hatching in progress - need urgent advice pls

[scatteredeggs]

hi

i hv 59 quail eggs in lockdown phase. there are 3 babies in there now. concerns:

1. can open the incubator now?
2. should i take out the 3 babies out and put them in the brooder? (there's one zipped egg and chicks sometimes park on top of it) they hatched overnight, and in process of fluffing.
3. there's a bit of precarious situation. i hve shelf lining on top of 1/2" chicken wire/hardware cloth. i left the 2 ends of the hardwarecloth exposed thinking that humidity may be impeded if i don't. the chicks may probably walk out of the shelf lining and fall into the hardware cloth floor. if i spread out the shelf lining all over the hardware cloth floor, will that affect/decrease humidity?

your prompt and wise advice is greatly appreciated

 

[danielle82]

My rule for myself is that I don't open during lockdown unless I absolutely have to, and at that I steam up the bathroom and take the incubator in there to open it so as not to have a humidity drop when I open it. (Ive only ever hatched chickens, no quail...I don't know of the differences) The chicks do knock and roll the unhatched/hatching eggs all over but it dosn't seem to phaze them, I have no clue about shelf liner impeding humidity...I don't think it would, but I don't know

 

[hoppy]

leave it alone, you will do more damage by opening it now then if you wait. once most have hatched and you don't care if anymore do, then open it and next time make sure everything is how you want it when they go into lock down. if it's an emergency, I spray with a plant mister when I close the incubator but I have found it's best to leave it alone.

 

[scatteredeggs]

thanks guys -

heeded your advices in a way. opened, picked up the fuzzies and sprayed with a mister and humidity was back up in no time.
one chick fell thru to the bottom of the styrofoam and already dead when i did open. (my hardware cloth flooring has gaps. told DH he needs to QA my construction next time)
i fixed the liner and dh helped me in helping one chick open its shell. it's the first one to pip, shell was totally zipped. it was a matter of us lifting the top half of the shell and it's out. i can hear it peeping now.