it is crowded in there!

[crunchynut]

Yesterday was day 20 for my 46 eggs in lockdown (HovaBator Genesis) and 7 hatched. So far just this morning 9 more hatched. That's 16 chickens wobbling/running around in there with their cracked eggshells and 30 unhatched eggs. It is chaos! (you can see them here on the webcam)

I want to snatch them out to give the future ones room, but I won't because there are 4 pips right now. Some of the eggs are actually due to hatch tomorrow (one day difference in setting). Hopefully there will be a lull in pips at some point and I can grab the fluffy ones to put in the brooder.

 

[Diamond Wire Farms]

Get a spray bottle. Fill it with warm water. Have a buddy lift and "hover" the lid while you mist the incubator and snatch chicks.
I hatch a Brinsea 20, and if you lockdown 24 eggs, there is NO room by the time 8 have hatched. I remove chicks all the time. Misting = instant humidity.

 

[columbiacritter]

We have our bators in a bathroom with a shower so if one of us gets clean and steams it up with a heater running we can do what we need to do with no humidity drop and very limited temp drop. The DH showered in there this morning so we could move everyone from the bator to the hatcher for lock down. The humidity was actually higher in the bathroom than the bator needed and temp was 93.

 

[crunchynut]

I'm home alone with two toddlers, so no one to assist - but I might try the shower method if I think I can carry the bator downstairs without causing any problems

 

[jettgirl24]

I'm not sure I'd risk moving it if I were you. Might be better to just wait until someone gets home to help... I'm always paranoid I'll trip or something