Help! My just-hatched chicks are panting! What should I do about the temperature?

[KingR0o5t3r]

I have about 20 eggs in a homemade incubator. Today is day 21. My chicks started hatching extremely late last night. The oldest is now about 18 hours old. There are 20 chicks out and fluffy. Most of them are panting. This is a sign of being overheated, so obviously I could just turn down the temperature, but its not that easy. I have a bunch more eggs that will hopefully hatch soon, but they need the temperature kept high. The temperature is already a few degrees cooler than it should be, so as to help the chicks and the hatching eggs. I could take out the overheated chicks, and put them in the brooder, but I have read that it is good to keep them in the incubator for a day or two to gain strength and make the rest of the eggs want to hatch. Plus I would rather not open the incubator and lose the heat/humidity. So should I turn down the temp? Keep it at 96ish? or remove the chicks? or other? Thankyou

 

[173rd]

When my chicks hatch, when they get dry and seem to be doing ok, I take them out.I try to be really fast and not raise the lid very high.

 

[KingR0o5t3r]

Hmm okay I may do that. Thanks

 

[173rd]

My bator has 2 red plugs in top and when they start hatching I take the plugs out so more air flow and they can breath better. More oxgen

 

[KingR0o5t3r]

OKay cool. Good to know. My father and I thought they might be low on oxygen so i have put a lot more air holes in it now and they are doing better thanks