Should I add water to incubator during hatch?

[Kimberlypwrs]

Ok so this is my first hatch, and I am beginning to get paranoid about chicks dying while hatching. We just had our first hatch a couple hours ago! Very exciting. I have been worried about the first that pipped the membrane is getting so dry looking. I really do not want to open the bator for fear of "shrink wrapping" the others that have pipped. But is it normal for membrane to look this dry? Should I open and add water to bator and maybe rub a litttle warm water on membrane for this guy? Thank you so much for any advice!

 

[Strader]

I dont w

Ok so this is my first hatch, and I am beginning to get paranoid about chicks dying while hatching. We just had our first hatch a couple hours ago! Very exciting. I have been worried about the first that pipped the membrane is getting so dry looking. I really do not want to open the bator for fear of "shrink wrapping" the others that have pipped. But is it normal for membrane to look this dry? Should I open and add water to bator and maybe rub a litttle warm water on membrane for this guy? Thank you so much for any advice!

i dont worry to much for around six hours after pipping through shell. Hopefully your humidity is aroung 60%.
I dont open door as it effects all others to. If no humidity meter or gauge then its hard to say. We want to rescue the one, but id give it six hours before i opening that door.

 

[Strader]

Humidity actually rises on its own when chicks are hatching. Mine rises about 10% when hatching is taking place.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi Kimberlypwrs!

Glad you could join the flock. Having looked at your pic it looks like the only bit that's dry is the bit of membrane that's exposed to the air I can see some white bits on the edge of the shell. How long has the egg been like this? Do you have a hygrometer to measure the humidity? Is your incubator a Brinsea? Brinseas do in general hold the humidity well.

 

[Kimberlypwrs]

Yes it's a brinsea. It really has held well on temp and humidity. The chick pipped last night, one tiny hole. This morning before I left for the chick was really struggling to poke through membrane more. So when I came home this evening and saw chick still struggling to really get through membrane and to see it reall dry, I was beginning to get nervous. So this is what I did before I got a response. I got out my humidifier and placed on chair next to table the incubator was on, covered bator and humidifier with blanket and let humidity build up, then I opened bator while I was under there, humidity was so high under there I am sure no humidity was lost and actually blew in. I grabbed the egg and moistened the membrane with qtip careful not to do too much or real close to beak. 30 minutes later chicks whole beak came through! And then an hour later chick hatched!! I Also added more water to bator this way and seems like all the chicks that had pipped are now progressing

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Wow! Congratulations

So pleased the chick has hatched ok for you. I can only imagine what you looked like under a blanket with the humidifier and incubator LOL

Hope the rest of your chicks hatch ok for you
Good luck.