Chick in incubator stepping on eggs...

[calamtykel]

We just hatched our first chick ever late last night , on Father's Day! However, the chick is still in the incubator and is stepping all over the other eggs and even picking at a few of them.

There is another egg that looks like it may hatch - one notch is out and has been out since yesterday but I can see a little bit of feathers moving inside.

I thought I wasn't supposed to remove the hatched baby until 24-48 hours -but I'm nervous because it's walking all over and picking at other eggs.

Can I Move out just one chick and keep it warm enough under a light? Hopefully somebody else will hatch to keep it company today....?

 

[sumi]

I take mine out soon after hatching and I haven't had problems. One of my more memorable hatchlings got out of the egg, looked at me staring through the window and then the incubator light went off (it was the heat source and went off and on all the time). The little thing scrambled to the window and started jumping up and down, cheeping it's head off! "Get me out of here!!!" It was so funny!

 

[mstricer]

I take mine out soon after hatching and I haven't had problems. One of my more memorable hatchlings got out of the egg, looked at me staring through the window and then the incubator light went off (it was the heat source and went off and on all the time). The little thing scrambled to the window and started jumping up and down, cheeping it's head off! "Get me out of here!!!" It was so funny!

Well what might not be a problem for some, can be a problem for others. I'm not trying to be rude. But I listened to peeps that said, I have no problems doing this. I lost over 75 chicks to shrink wrapping them. I will never do it again. Yes I added lots of water before and all that good stuff, but what I find to be easier to calm done the hatched chicks is to keep them in the dark and don't shine a light on them every 20 mins.

 

[suebee]

After 9 years of broody hatching I decided to buy a Brinsea Mini Advance. Tomorrow's lockdown. According to the manual it says this:

When most eggs have hatched (12 to 48 hours after the first egg hatches) remove the hatchlings to a
brooder.

During hatching the high humidity levels will fall dramatically when the lid is lifted and will take some
time to build up. Resist the temptation to open the incubator frequently – leave for at least 6 hours
between inspections.

I think I'll try to make it as dark as possible like poster mstricer suggests and only get chicks out at 6 hour intervals, or 12+ hours if they seem content.

 

[PoultryGirly]

Some chicks will try to help others out of the egg.

 

[suebee]

Some chicks will try to help others out of the egg.

Oh wow! Can't wait to see what mine do. First time incubator-ist So exciting to actually see them hatch vs. under a broody.
I did this for my son, who is autistic. Should be interesting for him. Also will have flipcam and camera ready.

How's the hatch going Calam?

 

[calamtykel]

The hatch is not going well. I don't know what we did wrong. We got one chick - absolutely perfect, active, etc. Then another hatched 24 hours ago and is not well at ALL. Lethargic and still wet looking - not fluffing up just wet, slimy and lethargic. She can't stand. Finally took her out of the 'bator after 24 hours and she's under a heat lamp.

Now I have all these other eggs that have been getting little holes in them and tons of movement, and then they just seem to be dying! I don't know what's going on --it's so sad. One today was literally moving all over the place -now no activity for many hours.

So we've basically ended up with one chick... Temp has been at 99 - we didn't turn it down since we added a couple of eggs two days later from a friend, but we just turned it down now to 95.
Humidity has been okay I think?

I just can't believe that this needs to be SO exact -does it? I mean, a mother hen gets up at least a couple of times a day for food and water - and they hatch and incubate their eggs sometimes in very cold temps in early Spring......

don't get it - I feel like we failed this batch and I don't know why..

Actually just took the lone chick down to a broody hen who's in the coop. The baby immediately ducked under her wing and settled down. Later on, when we checked, the baby was out and near the mother's head, picking at the red thing dangling from it's chin. The baby held on and the mom flipped her over her head. It was really funny. The mom is patient though - the baby's pecking her eyes and she's tolerating it. Later the baby was back under the mom. So at least maybe there will be a happy ending for one baby?