Topic of the Week - Hatching Eggs

[redinator]

I always move them out of the incubator when they have dried or if they are full of energy

When all have dried off, or as each individual chick dries off?

 

[redinator]

Does opening and removing the hatched out chicks from the incubator not risk the other eggs from shrink wrapping?

I was wondering this too.

 

[allosaurusrock]

I was wondering this too.

It is better to wait until all the eggs are done hatching before pulling chicks out. It can definitely cause large variations in humidity that can cause membranes to dry out.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I was wondering this too.

Yes, it can lead to shrink wrapped chicks but it really depends on the environment and location of your setup. Always take into account the room environment and season. Here in the north during winter/spring the air is very dry indoors, forced air furnaces creates cold/warm areas, and drafts from entering/exiting the house impacts air flow. Opening the incubator at any time dramatically reduces it's humidity and temp. Best to leave it alone, but sometimes opening the incubator is necessary. For this reason I find it helpful to me to set up my incubation operation in a guest bathroom, and I run the shower for steam to make it less impactful to the eggs upon opening the lid from anytime after day 17 (to be certain)-that's just me being super cautious.

 

[kachong]

Yes, it can lead to shrink wrapped chicks but it really depends on the environment and location of your setup. Always take into account the room environment and season. Here in the north during winter/spring the air is very dry indoors, forced air furnaces creates cold/warm areas, and drafts from entering/exiting the house impacts air flow. Opening the incubator at any time dramatically reduces it's humidity and temp. Best to leave it alone, but sometimes opening the incubator is necessary. For this reason I find it helpful to me to set up my incubation operation in a guest bathroom, and I run the shower for steam to make it less impactful to the eggs upon opening the lid from anytime after day 17 (to be certain)-that's just me being super cautious.

Very helpful, thank you!

 

[Kkoleckar]

Not sure if I'm in the right place but my question pertains to egg fertility. I have 2 Peking drakes, a malard drake and a female malard. I have seen Freedom taken place by one Peking and my female mallard she has recently laid an egg but I'm not sure if it's fertile can anyone tell me an easy method so I could find out

Is she laying on the egg or have you pulled it inside? You have to candel the egg with a small light and you’ll be able to see fetal development in about a week if she is laying on the egg or incubating inside