hi im new

OK quick question. I have read it is possible to cause chicks to shrink wrap when using a forced air incubator. So far all 6 eggs are doing great candled and all are viable. Should I turn my fan off at lockdown ( this coming Monday) or will that mess up the whole hatch. Temps and humidity has stayed perfect this whole time.
Shrink wrapping happens with the lack of humidity. Has nothing to do with forced air incubators. I only use forced air. Still air can cause too many hot spots.

So to prevent shrink wrapping, make sure to get your humidity up at lock down. Somewhere around 65% or 70% is good. OPEN ALL VENTS. This is so important!! And do not turn off any fans. Chicks need huge amounts of oxygen at hatching time. This is a big mistake of newbies, with the lack of oxygen. Once the chicks start to pip (poke a hole thru the egg to breath) do NOT open the incubator lid. This is when shrink wrapping happens. If you open the lid, you are sucking out the moisture and this dries up the inner membrane making them stick to it. The chicks will pip and can stay like this for 24+ hours while they are busy absorbing the last of the yolk and detaching themselves from the egg shell. So don't panic when they pip and nothing else is happening for a while. LOL Too many people think they need to get in there and pry the baby out. This will kill the chick. It is doing what it needs to, breathing oxygen and when it is ready, it will zip out of the egg.

So on lock down day, open all vents, get all your humidity work, adding damp sponges if you need to keep the humidity up and done before any of the babies pip. Don't open the lid until they have all hatched, you can get the babies out when they are dry, and you shouldn't have any issues with shrink wrap.

Good luck with your hatch!!
 
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WELCOME antrim!!!
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OK so I am very confused I set my eggs on march 3rd at 5 pm so from what I understandday one would be march 4th at 5 pm. That would make today march 14th at 5pm be the 11th day is that correct? Also is lockdown day 13 or 14 for coturnix jumbo browns? Please help it is very soon
 
OK so I am very confused I set my eggs on march 3rd at 5 pm so from what I understandday one would be march 4th at 5 pm. That would make today march 14th at 5pm be the 11th day is that correct? Also is lockdown day 13 or 14 for coturnix jumbo browns? Please help it is very soon
Lock down day would be day 14 for Coturnix eggs. This day doesn't have to be exact as you can lock down a couple days early if you have to. Make sure to open all your vents for maximum oxygen and up your humidity to around 65% to 70%. If you have to, add damp sponges to the bator to get the humidity up. You can open the lid of the incubator until you start to see pipping. (the chick chips a tiny hole thru the egg shell to breathe) After this point, do not open the lid until the all have hatched, or nobody is pipping. Don't panic when they pip and just sit there for 24+ hours. The chick is busy absorbing the last of the egg yolk and detaching itself from the inner egg shell.

Good luck with your hatch!
 
Lockdown is tomorrow I am nervous but I guess that's typical. My problem is everything has gone perfect too perfect Haha.
 
I am so mad at myself. I wanted to candle my eggs one day before lockdown and yes bam stupid me dropped one. Really how stupid can I be. I swear I saw cracks in the egg but then looking one more time I didn't see any maybe I'm crazy don't know. So I put them in lockdown one day early just in case. Everything has gone way too good. Then this morning I looked into the bator to check humidity and it was at 68 an hour later looked again and a light bulb was blown at temp at 97 had to open the bator to change it. This is a nightmare!:(
 
Sorry about the lockdown problem you are having, hopefully they won't affect your hatch since you got them fixed quickly. Good luck with the hatch, hope you get lots of chicks.
 
Thanks... got the temp sitting at 99 I figured out that it was the higher humidity and the fan evaporating thus cooler temp... so small turn on the thermostat and bam now keeping the humidity up..can't wait for this to be over...so much to be changed next time. I will keep all updated
 
Alright its the beginning of day 16. My nose has been stuck in the window of the incubator every time the lights turn on hoping to see movement. Nothing yet. Hope to see something anything when I get off work this afternoon.:p
 

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