I inadvertently left the lid off the incubator for about 3 hours about half way through incubation. The room temperature was probably around 60-65 degrees F so they got fairly cool. Can this cause shrink wrap? Also the humidity for my currently pipping eggs seems to have dropped. (Don't have a way to measure precisely- but the lid containing the sponge no longer has standing water and the sponge appears only slightly damp.) Is it better to open lid to raise humidity or leave in lock down.
No, the eggs being exposed to air during incubation doesn't cause shrinkwrapping. The temps dropping delay development, but three hours isn't going to do much. Shrink wrapping is caused when the humidity has been too low over the course of incubation, and too much moisture leaving the egg has allowed the membrane to dry and shrink. I really suggest having a hygrometer, not just for hatch, but for incubation as well. Even monitoring air cells, I would want a guide. Condensation is not really what you want in the bator, but if you feel your humidity needs to be highered, do it. I open my bator frequently during hatch. As long as you have decent humidity grabbing out a sponge to wet it isn't going to compromise anything.
