Anyone else not hatch 'by the book'??

[shelleyd2008]

I usually get tarred and feathered when I say anything about doing it differently, but honestly I haven't noticed any differences hatch-wise. I do cheat and have an auto-turner, which sometimes gets little quail heads stuck in it

but for the most part I notice before there is any serious damage. Humidity? I don't bother. I have a washcloth in my hatching bator, but most times the eggs hatch in the incubating bator, so that doesn't do any good. The washcloth is mainly in there to hold down part of the wire that for some reason insist upon sticking up...not very good for button babies! They can slip right under it!

It is good to know I'm not the only one

I think the only eggs that I'm really careful with are ducks, I have a hard time with duck eggs, even my own. Other than that, it's every (chick, keet) for himself!

I figure if the hens can hop off the nest when the eggs are pipped and still have chubby fluffy babies pop out, then my opening the bator once in a while won't kill anyone