SOOO Excited

[juliachick]

We are soooo excited. We have our first pipper ever. We weren't sure any were going to hatch since didn't have much luck w/candling. I was getting changed and heard a cheep and thought no way is that from the incubator...and looked and saw a little hole started!!!! Now did I just make a mistake by opening the lid to add water. I didn't expect any to start hatching until day 21 which would be this Sunday so this guy is early...I was going to add more water Sat night. Our humidity was 60% and I had read hatch day it should be 70%. Now reading some of your other posts I would have left it alone since a lot of you have sucess w/60% and lower. Is it bad to open the lid while one is hatching? It is pipping towards the small end also....hope it's ok!!!!! Seems like you guys have ones do this too and are fine. We had stored them at room temp (68 degrees) for 2 days before we started incubating because I didn't read yet that they should've been stored at 55 degrees. SO maybe that's why this one is early. This is a mix barred rock/americauna (black) so can't wait to see if it's going to be all black or barred.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I can't answer your questions as I only use broody hens to hatch (I'm lazy!), but CONGRATS on your pip! It's so exciting! I had to sit on my hands to keep from messing with the last hatch here. Thankfully my mama hens are very tolerant of me.

We will, of course, need baby pictures when the babies are all out.

 

[TaLani]

Does your bator have a fan? Your humidity should be 60-70%. It's better to be on the low side of the scale than on the high side though. Hope that helps ya little bit anyway.

 

[wegotchickens]

If you're hatching bantams, they often hatch early.
And a pip today may not mean the chick actually hatches until late tomorrow. Sometimes they make an airhole and then just sit for a long while resting.

 

[jonty]

Shouldn't be a problem having your incubator open for a short while. As for pipping early. There are reasons. Bird type and if your incubator has a highter temp than 37.5°C. I had some yesterday 3 days early. All doing fine.