First time hatching eggs

[Victor27]

Hello everyone! So I recently purchased an incubator and today is day 21 with the eggs inside. A few hours ago one of the chicks hatched and it's perky and chirping along inside of it. My questions are the following:

- How long do I keep the baby chick inside before transfering it to its new home?
- Is it normal for no other eggs to have hatched yet considering its been about 5 hours since the first one hatched?
- Is it safe to open the incubator? and if not, when can I open it?

Thanks beforehand!

 

[Brooks_]

- How long do I keep the baby chick inside before transfering it to its new home?

After dry and fluffy.

Is it normal for no other eggs to have hatched yet considering its been about 5 hours since the first one hatched?

Yes, I had 1 hatch a full day after the first.

Is it safe to open the incubator? and if not, when can I open it?

Best practice is to not open till all are dry and fluffy,

 

[Brooks_]

And

 

[Tonyroo]

What kind of incubator are you using?

 

[Victor27]

What kind of incubator are you using?

This one. The parameters on it are wrong btw. I couldnt callibrate it, but I have another thermometer inside indicating the actual temp and humidity. And it says day 19 because it got turned off a few times so I guess its internal clock got reset, but its day 21.

 

[Victor27]

After dry and fluffy.

Yes, I had 1 hatch a full day after the first.

Best practice is to not open till all are dry and fluffy,

Thank you so much! So if the first one gets dry and fluffy but no others have hatched within 24hrs, can I open it and take it out?

 

[Tonyroo]

You could take it out while it's halfway dry and place it in the brooder to finish drying. The chick doesn't need food for 2 days but have water available at all times.

Keep your brooder temperature at 99F to 98F degrees for 1 week then drop the temperature for the following weeks .

 

[TropicalBabies]

Aloha @Victor27 , welcome to BYC!
Where did you get your eggs from? Congrats on your almost new flock.
I would not open till 24-48 hours. You could have eggs piping and pretty much kill them if you have bad timing. Best to keep it closed as long as possible. Chicks can go 48 w/o food and water, absorbing their yolk.
Try and hold tight.

 

[Brooks_]

Thank you so much! So if the first one gets dry and fluffy but no others have hatched within 24hrs, can I open it and take it out?

Judgement call. You can use a blanket over your head and bator to help maintain humidity.
Myself? If remaining eggs have not even or only pipped, I removed. Hatchlings can live for two days without food/water.

 

[Ryguy3684]

- How long do I keep the baby chick inside before transfering it to its new home?

Like others said, dry and fluffy. 2-3 days without food/water is okay.

- Is it normal for no other eggs to have hatched yet considering its been about 5 hours since the first one hatched?

My first incubator fluctuated temperature a lot. I had eggs hatch over the course of 4 days.


Is it safe to open the incubator? and if not, when can I open it?

Generally, if no other eggs have externally pipped, it's safe to open the incubator. Just be as quick as possible, while still being safe. If I need to open the incubator, I'll put a warm, wet paper towel in the incubator to keep the humidity up. I also incubate in a bathroom, so I can turn the shower on hot and make the whole room humid. That way, I don't need to worry if I open up the incubator.