- Thread starter
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LOL they DO open their eyes, it just so happened that I got ALL of them with their eyes closed as they sleep A LOT when coming out- it's hard work!
When to take the biddies out....
- Thread starter WhiteMountainsRanch
- Start date
I had this same issue yesterday.... was it only yesterday????
It seemed like 4 little chickies running around, beating up the new hatches was a tad extreme, so I would wait until things were quiet with no major pips, add some hot water through a straw to steam it up a bit, and quickly lift the lid and pull out the fluffed up chicks. It worked, had no problems, and the humidity never dropped significantly. (brinsea oct eco)
This is my first hatch, and I've been surprised by how much interest they have in food all ready. I gave them some alfalfa leaves and they scarfed them down and they nibbled on some clover leaves I gave them. Of course they have the chick starter too.
It seemed like 4 little chickies running around, beating up the new hatches was a tad extreme, so I would wait until things were quiet with no major pips, add some hot water through a straw to steam it up a bit, and quickly lift the lid and pull out the fluffed up chicks. It worked, had no problems, and the humidity never dropped significantly. (brinsea oct eco)
This is my first hatch, and I've been surprised by how much interest they have in food all ready. I gave them some alfalfa leaves and they scarfed them down and they nibbled on some clover leaves I gave them. Of course they have the chick starter too.
Wow, there's really not much room in there, is there! I didn't realise the Brinseas were so small inside.
I don't know about other types of bator, but with mine I can reach in to get chicks out if I think they've been in there too long even if other people are pipping and zipping, and I never have problems with shrinkwrapping. I do keep my lockdown humidity very high though. If you're going to do it, do it in your bathroom. Turn the shower on and get some steam built up. That way, when you open the bator your humidity won't drop.
I don't like to leave chicks in there too long. I know you *can* leave them for up to 72 hours, but that doesn't mean that you *should*. I don't think leaving them in there for three days is ideal at all. I think as soon as they've fluffed up and got their bearings a bit, it's a good idea to give them access to food and water sooner rather than later. That's just my opinion of course...
I don't know about other types of bator, but with mine I can reach in to get chicks out if I think they've been in there too long even if other people are pipping and zipping, and I never have problems with shrinkwrapping. I do keep my lockdown humidity very high though. If you're going to do it, do it in your bathroom. Turn the shower on and get some steam built up. That way, when you open the bator your humidity won't drop.
I don't like to leave chicks in there too long. I know you *can* leave them for up to 72 hours, but that doesn't mean that you *should*. I don't think leaving them in there for three days is ideal at all. I think as soon as they've fluffed up and got their bearings a bit, it's a good idea to give them access to food and water sooner rather than later. That's just my opinion of course...
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I don't worry that much about food I worry about them having water. But I guess everyone has their own ways of doing things.
I don't worry that much about food I worry about them having water. But I guess everyone has their own ways of doing things.
Yeah, it's really the water I'm more concerned about too. They don't ever seem to rush at the crumbles, but after 36 hours in the incubator, they usually dive at the water and gulp it back like they've been stuck in the desert for a week!
Crowded is not a reason to take them out. If there is room for the eggs, there is room for the chicks. I personally would not like to be that crowded, but I'm not a baby chick. I would not like that 100 degree temperature either.
They can go without food or water for three days. It won't hurt them. I don't like to leave them in there any longer than I have to, but I don't panic if the hatch goes on a bit. Some of my hatches are over within 18 hours. Some take the full three days. Chicks from both types of hatches do equally well when I take them out.
Not opening the incubator during lockdown is a guideline intended to improve your odds of a good hatch, similar to almost all the advice given on this forum. Violating the guidelines does not always lead to absolute disaster. Almost all of us violate some of the guidelines and still do OK. The guidelines do not guarantee either success or failure. They merely improve your odds of success or, if you violate them, you have a greater chance of failure. No guarantees either way. Just odds.
If you open the incubator during lockdown, you can shrink-wrap a chick. It is not that you will shrink-wrap each and every one each and every time. You probably won't. But just because you violate the guidleines and get away with it does not mean the guidleines are rubbish. People do sometimes shrink-wrap chicks by opening the incubator during lockdown. I've done that. The main risk is during pip and zip, since the egg shell is open and the drier air can get to the membrane. I have had eggs that pipped on the bottom where I can't see the pip, or the pip has been moved to the bottom by the early hatchers playing rugby with the unhatched eggs. Just because you cannot see a pip does not mean that one has not pipped.
People that open the incubator prematurely during lockdown either do not really understand the risk they are taking or they understand the risk and are willing to take that risk. That is their choice.
When do I take mine out of the incubator? Ideally, when I feel the hatch is over and the last one has dried off. The humidity gets real high during hatch, so it can take a while before they dry off. After the hatch is over in those long drawn-out hatches, I have taken out the ones that have dried off and leave the wet ones behind in the warm incubator so they don't get a chill going to the brooder.
They can go without food or water for three days. It won't hurt them. I don't like to leave them in there any longer than I have to, but I don't panic if the hatch goes on a bit. Some of my hatches are over within 18 hours. Some take the full three days. Chicks from both types of hatches do equally well when I take them out.
Not opening the incubator during lockdown is a guideline intended to improve your odds of a good hatch, similar to almost all the advice given on this forum. Violating the guidelines does not always lead to absolute disaster. Almost all of us violate some of the guidelines and still do OK. The guidelines do not guarantee either success or failure. They merely improve your odds of success or, if you violate them, you have a greater chance of failure. No guarantees either way. Just odds.
If you open the incubator during lockdown, you can shrink-wrap a chick. It is not that you will shrink-wrap each and every one each and every time. You probably won't. But just because you violate the guidleines and get away with it does not mean the guidleines are rubbish. People do sometimes shrink-wrap chicks by opening the incubator during lockdown. I've done that. The main risk is during pip and zip, since the egg shell is open and the drier air can get to the membrane. I have had eggs that pipped on the bottom where I can't see the pip, or the pip has been moved to the bottom by the early hatchers playing rugby with the unhatched eggs. Just because you cannot see a pip does not mean that one has not pipped.
People that open the incubator prematurely during lockdown either do not really understand the risk they are taking or they understand the risk and are willing to take that risk. That is their choice.
When do I take mine out of the incubator? Ideally, when I feel the hatch is over and the last one has dried off. The humidity gets real high during hatch, so it can take a while before they dry off. After the hatch is over in those long drawn-out hatches, I have taken out the ones that have dried off and leave the wet ones behind in the warm incubator so they don't get a chill going to the brooder.
Quote:
Good answer!!! I'm new to hatching but I've learned alot from my first few hatches & a ton from this forum. Do I know it all no way. Will, I ever doubt it. But one thinks for sure I'm gonna try harder next time & learn from my mistakes & roll on. I do know that I had a few situations while hatching that I paniced & probably lost some chicks because I did the wrong thing but again I learned something as well. Next hatch I'm gonna slow down & make sure that everythings ready & then proceed from there.
Good answer!!! I'm new to hatching but I've learned alot from my first few hatches & a ton from this forum. Do I know it all no way. Will, I ever doubt it. But one thinks for sure I'm gonna try harder next time & learn from my mistakes & roll on. I do know that I had a few situations while hatching that I paniced & probably lost some chicks because I did the wrong thing but again I learned something as well. Next hatch I'm gonna slow down & make sure that everythings ready & then proceed from there.
Ha! As usual, we can trust Ridgerunner to give the best advice!
Having read that answer, I'd say disregard my own answer completely. LOL! I recently did a long multiple staggered hatch with eggs I had (rather foolishly) chucked into the bator willy-nilly. By necessity, I was having to take chicks out when others were still in 'lockdown' and I had no humidity related problems at all. These were eggs from my own hens though, so I could afford to be a bit casual with them, and I was kind of looking on the hatch as an experiment.
If I had paid a lot of money for eggs, I would be following the normal incubating guidelines to the letter!
Having read that answer, I'd say disregard my own answer completely. LOL! I recently did a long multiple staggered hatch with eggs I had (rather foolishly) chucked into the bator willy-nilly. By necessity, I was having to take chicks out when others were still in 'lockdown' and I had no humidity related problems at all. These were eggs from my own hens though, so I could afford to be a bit casual with them, and I was kind of looking on the hatch as an experiment.
If I had paid a lot of money for eggs, I would be following the normal incubating guidelines to the letter!
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