Hatching question

[Its_chris]

What happens if I forget to increase humidity during lockdown?

 

[nuthatched]

They might get stuck, the membrane will get tough and they'll be unable to get out.

 

[Its_chris]

They might get stuck, the membrane will get tough and they'll be unable to get out.

Like they pip and die?

 

[nuthatched]

Like they pip and die?

Usually, yes.

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

I usually keep my humidity anywhere from 50-60 and my chicks do fine more often than not.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What happens if I forget to increase humidity during lockdown?

It depends on different things. No two incubators even the same brand are identical and each egg is different so you can get varying results.

The reason we manage humidity during incubation is to control moisture loss. The eggs need to lose a certain amount of humidity to hatch but this is a pretty wide window. You don't have to be that perfect. Besides, the amount they need to lose can be different for each egg so you are looking at an average that covers most of the eggs.

During lockdown we raise the humidity to prevent shrink-wrap. That's when the membrane around each embryo dries out and shrinks when the chick pips so it is trapped and can't continue to hatch. This is not exact either. How much moisture was lost during incubation plays a part, but each egg is still different. How dry it gets in the incubator during lockdown and how long is stays dry plays a part. What was your humidity during incubation and during lockdown? That is a factor.

Do not panic yet. Lots of people open the incubator during lockdown and do not shrink wrap the chicks that have pipped though the incubator dries out a lot. Shrink wrap can happen but it is pretty rare.

I don't know which incubator you have or exactly where you are in lockdown. If you can I'd raise the humidity and see what happens. To avoid opening my incubator during lockdown I use a syringe to inject water to the reservoirs. I tape a couple of flexible straws together to direct the water where I want it to go. You may have a different type incubator.

Other than raising the humidity if you can I'd sit back and wait. You may have a great hatch or maybe not. Let us know what happens.

 

[Its_chris]

It was a terrible hatching. I forgot to raise humidity a all during lockdown. Half of them pipped and some started to unzip and never went any further. You live and you learn..

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

I'm so sorry!