I wasn't ready for the hatch... now what?

[Waddle]

I messed up on my first time trying to use an incubator. I was supposed to stop turning last night and start the "lockdown" but I was thinking it was tonight. So I tilted my Brinsea Octagon 20 last night and planned to refill the water reservoirs today. But a chick hatched in the night with it tilted and the water almost gone. I quickly opened the top (now regretting this) removed the egg racks (because the Brinsea manual says to take them out before hatching or the chicks can hurt themselves on the wire loop racks), and added water. Then I quickly put the lid back on. Now 7 hours later no one else is hatching. There are three eggs that have had a little pip spot but nothing more for most of the morning. I'm sad that I wasn't ready, and might have killed all my other chicks. How long should I wait to remove the one that's in there? This is only day 19, I don't want to open it again and chance killing any that might hatch in a few days, but I don't want to starve that one that hatched either. When I pulled the racks out all the eggs went from point down to laying flat, and they might have already been in the correct position when I moved them.

 

[feedman77]

When the chick that's hatched is dry and fluffy remove him. If your brooder is ready.

I remove chicks/poults or assist troubled hatchers. Your others should be fine. But do what your comfortable with. I'm kinda hands on when hatching.


This is probably wrong but I have left the wire loops in my brinsea to help keep my eggs upright. Maybe I've just been lucky but have not had a chick get hung up yet.

From external pip to hatch May take up to 24 hours. If you want to try take an egg that is pipped tap it carefully on the side while holding it next to your ear and chick inside should chirp or start tapping on the shell.

Good luck hope the rest hatch for you.

 

[Waddle]

Oh, thank you so much. I feel much better knowing that opening the lid doesn't immediately dry them up and kill them.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

When the chick that's hatched is dry and fluffy remove him. If your brooder is ready.

I remove chicks/poults or assist troubled hatchers. Your others should be fine. But do what your comfortable with. I'm kinda hands on when hatching.


This is probably wrong but I have left the wire loops in my brinsea to help keep my eggs upright. Maybe I've just been lucky but have not had a chick get hung up yet.

From external pip to hatch May take up to 24 hours. If you want to try take an egg that is pipped tap it carefully on the side while holding it next to your ear and chick inside should chirp or start tapping on the shell.

Good luck hope the rest hatch for you.

He's "kinda" hands on...I am VERY hands on. I open all the time during hatch BUT I make sure my hatch humidity is 75% ish too. I don't go for that leaving chicks in the bator 2-3 days. Mine go in the brooder as they become active in the bator.

You had no choice, because you needed to add water and get that humidity up. You did what you needed to do. It sounds like he was a tad early anyway???

 

[AmyLynn2374]

And:

 

[Waddle]

Great update: So far 6 of the 23 are out and several more eggs are cracking open. I'm so glad this incubating situation isn't quite as delicate as I had thought. What are the pros and cons of leaving them in the incubator a day vs moving them to the brooder immediately?

 

[feedman77]

Nothing really.

But personally I don't care for the chicken soccer that occurs.

Congrats they are hatching for you.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Great update: So far 6 of the 23 are out and several more eggs are cracking open. I'm so glad this incubating situation isn't quite as delicate as I had thought. What are the pros and cons of leaving them in the incubator a day vs moving them to the brooder immediately?

For me, safety is the biggest thing. In the beginning I was leaving them in until they were dry and there were many and I started having chicks get hurt. Climbing on the thermometers, hitting the heating unit, had one chick end up with a chipped beak during their game of king of the mountain on the thermometer. Then I had two manage to stretch up under the fan unit and get nailed, one almost ended up scalped from it. So I like mine in their brooder where they have plenty of room to run and play.

My other biggie is I don't believe in pushing the theory that chicks CAN go 3 days w/o food and water. So can people but who WANTS to. Plus, chicks can become dehydrated during hatch and I think prolonging their availability to food and water is pushing it. Almost all of my chicks are drinking in the first few hours at least by the end of day 24. Food varies more. Some are eating in the first 24 hours and others not till into day 2. But it's available, so the decision is theirs. I use electrolyte enhanced water the first couple days, so they hae the added benefit of that as well.

Some of the more minor things are as mentioned the chick soccer. My chicks fluff up better and faster under the brooder light, (I run high humidity at hatch.) I get to check navels and feet to asses all are ok and get to actually see them without staring theough two little windows.

The only pro I see to not pulling them quicker is the fact their peeping is a motavator to the others, however, I replace this with youtube vids of chicks peeping, (that is even more motivational in my opinion.) Plus my brooder and bator are only feet apart so they can still hear the hatchers as well.

 

[Waddle]

With 19 little fluffy bottom chicks in the brooder together I can't tell who is who and which ones are eating or not. I am so glad to know that it's okay to open the incubator during hatches though. I can't imagine if I had left all of them in there together how full it would have been. There are four more eggs that I'm still waiting on now. Two are hatching right now. This is so exciting.

 

[red283672]

Wow! Congratulations on a really successful. Hatch!! I wish I had some of that good luck, I had bad luck with my incubator this year so I have been letting the hens do the work.