This is the hardest time for me

[bobbieschicks]

The time between the first few hatchers and the last - the quandry - do I open the bator and take out the hatchlings or leave them alone so they kick the snot out of the others and possibly cause no more hatches. I'm not so sure I had any more developing so maybe this is it for us... day 19 these two hatched now it's day 20! UGH!

I WILL resist the urge to open the bator and take out the football players - hopefully a few more are in there ready to hatch and just aren't out yet as there are no more pips this morning.

Meantime I'll go set up the brooder and check later today for more pips. If they can be in there for 3 days without disturbing them I have until Saturday morning before I need to pull them out. I doubt I'll last that long

 

[cmom]

This is just my opinion. I do take the chicks out with their shells but try to do it as quickly as I can. I have hatched with a broody and she gets off the nest every once in awhile even during the last couple of days so I don't see much difference except incubating is a more controlled environment. If any eggs are pipped or zipped then I do a very quick grab. What kind of an incubator do you have? I had one chick on my last hatch shrink wrap and I helped it hatch as it was partially zipped but after I hatched it I noticed it's feet are not right and it has spraddle legs so that may have been the reason it couldn't get out. Right now I'm feeding it several times a day by hand. The little thing is doing good so far. I will attempt to straighten its feet and legs out. It does like to be held and when I put it down it fusses.

 

[mstricer]

I would leave them in they can stay in there for up to 3 days. Every time you open the bator you risk shrink wrapping the others. If you can keep it dark in the room the bator is in they will stay pretty quiet. It's when we shine lights in there that make them go crazy. Just my 2 cents
Michele

 

[Barbedwirecat]

Quote:
I feel exactly what you are talking about. I has eggs start hatching on Tuesday. I have 4 more that haven't pipped. I have heard anything from them so I think it may be time for me to move chicks. I can at least candle the eggs and see whats up.

I think it's OK to move if NO pips from the other eggs, but I would never consider moving with pips and/or drying chicks. Shrink wrap only happens if the eggs are piped or zipped.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I think I will leave them for now and maybe make it darker in there somehow - I see another pip has happened - so I don't want to risk those that have pipped - as they are still possible to hatch.

 

[Barbedwirecat]

Good deal, I totally support that.

I just had to rescue one of the chicks because his umbilical cord was stuck to something and he was flailing and trying to pull. I went ahead and grabbed all of them and candled the eggs really quick. I think my last ones might be quitters, we'll see.

Good luck!!!

 

[Kelsey2017]

I am going to have to move mine because of the poor decision I made with the putting something under the eggs. I don't want to but the one that had it's leg tangled still has fiber around it's knee and looks exhausted from struggling. I am sure it will die if I don't get it dried off and free. Everyone else is fine but I do think I will take the tangled one and the first two that hatched out. That leaves only one in there, do the pipped eggs and those that haven't need the hatched ones to wake them up? Sorry bobbieschicks I don't know what to tell you, I am a total greenhorn here. You can only do what you feel is correct for the situation. Hopefully others will chime in with their experiences.
I can only imagine that the knocking around is natural and taking them out is unnatural, and incubating in a machine is unnatural but these little buggers just fought out of a shell and probably will hunt down the sibling that did the abuse and annoy the crud out of them just like a little brother or sister would do naturally!
Good Luck! I am pulling mine out and I will let you know how they do, I am thinking at least it will keep me from opening the incubator a bunch of times to check on things. Darn not having a window!