Incubator is getting crowded! Brooder time?

[mtsmylie]

We have a LG still air incubator with 33 eggs inside it, which started hatching yesterday at noon, and we currently have 12 chicks running around inside, as well as their 12 busted-up shells and the 21 remaining eggs, many of which have pipped.

I understand the chicks can theoretically survive in the incubator for 72 hours, and that opening the incubator now will make the membrane "saran-wrap" itself around the chicks inside the pipped eggs, which is usually lethal for them.

So what's the best way for us to deal with this? It's getting pretty crowded inside there, but should we just leave it closed and let them deal with it while most of the others (hopefully) hatch, or is there a way to safely move the fully dried chicks into the brooder, to allow the remaining eggs a little more stability?

Thanks!
Matt

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

If you really feel you need to open the incubator you can run the humidity way up in the house by boiling several pots of water an running the shower. Then mist the eggs with water when you open the incubator.

 

[mtsmylie]

Quote:
But if we go ahead and leave them in there until a bunch more have hatched and/or we can't see any other eggs that have pipped, they should be OK in there for another day or so, right?

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Yea, they will be fine.

 

[SarahIrl]

Get prepared, have a box or the brooder right next to te incubator and go for it. If you live in a dry aired area, have a boiled kettle stood next to the incubator when you do it. Work out how you will lift the lid and grab chicks, if you have someone to hold the lid while you grab, all the better. Take out the chicks, ignore the shells for a couple of hours. You won't jurt te pipped ones. After each grab, shut the lid for a minute or so then go again. Trust me, it's sustained low humidity that will shrink wrap them not a quick snatch in and out to collect chicks.

 

[mtsmylie]

Thanks for the information, everyone!

We're thrilled with how well this first attempt at hatching has turned out, and have had a lot of fun with the process. Our 6-year-old son can't get enough of watching them go from eggs to their new fluffy self.

I can see hatching eggs becoming very, very addictive.

 

[angidee]

So, what did you end up doing and how did it work for you?
I am in the same situation right now...the incubator is getting a little crowded!

 

[Balbinka]

I hope you got those chicks out!
As a previous poster said- opening the incubator to retrieve hatched chicks will not shrink wrap the other babies.

I got every single one of my geese out of the 'bator after they hatched. If allowed to run rampant through the incubator, they can do a lot of damage and contaminate the air for the other chicks.

The incubator (for my eggs) was also cleaned out after each chick's hatch- as there was one young egg in with the "ready to hatch" eggs.
All of them hatched beautifully, even the young egg who withstood high humidity for several days to allow easier hatching for the other babies.

 

[mtsmylie]

Out of the 33 eggs we initially put into the LG incubator, we had one die while trying to get out of the egg, and 28 happy, healthy chicks that are now three weeks old and doing awesome.

We're already planning out second incubating attempt, because that was a lot of nail-biting fun!