Opening incubator during hatch?

[lilchik]

I was wondering if opening the incubator a few times during hatch to remove chicks to brooder really affects the rest of the hatch?

I get worried about the chicks in the bator peeping really loud, so when I get 3 or 4 dried and fluffed up I remove them. Once out into the brooder they stop the loud peeping. I know I am too impatient.

I have read some posts that say they do not open the bator til the hatch is completely done.

What do you all recommend?

Thanks!

 

[El Naked Neck]

well i'm nor recommending nothing but, what i do is put them out in the brooder as soon as they are dry,just yesterday i hatched 16 chicks and they are it the brooder,and have alot more to go,but that it's just me, i haven't had any problems.

 

[Festa X11]

We open ours to get them out once they have dried up. I know there are people who insist that it`s a bad thing to do but out of 6 hatches totalling 100+ chicks there has never been a problem, we won`t open the bator to help chicks out of their shell though. Just have a mist sprayer with warm water in it ready to spray when you close it back up. Infact we opened the bator up about 45 mins ago to get a chick out and since then 2 more chicks have hatched

only another 12 to go.

 

[Surehatch]

I would not suggest opening the incubator in the last 3 days before the chicks hatch. This is a very sensitive period and any disturbances in temperature and humidity can lead to chicks dying in their shells.

 

[Luvducks]

I get them out quickly. As above poster says , this is not a reccommendation but I do it and no problem. I do a stagering hatch so I am putting a couple new eggs in every day and taking chicks out every day. It is working for me. Chicks poppin out all over the place. Just sayin.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Opening the incubator during a hatch is just like most of the recommendations on this site. It does not absolutely without a doubt guarantee that you will have problems. It just increases the likelihood that you might have problems, especially if your hatching conditions are marginal to start with, like maybe a humidity issue. The professional commercial operations don't do it, but then their livelihood depends on a good hatch. They are going to do everything they can to improve their odds.

People violate the "rules" all the time with no known consequences. Just because you refrigerate an egg before you incubate it does not mean it will not hatch. It merely increases the likelihood that it won't hatch. People hatch refrigerated eggs all the time.

Setting the small pullet eggs does not mean that the egg won't hatch out a healthy chick. It increases the likelihood that the chick will not have enough room for pipping or zipping and die in the shell or that one that does hatch will be deformed, but people successfully do it all the time.

Letting a chick eat layer does not mean that the chick is guaranteed to have liver problems, but like you eating something carcenogenic, it increases the odds of a problem.

Not locking your chickens up at night does not absolutely guarantee that a predator will visit that night but leaving the pop door open increases the odds.

They are yours and you can do what you wish. I don't follow all the rules all the time myself, but I do try to improve my odds where I can. I don't open the incubator during a hatch unless I have a solid reason (to me it's soild anyway), but I will if I see a need.

 

[panner123]

Quote:
Thank you and AMEN. I hatch a little over 500 eggs every month in local schools, each class room gets 2 hatches, 1 is opened to candle the eggs and let the students handle the eggs, 2 is onle opened on day 18 to candle and remove the turner. Over all there is a differance of 20% in the hatch rate. The one that is never opened almost always has a higher hatch rate. Why I can't say, it just works out that way. The ones that are opened can have a hatch rate as low as 40%, there ones that are not opened have an average hatch rate of around 90%. All these bators are the famous haters (LG's).

When we were hatching 5000 chicks per week, we never touched the eggs until day 18. Then only to candle them and move them to the brooding area. Granted this was an incubator that you could walk in. It held a total of 15000 eggs in the incubator area (3 sets of 5000 each). with a brooding area that could hold up to 25000 chicks. This operation was to replace the chicks for the large egg suppliers, not the back yard type. Still, it was chicken eggs being hatched.

 

[katharinad]

I've opened it up to remove the egg shells, but left the chicks in. The reason was that the humidity was getting really high during hatching. So each time I just opened it enough to remove the shells it bought it back down to normal levels. I had a very good hatch, so I think it is fine. I usually leave the chicks long enough in until the feathers are dry. That is at least 3 hours after hatching.
Katharina

 

[lilchik]

I keep reading about lock down, is this the not opening of bator during hatch?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, removing the turner, positioning the eggs for hatch, and adding water to raise the humidity is preparing for lockdown. Not opening the incubator/hatcher after it is prepared until you are ready to remove them all is lockdown.