hatching eggs without turning?

[duck15]

Can you open the incubator while hatching/trying to break the egg

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

NO, that can kill the baby inside. Once you put them in lockdown you leave them alone.

 

[duck15]

but why do some videos in you tube show people videoing the chick hatch

 

[aoxa]

but why do some videos in you tube show people videoing the chick hatch

Probably because they have a window in the incubator.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

St incubators have viewing windows so you can see what's going on inside.

 

[TinaK]

Wonderful that you have asked questions and will be learning from what the experienced people here have to say! Good luck with your future hatches!

 

[duck15]

ohh alright thank guys

 

[duck15]

what about that she even touched the egg

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Don't make others mistakes. YouTube is great to watch, but since you came here and asked to learn it is best to not open the bator. It cause what is known as Shrink wrap which traps the ducklings below the membrane and unable to hatch.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don’t hatch ducks, just chickens and turkeys. But I think these questions are general enough that what I say will be valid, even for duck eggs. There are several guidelines given on this forum to improve your odds of good things happening and decrease your odds of causing problems. Many of these guidelines are to help prevent things that might happen, not that they absolutely will each and every time. Each egg is different and we are all in different circumstances. We don’t always get the exact same result with every egg in the incubator, let alone in different parts of the world.

As far as opening the incubator during lockdown, the risk is that the air inside the incubator can dry out enough so that the membrane inside the egg shrinks enough to trap the chick so it cannot hatch. The biggest time of risk is after the egg has pipped, which means the chick has pecked a hole in the egg so it can breathe air. This does not happen each and every time you open the incubator during lockdown, even if eggs have pipped, but it can and does happen. I’ve had it happen to me, but that was just one egg, not every egg that had pipped. Whether that is a problem for you will depend on what type of incubator you have, the humidity in the room when you open it, whether there are any breezes in the room to cause increased air exchange, how long it is open, what stage of pipping they are in, and I’m sure many other things. The guidelines that say to not open the incubator are there, not because there is a guarantee of a problem, but because there is a chance you will cause a problem.

Many people open the incubator during lockdown and don’t have big problems. Many other people that open it shrink-wrap their chicks in the egg. We all have different circumstances and conditions. I understand there is a risk inn opening the incubator during lockdown, especially after an egg has pipped, but I’ll open it if I consider the immediate problem worth the risk.

As far as turning the eggs, there are different benefits to turning them. When the body parts are forming, if the eggs are not turned, the body parts can form in the wrong places. The liver may not form where it is supposed to or both eyes may wind up on the same side of the head. These chicks generally don’t live long enough to hatch. The egg yolk or developing chick may get all the way to the egg shell and lose the protection of the egg white. When that happens, the egg yolk or developing chick can possibly dry out through the porous egg shell. It can get stuck and not be able to position itself to hatch or it may just get too dry and die. There are other benefits of turning them in helping them develop right, but maybe you get the idea. Again, this may not happen each and every time, but the guidelines have been developed to help prevent these problems.