When to lift out new hatchlings ?

[John Chicken GB]

I have a mixed batch of different hatch-date eggs on the go , some chicks are larger and rougher to the smaller ones , as they are coming out intermittently ,. Q . How soon after hatching should I lift out the chicks , ? It seems like the newer hatchlings are getting a hard time ??? Please reply soon . I have the brooder ready , but its a mile away , so involves a short car ride !

 

[NewHawaiiChick]

I was told to not take them out until they are completely dry. That is only a few hours. I know you can leave them in for a while, but not longer than two days. My big problem with leaving them for very long at all was that they bumped and rolled by eggs in "lockdown" and drowned them (at least that's what we think happened). Good luck. They'll eat and drink almost as soon as they can stand, if offered to them.

 

[saddina]

no.

I open 2 times a day, breakfast, and after dinner. If a chick is fluffy, alert and moving about, they can come out, if not i'll be back in 12 hours. The extra hours IN won't hurt a hatched chick, but iopening the incubator will loose humidity, and can cause pipped chicks to shrink wrap and die. when you open it, steam a cup of water (120 second in the microwave, like making tea) and add some of the steamy water to the resiviour. this will make up for the lost humidity when you open up the darn thing.

 

[John Chicken GB]

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But will large clumsy chicks harm the newest hatchlings , they seem quite rough ?

 

[John Chicken GB]

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I dont think they drowned - but they do take a battering , dont they !

 

[John Chicken GB]

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Good advise , thanks ! lol

 

[skillswife]

I had to remove some of my ducklings for this reason, they were way rough on eachother. Just make sure to do it quickly and watch for any other pipped eggs. The car ride won't hurt them, keep in mind tons of day old chicks and younger get shipped everywhere!