Any Reason I shouldn't Put some food and water in the incubator for the first hatchlings?

[Livingskies]

I am 24 hours into the hatch, with 7 hatches and 4 eggs left which don't have pips, aren't moving or peeping. The first hatchlings are pecking at everything, but I don't want to take them out until tomorrow. (the latest one was born 1.5 hours ago). It's day 22 today.

The incubator holds 72 eggs and with only 7 hatchlings in there there is plenty of room. Should I put a chick waterer and some food sprinkled on paper towel in there? Or should I just take them out tonight? Or just leave them hungry/thirsty for another day? (I know they can go up to 72 hours)

 

[SurferchickinSB]

I think they should be OK without the food and water inside the incubator.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Yeah, they'll be fine without food and water, the yolk will keep them fed.
Why don't you want to take them out? If they're fluffed up and mobile, you can remove them and put them in their brooder.

 

[Livingskies]

Yeah, they'll be fine without food and water, the yolk will keep them fed.
Why don't you want to take them out? If they're fluffed up and mobile, you can remove them and put them in their brooder.

Because it says everywhere to leave the incubator alone until the hatch is done so cold air doesn't rush in.... and humidity rush out... I can sneak food and water in much quicker than trying to catch everyone and remove them!

 

[The Moonshiner]

If you know they can go 72 hours then why think they may be hungry or thirsty?
I would never put food or water in an incubator.
Its up to you whether you take them out tonight or tomorrow.
Personaly if no other eggs are pipped for sure I'd take them out. If any are pipped I'd leave them.

 

[Fishkeeper]

You don't have to open the incubator and get all the chicks out at once. Open it just wide enough to let your hand through, slide your hand inside, nab a chick, remove your hand with the chick, shut the incubator again. If the room is reasonably warm and not bone-dry, and you're quick about it, it won't cause any issues.
Plus, the big concern with opening the incubator is that currently hatching eggs, with the membrane exposed, will shrink-wrap the chicks. If you don't have any eggs that are pipped, that won't happen.
What I'd do is quickly remove the babies and the eggs, and candle those eggs. If they aren't moving or pipping when the rest have hatched, those might be dead.

 

[mdees88]

Above advice is solid. Cracking the lid and snatching out a couple chicks is not too devastating. I had around 140 eggs in mine yesterday and I have to fully remove the trays from the incubator to get the chicks out so it's a lot more time consuming and has a worse effect on the pipped eggs in the incubator.

If there are no pips I would grab them quick with the lid cracked opened. If there are pips I would wait another 24 hours....

 

[Snowingamanda]

I wonder the same thing. Was incubating quail and they don’t have the same reserves as the chicken chicks do. So, after waiting over 24 hours I decided to take those that hatched out. Even though I added extra water which raised humidity to over 70%, took out only a small window to quickly snatch the chicks, and misted inside the incubator before closing it, sure enough all the other babies that had pipped got shrink wrapped. And i didn’t even see that they pipped until later because they pipped face down.
So, now I’m seriously considering at least when hatching quail to try to leave a shallow dish with water and sprinkle some food on the carpet. The ones that made it were very active inside, pecking at the floor, but after 25 hours in there they were less active and that was nerve wrecking. I searched the internet and did not find a solid reason why not to leave food and water for them inside... if anyone knows, please do share!

 

[Rooster G]

Reasons not to: smell, mess, they do not need it.

 

[Rose Quartz]

Other reason not to, added water will mess with the humidity, feed in there will get nasty quick.

Just take the chicks out. Keep your humidity below 70% the remaining albumen in pipped eggs will turn to glue if the humidity gets too high.

I've taken pipped eggs out of the incu accidentally before because i thought they were dead having pipped on the bottom where i couldnt see. They still hatched on their own.

I have a hovabator, where the whole lid comes off to open. Taking hatched chicks out by just opening it enough to fit my arm in hasnt caused any problems with pipped or zipping chicks.