Need hatching advice

[LuciferRoo]

Incubating for the second time. My first was two years ago. With dumb beginner's luck, my first attempt was 100% successful. 12 eggs resulted in 12 chicks. First time around, when I saw a chick hatch, I removed it and placed it in a brooding box. Also removed the egg shells.

This time, I had 2 chicks hatch on day 19.
It was a surprise, so I asked ChatGPT about it, and it told me I should not remove the chicks until the hatching is complete.

What is the expert opinion here?
Remove them as they hatch or wait until Alp hatch?

One side note. I am having a bit of an issue with humidity. I cannot seem to get it right.
The incubator is a 12 egg Kebonnixs.
It has electronic temperature control, which works great but manual humidity control.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi,

I hatch tons and would never in a million years have time to be removing chicks. Plus, removing the first couple of chicks is opening the incubator, so the humidity takes a dive. That can sometimes cause any others trying to get out to shrink wrap. I just leave them all in there until they've all hatched.

Once I take them out and one seems a bit weak or perhaps splayed legs, I put them back in for another 12-24 hours. Many times, that's all they needed.

Humidity will spike while they are hatching. That's okay. If it gets up into the 90s, I crack a side for a couple of seconds, then crack the other side for a couple of seconds. That'll help a bit, but it will come down as the chicks and the shells dry off.

 

[Anon112]

The sound and movement of chicks hatching helps others to hatch. And with the yolk they absorbed, they don't need food or water for well over a full day.

 

[Debbie292d]

The sound and movement of chicks hatching helps others to hatch. And with the yolk they absorbed, they don't need food or water for well over a full day.

Two other good points!

 

[LuciferRoo]

Next day (today) in the morning I found a third chick.
I decided to move all 3 into a brooder box.
They are doing fine. Eating and drinking and hurdling together in front of the heat plate.

No other chicks have hatched yet. I am a little disappointed but it is day 20.
I should see the rest start hatching tomorrow. So I hope.

 

[kattabelly]

Eating and drinking and hurdling together in front of the heat plate.

When you say in front, are they actually out in front or do they know to go under it? (Assuming it's one of the usual brooder heat plates people use where the chicks go underneath)

 

[LuciferRoo]

When you say in front, are they actually out in front or do they know to go under it? (Assuming it's one of the usual brooder heat plates people use where the chicks go underneath)

I have a heating plate that looks like a computer monitor.
Right now one is in front of it and two are behind it. Between the heater and the brooder wall.
The heater gets warm so there is heat on the backside too. Maybe it radiates more heat from the front but I don't know.
It may be just fancy looking but in reality it's nothing more that heating coils inside a housing.

 

[LuciferRoo]

Is this what I think it is? An attempted jailbreak in progress?
Photos of a whole egg and then a zoom-in on the section in question.