Do you leave the chicks in the incubator until all the eggs hatch? If so, how do you keep adding water to sponges or to the bator to keep humidity high? My little ones are having a hard time standing on the wire mesh in the bator and keep bumping the eggs. Thanks in advance for the advice!
How long have they been in there? I think they can stay in for up to 48 hours, though I know it's hard to leave them in that long. In the past, I have removed dry chicks if I'm absolutely certain no other eggs have externally pipped, but you have to be very careful or the membranes will dry out. As for adding water, I use a Hovabator, and I add warm water through a straw in one of the top holes. I like to position a sponge directly under the hole to drip water onto, but you can also just pour it directly into the channel. It works really well for me.
Get everything ready, Warm water, Hands to grab chicks, and a place to move them to. Open it up , add the water, remove the chicks, Close it up. No harm done. Moma hen gets off the nest a couple of times a day. My sister is hatching eggs for me, and has been opening and closing the 'bator as the chicks dry to move them to the brooder. You don't want to be opening it every hour, but a couple of times a day won't hurt anything. Good luck!
