I've shrink wrapped a chick before by opening the incubator during lockdown so it's not something I do casually. Most of the time you can open the incubator without shrink-wrapping a chick. One actually shrink-wrapping is fairly rare but it can happen. If I have an actual reason to open the incubator during lockdown I will, but I realize there is a risk so it's not something I do without a reason.
It's like a lot of things we recommend on here. If you don't follow the recommendation is not a guarantee of failure, following the recommendations often improves your odds of success. One example. Somebody recently posted about a study that shows turning eggs when you are storing them for incubation improves the odds of them hatching by less than 5%, depending on how long they are stored and how often they are turned. 5% is not a lot of improvement but I want to give my eggs every chance I can so I turn mine. The odds of shrink-wrapping a chick are really low but I don't casually take that risk.
Just because they can stay in the incubator that long doesn't mean it hurts them to come out earlier. Just because the don't have to eat or drink for that long doesn't mean it hurts them to eat or drink earlier. It's probably better if they eat or drink before the full 72 hours are up. But it's not a disaster if they don't.
Most of my incubator hatches are over in less than 48 hours after the first one hatches so I don't often have this problem. I recall one broody hen hatch where it was a little over 72 hours from when the first one hatched until she brought them off of the nest to eat and drink. Those chicks were fine.
They are yours and you can do as you wish. The odds of you causing harm by opening the incubator are probably pretty low. But from my experience I can't tell you it is zero.
It's like a lot of things we recommend on here. If you don't follow the recommendation is not a guarantee of failure, following the recommendations often improves your odds of success. One example. Somebody recently posted about a study that shows turning eggs when you are storing them for incubation improves the odds of them hatching by less than 5%, depending on how long they are stored and how often they are turned. 5% is not a lot of improvement but I want to give my eggs every chance I can so I turn mine. The odds of shrink-wrapping a chick are really low but I don't casually take that risk.
If you recall, the chicks can be mailed after hatch. That's because they absorb the yolk before they hatch and can live off of that without eating of drinking. The postal regulations require that they have to be shipped within 24 hours of hatch and there has to be a reasonable expectation that they will be delivered within 48 hours of shipping. That's because a healthy chick that absorbs the yolk can live 72 hours or more without eating or drinking. They can stay in the incubator a lot longer than 24 hours.
Just because they can stay in the incubator that long doesn't mean it hurts them to come out earlier. Just because the don't have to eat or drink for that long doesn't mean it hurts them to eat or drink earlier. It's probably better if they eat or drink before the full 72 hours are up. But it's not a disaster if they don't.
Most of my incubator hatches are over in less than 48 hours after the first one hatches so I don't often have this problem. I recall one broody hen hatch where it was a little over 72 hours from when the first one hatched until she brought them off of the nest to eat and drink. Those chicks were fine.
They are yours and you can do as you wish. The odds of you causing harm by opening the incubator are probably pretty low. But from my experience I can't tell you it is zero.
