Leaving chicks in bator

[bre113]

How long do I leave the chicks in the bator? They hatched in the middle of the night last night and so far 7 out of 36 have hatched with more pipped. When do I take the hatched chicks out. Also, I have one chick who hatched about 4 hours ago and still hasn't absorbed yolk sac...? What's left is red, and about the size of a dime.

 

[aidensmomma]

You will probably get a lot of different answers to that question...so I will just tell you; in my experience I've left just hatched chicks in the incubator for several hours until they are slightly dried, and I have also removed them quickly when they are thrashing about and damaging other unhatched eggs. That being said...I hatch eggs in a small room that is well over 90 degrees during hatching with very high humidity so I have never had issues with opening the incubator or removing them that soon.
As far as the chick with the sac, leave that one in there no matter what. Let it absorb the yolk sac first, then remove it. good luck!
Oh, and when i take chicks out, they go into a box with shavings and a heat lamp.

 

[calichicken]

You will probably get a lot of different answers to that question...so I will just tell you; in my experience I've left just hatched chicks in the incubator for several hours until they are slightly dried, and I have also removed them quickly when they are thrashing about and damaging other unhatched eggs. That being said...I hatch eggs in a small room that is well over 90 degrees during hatching with very high humidity so I have never had issues with opening the incubator or removing them that soon.
As far as the chick with the sac, leave that one in there no matter what. Let it absorb the yolk sac first, then remove it. good luck!
Oh, and when i take chicks out, they go into a box with shavings and a heat lamp.

Completely agree! As long as you take the chicks out quickly you shouldn't have to worry about losing humidity. If I have a chick that needs to absorb, I usually leave it in there at least 24 hrs. You also may want to take the chicks out because they may peck at the chick that still needs to absorb out of curiosity. Also, if the chick that still needs to absorb has the shell attached, do not try to take it off...just let the chick kick it off when its ready. Good luck with the rest of your hatch and enjoy your new babies!!!!

 

[bre113]

Thank y'all! With my last hatch I had 12 fully developed that didn't hatch, and everyone was saying it was because I opened the bator to remove the other chicks, but truthfully I believe they drowned. I use a styrofoam bator currently and had the channels full the entire time. This time I am trying dry hatching, and put water in for the first time on day 18, but it's really humid here. I will go ahead and remove the 6 that are dry and yolks absorbed. I had one die from un absorbed yolk sac last time. The other chicks pecked it to pieces. I have another that has probably hatched. I check it an hour ago and one was trying to get out (that chick had me worried. Pipped 12 hrs ago and no progress since) so it's probably out now, but I'll leave it until it's dry.
Another question: only 12 out of 35 hatched last time. These started hatching today, a day early. Is there still a good chance for a better outcome this time? 26 were alive day 18 before lockdown.

 

[calichicken]

Thank y'all! With my last hatch I had 12 fully developed that didn't hatch, and everyone was saying it was because I opened the bator to remove the other chicks, but truthfully I believe they drowned. I use a styrofoam bator currently and had the channels full the entire time. This time I am trying dry hatching, and put water in for the first time on day 18, but it's really humid here. I will go ahead and remove the 6 that are dry and yolks absorbed. I had one die from un absorbed yolk sac last time. The other chicks pecked it to pieces. I have another that has probably hatched. I check it an hour ago and one was trying to get out (that chick had me worried. Pipped 12 hrs ago and no progress since) so it's probably out now, but I'll leave it until it's dry.
Another question: only 12 out of 35 hatched last time. These started hatching today, a day early. Is there still a good chance for a better outcome this time? 26 were alive day 18 before lockdown.

Yes, especially if you have adjusted your hatching conditions and they are now hatching successfully! Since you are on day 20 they still have plenty of time so just be patient and enjoy the babies who have hatched so far

Good luck with the rest of your eggs

 

[MeepBeep]

I never do a 'lock down' as I'm always doing mixed hatch dates and thus have to open it all the time to turn other eggs... I just make sure that the humidity levels are held during hatching, I have a small humidifier in there for this reason... A few minutes on after each opening and humidity is restored... Another cheap option is to get a spray bottle from the dollar store and fill it with warm 100° ish water, when you open the incubator to snatch a chick, give the inside of the incubator a few mistings of of water, a little misted water on the eggs won't hurt a thing... With that said depending on how much room I have in the incubator I remove the chicks as early as when they fluff up to up to 3 days later... If I leave them in there over 24 hours after hatch I like to take a jar lid filled with marbles and water and put it in there even though it's not really necessary...

 

[bre113]

Just took out the 7 dried, hatched chicks. The one that's yolk sac is still attatched probably won't make it. It's dried up, black and the chick is very small com paired to the rest. I snapped a quick photo as I took the others out. It's the chick on the left. I watched the right chick come out of it's shell as I took out the others. Can you see the size difference between the two?

Thanks for all the advice! I'm definately going to upgrade things when I get going well, as we are hatching and raising for meat. We want to make sure they get the best life we can provide before so though! Our decision was based on knowing most store bought chicken didn't get a good life, and we could provide a better one! Here's my hatched babies

Can't wait for my 3 year old to see them! She loved the last batch, but she's sleeping right now. She's been wanting to see them all day! Haha
No more pipped eggs at the moment :/ but hoping for the best!!

 

[calichicken]

Just took out the 7 dried, hatched chicks. The one that's yolk sac is still attatched probably won't make it. It's dried up, black and the chick is very small com paired to the rest. I snapped a quick photo as I took the others out. It's the chick on the left. I watched the right chick come out of it's shell as I took out the others. Can you see the size difference between the two?
Thanks for all the advice! I'm definately going to upgrade things when I get going well, as we are hatching and raising for meat. We want to make sure they get the best life we can provide before so though! Our decision was based on knowing most store bought chicken didn't get a good life, and we could provide a better one! Here's my hatched babies

Can't wait for my 3 year old to see them! She loved the last batch, but she's sleeping right now. She's been wanting to see them all day! Haha
No more pipped eggs at the moment

but hoping for the best!!

Awww...adorable! Congrats

on your babies! The baby that is still absorbing just may take a little more time

These are early so the rest still have some time! Hatching is definitely a learning process and each time you adjust and learn a little more. Even then, there are just some times that hatches don't go well

Glad you are having success this time around!!! Good luck with the rest of your eggs

 

[bre113]

Thank you! I woke up this morning, and the chick with the yolk sac is almost dead. It can't even lift it's head. I picked it up to examine it, and it's not the yolk sac hanging out (I've had several with that before) it's the intestines. No doubt. Guess I'm going to have to put it down. but I took out the other chick that hatched yesterday and I have 3 that should be out in the next hour!

 

[bre113]

12 chicks so far I had to help two of them :/ they both started pecking around the egg 5 hours ago, stopped, and the membrane (or whatever that white is under the shell) had dried out, so I had to break the membrane where the shell was pecked 3/4 of the way around the egg. I separated the egg a bit, but didn't take the chicks out of the egg. I came back 20 mins later, and one chick was stuck to the shell, the other was out. I pulled the stuck chicks bottom shell off. Put it back in, came back 40 mins later, the first chick was almost dry, but the one I removed body had it's head stuck in some kind of goo in the top half of the shell. It was covering it's face and beak. I thought it was dead at first. I decided to go ahead and remove the shell completely from the chick. I then sprayed the rest of the shells with water. Phew, guess humidity was too low, causing the drying membranes and the chick sticking to the shell, but I'd much rather help after they've started to hatch, and the chicks live, than them never hatching at all! I still have the weak chick in the bator... We will see what happens with it!