Hatching Day! And a question-

[BlsdMama]

It's hatching day! I've been struggling to get my humidity up and I'm sitting at about 60%. The first chick is out and I can see five pips so I'm assuming it will rise.

I've never made it to hatch day with 100% eggs still in the incubator. It's a Brinsea Octagon 20 and they are absolutely packed in there like sardines.


At what point can I safely remove some of the chicks and the some of the shells? I'm assuming as the humidity rises I could safely remove ten or so tonight? We're in the middle of an unseasonal moderate ice/snow storm and cold snap so the furnace is going - wet weather outside but dry in here.

 

[HuskerHens18]

I grab chicks out if I notice they're bothering my other pipped eggs. I've lost chicks because the ones running around rolled the eggs and were causing a mess. Just be fast, I've grabbed chicks out while others were pipped or zipping, it's turned out perfectly fine. I have a humidifier that consistently blows mist on the eggs when I open the lid, I highly suggest misting the eggs if you open the lid at lock down to avoid shrink wrapping

 

[SavKel&RynKel]

Safely? When all of the pipped shells have turned into fluffy chicks. That bei g said, that's not always the case. Our first incubation was overcrowded and our last bird stuck her beak out of the pip hole and chirped, just to get attacked by her brothers and sisters. We unfortunately had to open up and pull them out at 24 hours, and after closing back up she waited seven more hours until she finally popped out.

 

[BirdLeaf]

60% should be fine, mine hatch really well between 50-60%. I’ve removed my birds as early as two hours after hatching but it depends on how they’re doing. If they’re up and about and walking alright I transfer them to the brooder. But it also depends on what age my other brooder chicks are. There are a lot of variables but making sure they’re walking well enough is my main factor.

 

[BirdLeaf]

It’s also worth noting that if I have chicks pipping I mist them when I remove a chick. I’ve never had a problem. However, when I leave them in there with the eggs, the chicks tend to clobber the eggs and I’m pretty sure they’ve killed more than a few that were trying to hatch.

 

[Spartan22]

I will say wait 12 to 24 hours, will be safe when the early hatchers are dry and walking, newly hatched most of the time sleeps and recuperate within those time frame. We’d never lost any from brinsea incubator, by less interference. We use the brinsea ovation 28 EX, so far we love it.