When to remove from incubator

[chickent00]

I'm a teacher, hatching 7 eggs in a Brinsea mini Advance. They started hatching Tues. afternoon. We watched more hatching on Wed., with all out but one Wed. afternoon. That was yesterday. Before I left school, I couldn't decide whether to remove the hatched chicks before going home, releasing the humidity for the unhatched egg. So I got on this site and did some research, and was reassured that they could remain in the incubator for up to 48 hours.
I left them in, and when I came in this morning, (Thurs). 2 chicks were dead.
I'd like to have an answer to give my students about why they died. My guess is that they succumbed to the stress of the crowding in the incubator, and I should have removed them last night.
Am I likely right, or is there another explanation?
It's a good incubator that I've used before without incident. The eggs came from Meyer Hatchery and I doubt there was anything wrong with the chicks.
Thanks.

 

[WVduckchick]

I'm so sorry for your loss, and I feel for you and your students. There are many possibilities as to why the chicks died. I do not have experience with that incubator, but hear wonderful things about them. Has anything happened with the final egg? Did you go ahead and remove all the chicks?

Here is one interesting thread about chick mortality, maybe it will give you some clues, depending on your own factors.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/39604/some-causes-of-early-chick-mortality

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'm a teacher, hatching 7 eggs in a Brinsea mini Advance. They started hatching Tues. afternoon. We watched more hatching on Wed., with all out but one Wed. afternoon. That was yesterday. Before I left school, I couldn't decide whether to remove the hatched chicks before going home, releasing the humidity for the unhatched egg. So I got on this site and did some research, and was reassured that they could remain in the incubator for up to 48 hours.
I left them in, and when I came in this morning, (Thurs). 2 chicks were dead.
I'd like to have an answer to give my students about why they died. My guess is that they succumbed to the stress of the crowding in the incubator, and I should have removed them last night.
Am I likely right, or is there another explanation?
It's a good incubator that I've used before without incident. The eggs came from Meyer Hatchery and I doubt there was anything wrong with the chicks.
Thanks.

Sorry to hear that. The "experts" say that chicks can stay in the bator for up to three days w/o food and water because they have absorbed the yolk. And while, that may be true. It isn't always, in my opinion, the best thing for them. I believe that just because they theoretically "can" doesn't mean they should. People "can" go days w/o eating, I for one would rather not.

The Brinsea mini's are quite-well mini. I would agree that they probably succumbed to stress. And while the average chick may be able to go w/o food or water, you may have cases that doesn't prove so true in.

I incubate in a much larger Little Giant bator. I pull my chicks out during the hatch and place them in the brooder under the light where they have food and water with sav a chick electrolyte in it. (I use the sav a chick for the first couple of days.) To date, I have only ever had 1 chick perish that appeared perfectly healthy and that was a week after hatch. No explanation. I have only ever lost 1 chick after hatch that did not make it to the brooder and he had a ruptured yolk and bloody membranes due to him hatching before he was ready.

Many people leave their chicks in the bator 2 days+ will no ill effects as well. I just don't believe in it myself.

So, I would go with the stress theory and add that sometimes it's hard to tell and we don't always know.