Hands on hatching and help

[Beau Garden]

I have chicks that started hatching last night. The first one was out when I woke up this morning morning and I just had the fifth one break through about an hour ago. I have three more eggs in there that were good when I candled them before lock down. The last three don't look like anything is happening. My incubator is hard to see in so I can't tell if there are any pups on them. Should I wait until the morning or should I open it to check on them and remove babies?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I have chicks that started hatching last night. The first one was out when I woke up this morning morning and I just had the fifth one break through about an hour ago. I have three more eggs in there that were good when I candled them before lock down. The last three don't look like anything is happening. My incubator is hard to see in so I can't tell if there are any pups on them. Should I wait until the morning or should I open it to check on them and remove babies?

That's totally up to you. I prefer not to have hatchers in the incubator over night if possible, so if mine are up and moving they go to the brooder.

 

[rochesjourney]

I have chicks that started hatching last night. The first one was out when I woke up this morning morning and I just had the fifth one break through about an hour ago. I have three more eggs in there that were good when I candled them before lock down. The last three don't look like anything is happening. My incubator is hard to see in so I can't tell if there are any pups on them. Should I wait until the morning or should I open it to check on them and remove babies?

You have a lot more patience than I do. I am always candling and checking eggs after "lockdown" Lockdown is more like peek a boo time for me, lol. I don't leave my chicks in the hatcher for very long. I am always afraid there isn't enough oxygen for them. I know a lot of people will leave them in for up to 24 hours.

 

[BYC910]

You have a lot more patience than I do. I am always candling and checking eggs after "lockdown" Lockdown is more like peek a boo time for me, lol. I don't leave my chicks in the hatcher for very long. I am always afraid there isn't enough oxygen for them. I know a lot of people will leave them in for up to 24 hours.

Small Incubators recover quicker than big cabinets . I wait till several hatch and are fluffed up dry before removing any . With small incubators five minutes they are back to temperature.In cabinets it can take twenty are more minutes and humidity even longer . The down side to leaving chicks in for longer is they can roll a pip down and if there is to much fluid in the egg the pip can be blocked and suffocate the chick .

 

[PD-Riverman]

Small Incubators recover quicker than big cabinets . I wait till several hatch and are fluffed up dry before removing any . With small incubators five minutes they are back to temperature.In cabinets it can take twenty are more minutes and humidity even longer . The down side to leaving chicks in for longer is they can roll a pip down and if there is to much fluid in the egg the pip can be blocked and suffocate the chick .

I wait till all have hatched, dried, then open and remove them, never having a problem with rolled eggs, never watching the humidity have to recover. Works great for me.

OOPS on the Hands On hatching forum-----Sorry----don't pay my post any attention.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

You have a lot more patience than I do.  I am always candling and checking eggs after "lockdown"   Lockdown is more like peek a boo time for me, lol.    I don't leave my chicks in the hatcher for very long.  I am always afraid there isn't enough oxygen for them.  I know a lot of people will leave them in for up to 24 hours.

Many will leave them in 2 days because they go on the theory the yolk will sustain them for 2-3 days, which there is truth to this but I have a big BUT with this. For one, Cobbs chart states that average yolk absorption takes place between day 19-20. So if they hatch day 21 they've already been living off that yolk for 1-2 days already. Plus it doesn't take hydration into consideration. The yolk is nutritional value, it's not going to keep them hydrated. I move my chicks as they become active in the bator. My brooder has electrolyte enhanced water and starter crumbles in it from the get go. Most of my chicks are drinking within 12 hours. Once they have good control of their feet and bodies, they are over there drinking. I will say very few are interested in the food until after the first 24, but they are drinking, and I think people overlook the fact that through the process of hatching and being cooped up in high temps these guys can start dehydrating and get thirsty. You can survive without water for a couple days, but that doesn't mean it's comfortable. I know it sucks when I'm thirsty and don't have drink available. As for oxygen, if vents are open like they should be, that shouldn't be an issue, but (yes another but) I had chicks getting hurt when I left a whole bunch in there and active. Had some playing king of the hill on my thermometer and one got pushed off, must have hit the thermometer with his beak, chipped the beak and was actually bleeding. Boy did he cry. The lg I had, one stretched out under the fan and nearly scalped herself. She still has, two years later the cut to her brow where it didn't fuse back together. I had a second one get hit with the fan as well, but it just through it back no injury. But I started to feel they were safer in the brooder.
So, I am one of those that don't wait as well, plus mine fluff better under the light than in the bator because of higher humidity.

Small Incubators recover quicker than big cabinets . I wait till several hatch  and are fluffed up dry before removing any . With small incubators five minutes they are back to temperature.In cabinets it can take twenty are more minutes and humidity even longer . The down side to leaving chicks in for longer is they can roll a pip down and if there is to much fluid in the egg the pip can be blocked and suffocate the chick .

Very true both my lg and the Hovabator regains bothtemp and humidity quickly.

I wait till all have hatched, dried, then open and remove them, never having a problem with rolled eggs, never watching the humidity have to recover. Works great for me.

OOPS on the Hands On hatching forum-----Sorry----don't pay my post any attention.

Lol. We aren't opposed to hearing other's method. Just opposed to people condemning the hands on method. Most of us are very accepting to others that hatch with hands off philosophy, we just don't like those that do and think that is the only way and put down people, or preach "you shouldn't". I think you and I have grown to have a mutual respect for our differences, and that's basically what most of us want.

 

[Beau Garden]

This one didn't make it. I'm not sure what went wrong. It looked like it was in a perfect position but hadn't fully absorbed the yolk. Any pointers? I set 12 eggs. 5 never developed. One died early on in the middle of incubation. Then the fully developed died before hatch. So I have five healthy babies! I was hoping for more but I'll take what I can get.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

This one didn't make it. I'm not sure what went wrong. It looked like it was in a perfect position but hadn't fully absorbed the yolk. Any pointers? I set 12 eggs. 5 never developed. One died early on in the middle of incubation. Then the fully developed died before hatch. So I have five healthy babies! I was hoping for more but I'll take what I can get.

It looks like maybe there was extra fluid in the egg yet? It could just be that egg wasn't able to loose enough moisture before hatch.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

This one didn't make it. I'm not sure what went wrong. It looked like it was in a perfect position but hadn't fully absorbed the yolk. Any pointers? I set 12 eggs. 5 never developed. One died early on in the middle of incubation. Then the fully developed died before hatch. So I have five healthy babies! I was hoping for more but I'll take what I can get.

Is that the position it was in or did you pull the head out from under the wing? He's not in the normal head under wing, beak up position.

 

[PD-Riverman]

I think you and I have grown to have a mutual respect for our differences, and that's basically what most of us want.

We Have. Now we have to deal Together the new shell--less hatch----have not tried that yet----have you? LOL