Chicks in the incubator appear to be too hot!

[Stella2020]

I am hatching my second batch of eggs and I decided to take the “leave all the chicks in the incubator until the last egg has hatched” approach. My chicks that are hanging out in the incubator appear to be getting too hot. I noticed a few of them panting. I still have chicks hatching and I DO NOT want to open the top. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you!!!

 

[Shezadandy]

Depending on your incubator, you could open a couple vents and see if that helps, or dial it back a degree or two and see if that helps. I'm far from a "purist" on the incubator remaining closed til the last baby hatches... I wait until they are dry and there are a couple/three them before moving them to the brooder so they've got company... grab them out … then close the lid again. Others will undoubtedly disagree with this method - not saying to go open and close it a bunch of times. Either way- if you have panting chicks it's too hot in there. Do you have a second thermometer in there with them to confirm what the incubator says?

 

[AquaDuck]

What's your temperature and humidity? Most common advice is to lower the temp during hatch, as the chicks produce heat when they move around to get out of the egg. With high humidity it would be wise to keep the temp even lower, as hot humid air can be hard to breathe for them.

 

[Stella2020]

Depending on your incubator, you could open a couple vents and see if that helps, or dial it back a degree or two and see if that helps. I'm far from a "purist" on the incubator remaining closed til the last baby hatches... I wait until they are dry and there are a couple/three them before moving them to the brooder so they've got company... grab them out … then close the lid again. Others will undoubtedly disagree with this method - not saying to go open and close it a bunch of times. Either way- if you have panting chicks it's too hot in there. Do you have a second thermometer in there with them to confirm what the incubator says?

I don't have a second thermometer to check, but I need to get one if I am going to hatch anymore. My first hatch I had so many get shrink wrapped and I assume it was due to me opening and closing the incubator so many times to grab them out and move them to the brooder. I have also realized that the humidity spikes up way high as a new baby chick zips and is about to hatch. I have found that opening the two "fill" vents on the bottoms helps keep the humidity down. The incubator I have came with instructions that say for hatching keep the humidity between 65% and 75%. I know a lot of people hatch at different humidities. What are your throughts?

 

[Stella2020]

What's your temperature and humidity? Most common advice is to lower the temp during hatch, as the chicks produce heat when they move around to get out of the egg. With high humidity it would be wise to keep the temp even lower, as hot humid air can be hard to breathe for them.

My temp is set at 100.0 F, my humidity is around 74%. I didn't realize turning down the temp during hatch was okay, what temp range is acceptable for hatching chicks that won't harm the unhatched babies?

 

[LittleBigBantam]

My temp is set at 100.0 F, my humidity is around 74%. I didn't realize turning down the temp during hatch was okay, what temp range is acceptable for hatching chicks that won't harm the unhatched babies?

I usually turn mine down to 99-96 depending on how many hatched already

 

[Shezadandy]

My temp is set at 100.0 F, my humidity is around 74%. I didn't realize turning down the temp during hatch was okay, what temp range is acceptable for hatching chicks that won't harm the unhatched babies?

This is where having that second thermometer (some of us even use 2 depending on the size of the incubator) is so important. High humidity during hatch - some use a glass of water with sponge strips sticking up to increase the humidity.

Heat being too high is more problematic than a little low- while your incubator might think it's 100 - it could be off and there's the possibility that's why you're getting so many shrink wraps. They pip and then the high heat dries things up. Think also about the physical exertion the chick puts forth to get out of the egg - and how much harder anything is to do in high temperatures. If the hatched chicks are panting, it's too hot.

 

[AquaDuck]

My temp is set at 100.0 F, my humidity is around 74%. I didn't realize turning down the temp during hatch was okay, what temp range is acceptable for hatching chicks that won't harm the unhatched babies?

For chicks I incubate at 99.6 and turn it down to 98.-something, depending on humidity, number of eggs and hatchlings etc.

I don't have a second thermometer to check, but I need to get one if I am going to hatch anymore. My first hatch I had so many get shrink wrapped and I assume it was due to me opening and closing the incubator so many times to grab them out and move them to the brooder. I have also realized that the humidity spikes up way high as a new baby chick zips and is about to hatch. I have found that opening the two "fill" vents on the bottoms helps keep the humidity down. The incubator I have came with instructions that say for hatching keep the humidity between 65% and 75%. I know a lot of people hatch at different humidities. What are your throughts?

I've found that there's a big difference in how well different incubators react to being opened. Some fall right back to the right temp and moisture, some go haywire... Apparently yours don't handle it too well when it comes to humidity. Great that you've made that connection and is experimenting with a different approach! Trying out what suits you, your machine and your environment is really the only way to do it. There's no definite answer.

 

[Stella2020]

For chicks I incubate at 99.6 and turn it down to 98.-something, depending on humidity, number of eggs and hatchlings etc.



I've found that there's a big difference in how well different incubators react to being opened. Some fall right back to the right temp and moisture, some go haywire... Apparently yours don't handle it too well when it comes to humidity. Great that you've made that connection and is experimenting with a different approach! Trying out what suits you, your machine and your environment is really the only way to do it. There's no definite answer.

thank you so much for the advice! I lowered the temp and they seemed to be fine. When I was in between chicks hatching I was able to get most of them out and moved to the brooder

 

[Stella2020]

This is where having that second thermometer (some of us even use 2 depending on the size of the incubator) is so important. High humidity during hatch - some use a glass of water with sponge strips sticking up to increase the humidity.

Heat being too high is more problematic than a little low- while your incubator might think it's 100 - it could be off and there's the possibility that's why you're getting so many shrink wraps. They pip and then the high heat dries things up. Think also about the physical exertion the chick puts forth to get out of the egg - and how much harder anything is to do in high temperatures. If the hatched chicks are panting, it's too hot.

Thank you for the help! I will most definitely be getting a second thermometer to put in with the next batch. Do you have any suggestions on a brand? Where should I put it while incubating? I am a total newbie when it comes to hatching babies, but it is so much fun when things go right! When I bought my incubator I looked for one that could incubate a decent amount of eggs, had good reviews, and wouldn't break the bank! I had so many people saying they couldn't find baby chicks anywhere so I decided to hatch them and share with my friends! Also, the idea of sustainability is also appealing to me at this moment in time