Hatched chicks in incubator

[pac]

You can candle a few at a time without affecting the temperature much. Humidity is a lot more forgiving, so if the humidity drops significantly for 10 minutes it's not going to harm them.

Gotcha.
Take out a few eggs and replace lid. Candle. Return good eggs and grab a few more while in there. Replace lid...

 

[007Sean]

There will be a tiny, triangular crack in the shell. Sometimes it can be hard to see.

Sometimes it's shaped like a pyramid!

 

[pac]

Mine aren't Egyptian quail.
I'll be happy to see a crack

 

[Bolfreak]

I like to get mine out the bator and in the brooder no longer than 12 hours, they could go for 24 hours but I find that the longer they stay in the bator the more problems they have with legs getting splayed.

You should have your brooder setup and ready for the chicks, if you remove the chicks quickly, it shouldn't have much affect on the other pipping eggs. If they are beginning to 'zip' I'd leave them in until no more are zipping but if they are just piped, I'd remove the hatched chicks from the bator.

Agree with the splaying left too long even though they could technically go 2 days. I also put in dollar store shelf liner under the eggs when I remove the turn tray. Keeps toes and beaks from going into cracks and a better grippy surface to walk on - or run in the case of ducklings
I notice a difference between my hatched ones and the ones ordered from a hatchery. I guess when you spend the imprinting period inside a box, it causes some delays
If I move hatchlings out, I try to do it in couples or groups. Chicks don’t do well alone. Have a helper so you can move fast and efficiently to not lose a lot of heat/humidity from the incubator. I also grab the empty shells because they’re gross, not for any scientific reason.
If you’re dna testing you need to dry the shells completely outside of the humidity of the bator anyway.

 

[pac]

I put my drawer liner in straight off. The turned is working just fine and the eggs are turning.

 

[highwinds2c]

Chicks are out. Had a total of 7 out of 12 hatch.
2 didn't make it past early development And were removed on lock down.
2 never pipped and were dead in egg.
One pipped and is still alive in the incubator but will probably not survive.
2 have curled feet that we have put in a separate brooder and made booties for to try correcting the toes.
Of the two one seems like it will survive if the toes are corrected while the other is rather weak but we are still trying to give it a chance.

The other 5 babies are all active and healthy.