Help everyone I'm not sure what to do...

[matlock585]

I made an incubator and yesterday was hatch day for my test run of 5 eggs. 3 hatched out and 1 more was pipped when we went to bed. When I got up this morning, one of my chicks evidently got on top of my therm/hygro and got over the divider wall I put between the light and the egg rack. So now that one is underneath the 60 watt light bulb. He seems ok for now, but he is yelling pretty bad every time the light comes on. The one that pipped looks ready to zip but it isn't doing anything right now. The fifth egg may be pipped but I can't really tell for sure. I'm afraid to open it to move the one chick back over.
I thought about running the shower till the bathroom got steamy and taking it in there to open it.
Any ideas or opinions?

 

[donjr]

You can open the lid, i do all the time, it will be fine.

 

[1muttsfan]

Better to save the one that has hatched out and risk the other two...a bird in the hand...you know!

 

[okiehen]

I've seen hens get up for a drink and then go back to the nest during hatch with no problems.
I've even opened my incubator for a quick fix of sometime.
Do what you need to do, its just a test hatch don't worry.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
Fully agree. Opening the incubator does not guarantee shrink wrapped chicks. It can cause them to be shrink wrapped, but you have to do what you have to do. I've opened the incubator before and I got one shrink wrapped chick as a result, one out of several eggs. Te rest were fine. And I've opened it and had no shrink wrapped chicks.

Take care of the one that has hatched.

 

[matlock585]

Thanks to you all. I did open it in the steamy bathroom. The chick seems a little shook up about it, but I think it's ok. The humidity never got below 64% and it's going back up as I put more water on the sponge in front of the light bulb. So now I see at least one definite refinement to be made to my bator. Thank you all again for replying.