why...

[Quail27]

Since mama chickens and quail do get off their eggs at least a little bit during the day, why is it such a death sentence to eggs for the incubator to be open too often or for a few minutes? Are eggs really that sensative?

 

[Cindiloohoo]

I personally have not found them to be THAT sensitive. It may decrease the hatch rate, but honestly, if they are that sensitive I don't want a weak bird in my flock anyway. I know that sounds harsh but...I just don't want a sickly flock.

 

[marlin]

Wouldnt it be ineresting to wire a hens nest with temp and humidity and record it for 21 days to see the degee of variations compared to the hatch rate. Ok members there someone a project.

 

[hinkjc]

One thing to consider is hens don't take as much time as incubators to come back up to proper temp.

Another factor is hens do not leave their nest during hatch. Opening the incubator during hatch is the most fatal error imo and what causes most stuck chick issues.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
Uh yeah, guess I should have been more clear. During the HATCH they are pretty darn sensitive, but the rest of the time....not so much.

 

[Buck77]

I don't think they are even that sensitve during hatch. During power outages and generator failures I have pulled all the hatching chicks of hatchers and left them sitting in the hall for several minutes at a time with no noticeable hatch decrease. Even during good hatches of 90% or greater there may be some chicks that get stuck to the shell. I wouldn't get too worried about opening an incubator or hatcher for a short time.