When should I clean the incubator

[WinterSkyMoonRanch]

I have chicks hatching today and tomorrow. Broken shells are littering the floor of the incubator, but I do not want to disturb those eggs that may be close to hatching and change the humidity etc. by cleaning the incubator right away. It will take me about 15 minutes to get the rest of the eggs out of the bator and then clean it and get them all back in. Should I wait until tomorrow when most of the eggs will already be hatched or do I need to worry about bacteria etc. now? This incubator is a new one and holds many more eggs than my previous ones have.

 

[Habibs Hens]

leave every thing as is

wait till all have hatched and you remove from incubator

if you can get at the shells without loosing humidity then you can always pick up the larger bit very quickly

its advisable to always sanatise the bator after every hatch just before starting a new incubation period

 

[WinterSkyMoonRanch]

Ok, thanx so much for your help. If it takes three days for everyone to hatch, then I just leave the tiny pieces in the bator without worrying aobut bacteria? I was able to pull the big pieces out quickly. It is just the little ones that have fallen on the floor of the bator that worry me.

 

[what did I do]

My incubator got very very dirty before the hatch was over. I removed chicks and big pieces of shell once or twice a day. It was yucky when it was over. I cleaned it up 24 hours after the last hatch.