... (because I'm a meddler....lol)

 

[kuchchicks]

Being a meddler is not necessarily a bad thing! Lol! It's just one method we subscribe to!!!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Being a meddler is not necessarily a bad thing! Lol! It's just one method we subscribe to!!!

That's my opinion too!

lol

 

[beginnerHatcher]

Ok so I just found that one of my chicks pipped! When they hatch do I keep them in the incubator cause I'm worried they will die from the heat and humidity

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Ok so I just found that one of my chicks pipped! When they hatch do I keep them in the incubator cause I'm worried they will die from the heat and humidity

Congrats!!! When to move chicks is a personal decision. Some people don't remove chicks until the hatch is complete. Some people wait until they are fluffy or dry. Then there are those of us who take them out earlier. The one thing you should consider when making this decision is how well your humidity in the incubator recovers after opening it, and making sure you have a good humidity level (70%) before opening it.

I run my humidity at 75% for hatch and I remove my chicks as they become active and start moving around in the bator. Because I do run a higher humidity my chicks don't fluff up very well in the bator. They dry and fluff much better in my brooder under my brooder light (which is usually about 100F the first few days.) I also use an old LG9200 with the fan attachment and had two chicks get hurt stretching out under the fan, so I don't like them staying in the bator. Plus I'm impatient and I wanat to see them. I waited long enough!

I also prefer that they are where they have electrolyte infused water and food for when they want it.

Generally, if your settings are accurate for hatch (temp and humidity) a chick won't die from being in there unless they are dehydrated at hatch and are kept from water. The longest I've left chicks in the bator is when they are hatched during the night and I was able to actually fall asleep. (Which doesn't happen much once they start hatching...lol)

 

[beginnerHatcher]

How long can they last in the bator without food or water

 

[kuchchicks]

"They" say a chick has enough nutrients to go about 3 days on what they have absorbed from the yolk. But part of that depends on WHEN they absorbed the yolk. If you have an early hatcher then they are going to need food sooner than your last hatcher. Typically most eggs hatch within a day or so of each other. So usually we are not talking several days.

With all of that said I almost always see my new chicks going for at least water and very often food shortly after they fluff and are walking around the brooder. I am like Amy and move them pretty quickly for some of the same reasons she gave. I also don't like my chicks rolling my unhatched eggs.

Glad your peeps are hatching!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

"They" say a chick has enough nutrients to go about 3 days on what they have absorbed from the yolk. But part of that depends on WHEN they absorbed the yolk. If you have an early hatcher then they are going to need food sooner than your last hatcher. Typically most eggs hatch within a day or so of each other. So usually we are not talking several days.

With all of that said I almost always see my new chicks going for at least water and very often food shortly after they fluff and are walking around the brooder. I am like Amy and move them pretty quickly for some of the same reasons she gave. I also don't like my chicks rolling my unhatched eggs.

Glad your peeps are hatching!

xs 2. Kuchchicks and I are almost identical in our methods and philosophies

I am not a big lover of the philosophy of letting chicks go 3 days w/no food or water. My feelings on that is humans can go 3 days after eating w/o food and not die too- I know I don't want to.

I have electrolyte infused water and food in my brooder from the start. Almost all of my chicks are drinking within hours of hatching and many are eating within 24 hours. If they don't eat for a day or so I don't get worried, but I know that it's there if they want/need it.