Mother Nature provided for chicks when she designed the egg, the chick must absorb the yolk before hatching. This yolk contains all the nutrients they will need for at least the first three days. This is b/c as in incubators when chicks are hatching under the hen, she will set on the eggs till she has decided they are done hatching which might be as long as three days, which means she does not take the chicks to food and water for that time either. When you open the incubator during the lockdown phase no matter how short it changes the humidity, temp and the CO2 to Oxygen ratio
"Anyone ever tried to make an incubator that you can put your hands into? It seems every hatch I read about someone has to open the bator for some reason during lockdown. The issue from what I have found is not just temperature and humidity which can be replaced fairly easily. but the Carbon Dioxide is released form the bator as well. the muscle spasms that cause the chick to hatch stop when the carbon dioxide is released. I was thinking yesterday about attaching a Co2 bottle to a bator and then you can put it back in if you had to open it for any reason. of course this would require knowing how much is enough to add. from what I found out it goes something like this. Chick is in solid egg and Co2 levels rise causing muscle spasms that do three things. one they cause the neck to spasm and this causes beak to pip. stomach spasms drawing remainder of yolk into chicks stomach. muscles in legs spasm strengthening legs. okay so this goes on for say 24 hours until the beak finally breaks through. this hole gives the chick a fresh dose of oxygen and the spasms stop. this helps explain the pip then nothing thing that a lot of people see. at this point he Co2 levels in the entire bator begin to increase until they reach the point that spasms begin again. it is exactly during this period of time that Co2 levels are building up that most people get concerned and decide they need to open the bator for this and that, and help with this and that, and add more water and whatever. sometimes the chick never starts to spasm again so never zips as it should. And opening the bator is removing the very thing it needs to get started again and you would very likely never suspect it. set a can of soda in the bator as a pip and zip primer."
I read this in another thread and it makes complete sense, and why it is so important to not open the bator until done or at least three days after the first hatch. Hope this helps you out! GOOD LUCK!
P.S. The blood just means it is a little early and had not completly dried up before hatching, sad to say it will either make it or not. I do know how sad it is to be waiting so long and have so much time invested to watch one and not be able to help is horrifying.
