I didn't think you could candle them after lockdown? I am still learning lol
You never do, although maybe I should say I never do as I see people cheating all the time to check if there is internal pipping.
I don't need to be that nosey unless there is a benefit which there isn't. People will tell you their point of view, people will mention strange theories (that would be me) and some people will actually know what they are talking about.
You have read the care guidess, you know not to disturb them during lockdown, which is why you asked this question. So yes disturb them as little as possible. The problem with disturbing chicks "while they are hatching" is that opening the incubator instantly drops humidity. If you have a decent humidity monitor you will know this. Like from 70% to 20% in seconds. If you close the incubator the humdity can rise again which generally only takes a minute or two so during the whole incubation a few dips to 20% are absolutely fine but if they are pipping and this happens it can cause the chicks to get shrink wrapped.
If I have to open the incubator I have a spray bottle on hand set to a very fine mist that I can spray on the walls to stop any drying ( I don't spray the eggs directly) but it evens out the humidity drops.
Taking hatched chicks out should not take more than a minute which should be fine but during lockdown the incubator should be treated like a spaceship in outer space on its final bit of the mission. You wouldn't open the airlock because all the oxygen would get suced out into space. They have depressurization chambers to stop this from happening, incubators don't and when you open it all the heat and humidity gets sucked out into space, i mean my living room. Did I mention I like thinking up weird theories?
1 minute should still be fine, take out the chicks as long as you have a brooder set up at the right temp, they need food and water after 24 hours so it can't be avoided just do it with a spray bottle, as fast as you can and cross your fingers.
Or follow the millions of youtube videos showing no thought put into things, constantly checking for internal pipping, opening the airlock multiple times a day, leaving the incubator open while candling the eggs has to be my biggest niggle and posting the resulting dead chicks as an educational afterthought.
) Some people will take them out as soon as their down is dried off and they're fluffy. Don't let the lid be open too long, if some the chicks are running around too much, you might have to put the lid back on before you get them all out.
Maybe then. Perhaps wait a few days watching and waiting, then candle what doesn't hatch to see what happened?
