Delayed Hatch - Holiday Weekend HELP!

[ecse129]

So we are hatching chicks in our third grade classroom. Due to tornadoes and severe weather in our area this past weekend we lost power for about 2 1/2 hours. The chicks went in lock down the next morning. They were DUE to hatch yesterday, but due to the temperature drop they are a little delayed. I just candled one quickly as I added more water and it is still moving but I can't even tell if it internally pipped yet. Here is the issue, due to the holiday weekend, they will be on their own from Saturday evening to Tuesday Morning. Any that hatch and are dry by tomorrow evening can go into the brooder with their food and water and be fine until Tuesday. I am worried about the late chicks that don't hatch until tomorrow evening. Can they stay in the incubator until Tuesday morning? I realize it was poor planning to have them hatching so close to a holiday weekend. We had a really poor hatch with our last batch so this was a last minute "second try" and I didn't calculate the days appropriately before I put them in the incubator. I counted into next week which would have been fine. We have a Brinsea Octagon incubator so there isn't exactly a lot of room to throw some food or water in there or anything. I know they can live off their absorbed yolk for 48 hours, but they will be pushing 60some hours by the time anyone will be here to take them out of the incubator. Thoughts?

 

[ecse129]

I would take the incubator with me for the weekend, but unfortunately since they are in lockdown they are way too fragile to move. They roll around like crazy in the octagon incubator.

 

[3BirdGirlz]

I'd chance it and take them with you. If none have externally pipped, put them in an egg carton and move them. How far away do you live. A hen gets off her eggs daily, so they should be fine if you live close. My Eco 20 comes up to temp really quick. With upping humidity besides filling the trays, put a wet sponge in. When transporting you could even wrap them in damp papertowls with a heat pack on top? I have a rice bag and have used it to warm a chick up....you could put sonething like that on top of the egg carton? These are just my opinions and ideas...don't know what you feel comfortable with. I had a chick internally pipped and moved it from nest to my incubator and it hatched fine. I think the long weekend is too long. Good luck!