No one told me how bad the incubator would smell during hatching!

[lceh]

Trust me, this isn't a good nose -- everyone in the house has commented on it! I guess I must have a stinker in there.

What should I do?

 

[Spitman]

I've never had any bad smell ever , I'd move my hatched chicks to my brooder. I would get them out , but I'm just a newbie only had 3 hatches . However #2 & 3 were 100% HR . I think you have an issue in your bator.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

My incubator DOES smell bad when I have a large hatch going on. Think about it: moisture, heat, biological waste, egg shells, chick poop...I must have a sensitive nose too as when I hatch more than 10 in my LG, my nose knows it.

 

[Louise's Country Closet]

Ours have always smelled bad too. Not rotting egg bad, just enough to make us turn our noses up at it. Yuck. But I think that's like BigDaddy'sGurl said - all that combined just makes it a little smelly. Especially in large batches.

 

[dcnorcal]

I hatch 50+ eggs at a time, my hovabator is at 100 degrees and humidity is at 75. There is a going to be a smell with heat and humidity that high, its not a bad egg or any problem it's the smell of birth I guess. But today is day 22 and out of 54 eggs 49 have hatched with a bad smell after first day, I open my incubator in a steamy bathroom to remove the fluffy chicks and eggs shells just to many to leave in there for to long.

 

[M Durham]

I'm on Day 22, 11 of 30 have hatched. Last hatched on it's own with yolk sac attached and unabsorbed. It looks weak but surviving. Meanwhile, our Little Giant incubator is a mess. I have 19 more to hatch, many have pipped. Do I need to be concerned with the mess inside the incubator? Should I begin removing chicks as they hatch? I fear bacteroa may form with the warmth and humidity and cause the remaining chicks to get sick.

 

[FarmGirl9494]

Yes I have a smell from all of my bators when I hatch! I definitely can smell it but I don't mind and am used to it! but my mom always complains that my incubator room always smells!! lol! I especially hear that when chicks are hatching or recently hatched! but trust me, you will know if you have a bad egg! it will either be very very dark and/or smell to high heaven!! if it is a rotten egg you will know it!!!!!!! but I agree I always get smell from hatching but boy oh boy I sure do know immediately when I have a stinker in there that is on the clock before it goes pop! then you get the pleasure of running your nose up and down all your eggs till you hit the jackpot and find culprit! YUCK! I think poop from setting females and rotten eggs are some of the worst smells possible! GL with your smelly bators everyone! You are not alone in your smelly situations!!!