Stinky incubator?

[affacat]

So I have a staggered hatch right now. 2 born last week, 1 born yesterday, 16 more eggs likely hatching soon.

The incubator went stinky this morning. Not sure if it's an egg, because the water also looks disgusting this morning... I think the various mess from the other eggs hatching last week finally went sour in the warm water.

So how do I deal with this? I've heard it's very dangerous to even open the incubator often at this point (something about humidity changes saran wrapping the chicks in eggs) so I want to be exceedingly careful.

Also... It is possible an egg also went bad. Should I candle each one? Smell them? Deal for with the fact this will require me to open the incubator for 5 minutes or so?

The water is definitely gross, picture:

Water on the left yellow. But cleaning this out would require, say, removing all eggs for 5 or 10 minutes.

Incubator still has 5 days left, tho like I said we already have hatches due to staggered eggs taken from broody.

 

[Iluveggers]

My NR went stinky about day 22 (left it til day 24 waiting on the last 3 eggs). I smelled each one and they smelled fine. When the hatch was finished I realized there was hatching junk that had fallen through to the water trough. Mental note to cut my drawer liner all the way to the edge next time. I would think with a staggered hatch there is lots of hatching gunk sitting in the water trough. You could leave it, or you could take eggs out for a second, open the bottom and dump it, and quickly fill with water. Once temp & humidity are stabilized add the eggs back in. I would definitely check each egg to make sure it isn’t from one of them although after seeing the water I think it’s probably just gunk.

 

[affacat]

Okay. I was concerned taking the eggs out at this late stage would cause issues... But honestly, so does the stink.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have 2 incubators, one has just the turning, and air, one is still air. If I stagger, I put my eggs in the incubator with the turner-fan till day 18 then move them to the still air to hatch. If I want to add eggs, I heat them up in the still air, then move them to the turner-air incubator after a day, they stay until their own day 18. That way they don't have to develop and hatch in the same incubator, and I may get a chance to clean it our before the next batch comes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

This is a risk of a staggered hatch in the same incubator. The incubator is the perfect temperature for bacteria to thrive. The gunk from hatching plus the poop that chicks can drop right at hatch are good food for bacteria. It's wet in there, which bacteria need to multiply. If bacteria get in they find a perfect environment to grow. I had that happen once, not on a staggered hatch but on a hatch that drug out into the third day.

The newly hatched chicks crawl around. They can smear that gunk on the other eggs or poop on the other eggs. That can cause them to get contaminated.

Let's talk about opening the incubator. It is possible you can shrink wrap a chick that has pipped if it is too dry, as can happen when you open an incubator and let the humidity escape. Possible, not an absolute certainty that it will happen. It doesn't really happen that often but I've done it so I am convinced it is possible. But it is rare. If I have an emergency where I think the risk is worth it I'll open the incubator during lockdown but I don't open it just because I can.

I don't know if it is the water that has gone bad or if it is an actual egg. If it stinks bacteria is in there and can contaminate the eggs even if it is just the water now. I consider that an emergency.

The way I'd approach it would be to take the eggs out and clean that incubator. If the eggs haven't pipped it's probably not a big deal to take them out. Even if some have pipped it is not a death sentence to take them out but the risk goes up and the longer they are out the greater the risk. Some options. You might turn on the shower in a bathroom really hot and steam up the room. Raise the humidity high that way. Some people spritz the eggs with sprayed water but you're probably going to take a while. You can lay a damp (not dripping wet but pretty damp) towel in a box and put the eggs on that. Cover them with another damp towel. You don't want the towels all that hot, 100 F is good. You don't want them cold either so rinse them in warm water. Then clean out the incubator and put the eggs back.

Sniff the eggs as you are taking them out and putting them back. If any have just a bit of a questionable smell get rid of them. Those eggs may be fine, some may have become contaminated. A contaminated egg can explode from the pressure building up but often they leak a white or grey stinky slimy corruption through the porous shell so look at them too. Then sniff the incubator two or three times a day until they hatch.

It is not a good situation to be in. With luck you may still get a good hatch or it may be a disaster. I sure wish you good luck. Let us know how it goes. And before you do another staggered hatch lets discuss it first.

 

[affacat]

Ty go

This is a risk of a staggered hatch in the same incubator. The incubator is the perfect temperature for bacteria to thrive. The gunk from hatching plus the poop that chicks can drop right at hatch are good food for bacteria. It's wet in there, which bacteria need to multiply. If bacteria get in they find a perfect environment to grow. I had that happen once, not on a staggered hatch but on a hatch that drug out into the third day.

The newly hatched chicks crawl around. They can smear that gunk on the other eggs or poop on the other eggs. That can cause them to get contaminated.

Let's talk about opening the incubator. It is possible you can shrink wrap a chick that has pipped if it is too dry, as can happen when you open an incubator and let the humidity escape. Possible, not an absolute certainty that it will happen. It doesn't really happen that often but I've done it so I am convinced it is possible. But it is rare. If I have an emergency where I think the risk is worth it I'll open the incubator during lockdown but I don't open it just because I can.

I don't know if it is the water that has gone bad or if it is an actual egg. If it stinks bacteria is in there and can contaminate the eggs even if it is just the water now. I consider that an emergency.

The way I'd approach it would be to take the eggs out and clean that incubator. If the eggs haven't pipped it's probably not a big deal to take them out. Even if some have pipped it is not a death sentence to take them out but the risk goes up and the longer they are out the greater the risk. Some options. You might turn on the shower in a bathroom really hot and steam up the room. Raise the humidity high that way. Some people spritz the eggs with sprayed water but you're probably going to take a while. You can lay a damp (not dripping wet but pretty damp) towel in a box and put the eggs on that. Cover them with another damp towel. You don't want the towels all that hot, 100 F is good. You don't want them cold either so rinse them in warm water. Then clean out the incubator and put the eggs back.

Sniff the eggs as you are taking them out and putting them back. If any have just a bit of a questionable smell get rid of them. Those eggs may be fine, some may have become contaminated. A contaminated egg can explode from the pressure building up but often they leak a white or grey stinky slimy corruption through the porous shell so look at them too. Then sniff the incubator two or three times a day until they hatch.

It is not a good situation to be in. With luck you may still get a good hatch or it may be a disaster. I sure wish you good luck. Let us know how it goes. And before you do another staggered hatch lets discuss it first.

Ty going to work on it right now.

 

[affacat]

This is a risk of a staggered hatch in the same incubator. The incubator is the perfect temperature for bacteria to thrive. The gunk from hatching plus the poop that chicks can drop right at hatch are good food for bacteria. It's wet in there, which bacteria need to multiply. If bacteria get in they find a perfect environment to grow. I had that happen once, not on a staggered hatch but on a hatch that drug out into the third day.

The newly hatched chicks crawl around. They can smear that gunk on the other eggs or poop on the other eggs. That can cause them to get contaminated.

Let's talk about opening the incubator. It is possible you can shrink wrap a chick that has pipped if it is too dry, as can happen when you open an incubator and let the humidity escape. Possible, not an absolute certainty that it will happen. It doesn't really happen that often but I've done it so I am convinced it is possible. But it is rare. If I have an emergency where I think the risk is worth it I'll open the incubator during lockdown but I don't open it just because I can.

I don't know if it is the water that has gone bad or if it is an actual egg. If it stinks bacteria is in there and can contaminate the eggs even if it is just the water now. I consider that an emergency.

The way I'd approach it would be to take the eggs out and clean that incubator. If the eggs haven't pipped it's probably not a big deal to take them out. Even if some have pipped it is not a death sentence to take them out but the risk goes up and the longer they are out the greater the risk. Some options. You might turn on the shower in a bathroom really hot and steam up the room. Raise the humidity high that way. Some people spritz the eggs with sprayed water but you're probably going to take a while. You can lay a damp (not dripping wet but pretty damp) towel in a box and put the eggs on that. Cover them with another damp towel. You don't want the towels all that hot, 100 F is good. You don't want them cold either so rinse them in warm water. Then clean out the incubator and put the eggs back.

Sniff the eggs as you are taking them out and putting them back. If any have just a bit of a questionable smell get rid of them. Those eggs may be fine, some may have become contaminated. A contaminated egg can explode from the pressure building up but often they leak a white or grey stinky slimy corruption through the porous shell so look at them too. Then sniff the incubator two or three times a day until they hatch.

It is not a good situation to be in. With luck you may still get a good hatch or it may be a disaster. I sure wish you good luck. Let us know how it goes. And before you do another staggered hatch lets discuss it first.

Okay clean ed. AT least 2 are pipping. Should pips be put straight up? I think that's how they were found.

Any emergency advice appreciated.

16 eggs, 2 pipping. All are stinky like the water was, but none stand out. I assume I can't clean the eggs.

Incubator at 99 and 76% and rising. Definite movement in one of the pipping

 

[affacat]

Also have broken shell egg in there I rescued from our broodies nest. Think it might be dead but not sure.

This is wildly stressful.

 

[Iluveggers]

You are braver than I to attempt a staggered hatch in a single incubator!

 

[affacat]

You are braver than I to attempt a staggered hatch in a single incubator!

Dumber, not braver, grin. We got into it by accident, now I'm just trying to salvage as many chicks as possible.

From the more positive view, we weren't planning on hatching any, so we already have given at least 3 chickens a wonderful new home. I'd like to see more from this batch, and will be sad if we lose a lot, but every one born is a huge bonus.