Incubators Anonymous

[ozexpat]

helping vs not helping... I agree, it's tough NOT to, but the majority of the chicks that get helped end up dying within a week usually, so I wonder if I was just prolonging their suffering in doing so... I decided last year to let the chick tell me if he needs help. if he's pipped a large hole and is screaming bloody murder, then i'll help. if all he's done is pip a small hole and isn't talking much, I leave it in there. *tap tap tap* on the incubator every now and then. if he starts hollering and sounding frantic, then i'll step in because likely he's a bit stuck.

usually the ones that wouldn't' make it anyways are the quiet ones that aren't talking much. hubby refers to them as SWI. something wrong inside. there's a REASON they're not hatching properly.

after hatching literally thousands of eggs, you eventually get a feel for what will help or won't.

great explanation

 

[Runawaylobster]

Thanks everyone. I was feeling a bit guilty taking out the 7 healthy chicks after 24 hours, and risking the last egg that had been pipped for over 24 hours. I did just that, took out the 7 quickly and left the one pipped in there overnight. Next morning it hadn't done anything, so I opened it a bit and it was chirping so I tried helping it out and I think the inner white was a bit shrunk in the air space area against the chick, but his head was out and it was breathing. I felt so bad, like I should have not let the other 7 out, and perhaps this one would have hatched. After inspection and picking away some of the shell along the top I could see the chick clearly had not stopped the circulatory system since the blood veins were still there and bled a bit. So, I stopped and put it back in the bator for another 6 hours, nothing happened and the chick just layed in there. I could see it breathing the whole time. Then, I read the entire BYC article about helping out a chick and did that and discovered this chick had never taken in the yolk. It died soon after. I went into mourning that whole day like it was all my fault. I told myself I am never "helping" a chick out ever again. Has anyone else had this experience with helping a chick?

I am pretty much against helping but i helped one this saturday, I normally don't but it was peeping and had a BIG hole... I shouldn't have, It came out fine and died within 2 hours while drying off. definitely was never supposed to hatch. It is so hard sometimes to resist helping.. if I have to remove some chicks because it's a draggy hatch I boost the humidity with paper towel wicks and then i turn off the incubator and do it really fast. It usually doesn't go below about 45% in the meantime. For the most part I leave them in there sometimes for 36 hours and they come to no harm.

 

[Joshua G]

Quote: Thanks, I originally hooked it up to a 12V power supply but like you said it was a HURRICANE so I went with the 5.8V instead.

 

[choptank330]

Is 12% humidity okay ?

 

[Joshua G]

Is 12% humidity okay ?

That is really low, unless you are using the dry incubation method, the humidity needs to be between 45-55% humidity for incubating and 55-65% for hatching.

 

[choptank330]

Im trying the dry

 

[Joshua G]

Im trying the dry

I thought that even for dry incubation it has to at least be 30%, but maybe i'm wrong, it's happened before.

 

[choptank330]

@ki4got helllpp me

 

[gimmie birdies]

I like to dry hatch too. these are due march 2

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: Mine will not read that low LOL. I finally added some water to mine and it is up to 35% but that will fall pretty quick. If that low makes you nervous add some water just don't get it TOO high like 45-55% that is WAY to high for dry incubation.

Set it and forget it is the beauty of dry incubation.