Help!! Day 18 with chicks what are the red plugs?

[Thebossbaby]

i have have a circulated air farm innovations inccubator, and today is lock down!!!! I have removed the egg turner, filled the water trays, and put the eggs on the metal tray. I noticed there are 2 red plugs in my incubator, do I pull those out or no because it's circulated air? Also, it says not to remove lid till chicks hatch, but what if 1 hatches today and the rest hatch day 21? Do I have to just let him suffer and die? Please hurry I don't have much time!

 

[Thebossbaby]

 

[paneubert]

Red plugs are for air exchange. If you can keep the humidity high with them removed, then remove them. If it is hard to keep humidity high with them both out, then try with just one removed. Chicks do need fresh air, so you do want to try to remove them both if you can when in lockdown and after hatching.

 

[Joeschooks]

I don’t have this incubator but exchange of air is even more important as the eggs get closer to hatch and even more so when they pip. So yes, I’d remove the plugs but do be sure to keep humidity high as paneubert says.

 

[Chicken Chat]

Chicks can go without food and water for a bit that's why they can be shipped in the mail. They have absorbed their yolk just before hatch so they are fine. I often leave mine in the incubator for up to 24 hours after hatch to dry off and fluff up, they sleep most of the time anyway. If you have others trying to pip and hatch when you try to get the first one out, you can rush a lot of dry air inside the bator which can dry out their membranes. If all your eggs were incubated in the same incubator the whole time and were set the same time, you shouldn't have days in between the first and last one out, usually. I have never had any batches that didn't finish up in about 12 hours.