I have pips! When should I remove the chicks from the inbator and put them in the brooder? Should I leave them in the incubator until they are dry and fuzzy, or from some of the other posts I've read about messy stuff - should I take them out and clean them up with moist towel, then put them back or in the brooder? I'm SURE this stuff has been asked and answered, but I can't find the posts as usual when I want them! Thanks all! Andrew
Unless one of them is having problems you usually leave them all in there until the hatch is complete. Opening the bator to keep taking them out will throw off the temp and humidity and could mess up the rest of the hatch. They will will walk around, and take a nap while the fluff out and they don't need to eat for the first 24 hours anyway. Good luck with the rest of your hatch.
Makes sense, so just leave all the ogg shell and stuff too then? I don't have a loaded bator, about 1/3 full so they shoudl hae room to move. Andrew
Yup, they will make a mess climbing over the egg shells and all that but you can clean it all up later when you take them all out. Sometimes when they are flopping and climbing all over the place they even end up back in someones shell and sit there or take a nap. Its alot of fun to watch them hatch. Have fun and good luck. Let us know how it goes for you.
By the way, are you doing the egg carton method for hatch or the regular method of just laying the eggs on the bottom of the bator? Just curious. I did the egg carton method where I left all the eggs in a carton for hatch and most of them popped right out and it was less mess to clean because I just threw away the cartons with all the egg mess in it.
I have them laying on the bottm loose. That make sense though. Does that make it any easier or harder for them to hatch out? Should I leave it alone at this point since they are already pipping or would it still be good to put them in a carton? I'd imagine I should leave them as that last 3 days was for them to get into position - They are laying on their side now, but carton would flip them up 90 degrees out of where they settled. Andrew
It's best to leave them until the hatch is complete. They are fine for up to 3 days. If it gets crowded or you have chicks with problems,you can quickly snatch them out. It messes with the humidity when you open the bater. Congrats on your babies.
You should leave them to hatch now, but you could try it next time. See how you like the way this goes and then you can compare the carton method next time. I think its easier for them to hatch in the carton as far as they have more leverage and don't rock and roll around when trying to get out and then its also a little easier to clean the bator as well. I just throw away the cartons with all the junk in it and then sterilize the bator. Your good right now though.
The first hatch I laid them all on the wire. This hatch, I'm trying the egg carton method. Only one hatched so far, but I'm liking the carton method.
Let us know how it goes Yoletrapper. I think once you try it you end up preferring it due to the convenience factor. One mistake that I made and learned from with this. I put two cartons of eggs in the bator side by side, but left a small gap between them. Chicks would hatch and then a couple would get in between that gap and couldn't get back out. I had to quickly reach my hand in and push one of the cartons away from the other. So now I leave a much wider space between the two. I may be the only one who didn't know better and did something like that, but it just didn't occur to me when I first set them up. Just something to know I guess.