Hatching- incubator

[VikkD]

Hi. I gave hatching eggs to a friend- she wanted chickens. I'm not familiar with hatching and this is her 1st time. 2 made it out of the eggs. The others didn't and died. Is assistance ok after so many hours? Should the hatched chicks be removed from the incubator after hatching? Thank you.

 

[cherrynberry]

Hi. I gave hatching eggs to a friend- she wanted chickens. I'm not familiar with hatching and this is her 1st time. 2 made it out of the eggs. The others didn't and died. Is assistance ok after so many hours? Should the hatched chicks be removed from the incubator after hatching? Thank you.

I tend to like to let the chicks wait in the incubator until they are slightly fluffy. What day is she on?

 

[Smileybans]

Wait 24 hours, or until the chicks are fluffed, to remove them from the incubator. I try to wait 24 hours to let any late chicks hatch. Here’s a good reference for assisted hatching. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching.64660/

 

[cherrynberry]

I tend to like to let the chicks wait in the incubator until they are slightly fluffy. What day is she on?

Keep in mind that chicks can stay in the incubator with no feed and water for 2 days. Although several hours should do, to get them fluffed up

 

[VikkD]

I tend to like to let the chicks wait in the incubator until they are slightly fluffy. What day is she on?

2 hatched- she did take them out when they were dry and fluffy- they are doing well. The other 8 started to hatch but didnt get out of the shell and died. I don't know if assistance is a good thing or bad thing after so many hours.

 

[Smileybans]

I usually don’t assist until after 8-10 hours of zipping. If the chick has started zipping then stopped for a number of hours I help as little as possible to see if the chick will continue on its own. If a chick has pipped and does nothing for close to 14 hours then I’ll check on it and assist if needed. The article goes into more detail about how to check if a chick needs assistance.