a wonderful, interesting problem

[KristyHall]

ok, as you know this is my first time with an incubator hatch. well I set 41 one eggs, three are ducks, so 38 are chicken. so far i have 28 o 29 chicks hatched.

The problem is, they are very responsive, and active and the 'bator is full. everytime i bring even a small light in to see they start going crazy and playing soccer with the other eggs and trampling the newborns. I finally turned off the lights last night because it was getting so crowded.

I can't tell if any other eggs are zipping because when i go to look the other chicks go crazy, making it hard to tell if its safe to move the fluffy ones out or not. they are all curious and responsive, pecking at things, peeping, wandering around, looking up at me with curiosity. It is just so crowded in there.

So what should I do? take the risk and remove a few without knowing whether or not an egg has zipped? should I just leave the lights off so they all nap ?

 

[92caddy]

Yes you need to get the bigger/older ones out of there so they dont hurt the smaller ones. As soon as they dry you should remove them to a brooder.

 

[Highlander]

turn the shower on and get the bathroom nice and steamy. Then take the incubator in there and do what you need to do. That should help keep the humdity up. If you are still worried then you can spritz some warm water over the eggs before you close the lid again. Good luck and remember we need pics!

 

[Gypsy07]

Some people like to take out chicks as they fluff up, others feel quite strongly about not opening the bator at all till everyone has finished hatching. Having watched loads of hatches now, I think I can safely say that chicks trampling all over each other are unlikely to do each other any damage, even to the newly hatched ones. I've never had chicks injured that way, and I've watched them stamping on each others' heads for hours on end while a hatch was going on. Maybe if some of your chicks were a big breed and some of them were tiny bantams it could happen. Remember that chicks will be fine for up to 72 hours before they need water or food, so don't be scared to leave them in there if you think you might have difficulty keeping your humidity up when you go to take them out...