hatching question

[nyseman]

I set 24 eggs. they are really packed in the incubator. should I remove the shells as the chicks hatch? the pro I see is it'll give the hatching chicks more wiggle space. The con is that the babies may get wedged btwn the eggs? what should I do? I have 3 brand new chicks with 12 pipped

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

I dont open my bator until I get ready to take all the chicks out, usally 2 to 3 days after the first one hatches.

 

[Brickman House]

Conventional wisdom of this board is to leave them alone-- don't open the incubator until your hatch is complete and the chicks are dried and ready to go to the brooder.

My personal experience with my King Suro is that it won't hold as many hatched ducklings as duck eggs, so I had to open it periodically during my hatch to remove ducklings. Temperature and humidity returned to set levels almost immediately, and it didn't hurt the hatch a bit.

It may depend on your incubator, though.

 

[nyseman]

I have a Brinsea Octagon. I dont know what the humidity levels are but they must be good since there is a area of a small amount of condensation on the clear part. I opened it just a little bit for the last chick because the egg was sideways btwn the other eggs and the chick was struggling. I turn the egg upright and closed the lid pronto and the chick popped right out .