Quote:
read this and youll see why Im saying dont open until tomorrow
"Anyone ever tried to make an incubator that you can put your hands into? It seems every hatch I read about someone has to open the bator for some reason during lockdown. The issue from what I have found is not just temperature and humidity which can be replaced fairly easily. but the Carbon Dioxide is released form the bator as well. the muscle spasms that cause the chick to hatch stop when the carbon dioxide is released. I was thinking yesterday about attaching a Co2 bottle to a bator and then you can put it back in if you had to open it for any reason. of course this would require knowing how much is enough to add. from what I found out it goes something like this. Chick is in solid egg and Co2 levels rise causing muscle spasms that do three things. one they cause the neck to spasm and this causes beak to pip. stomach spasms drawing remainder of yolk into chicks stomach. muscles in legs spasm strengthening legs. okay so this goes on for say 24 hours until the beak finally breaks through. this hole gives the chick a fresh dose of oxygen and the spasms stop. this helps explain the pip then nothing thing that a lot of people see. at this point he Co2 levels in the entire bator begin to increase until they reach the point that spasms begin again. it is exactly during this period of time that Co2 levels are building up that most people get concerned and decide they need to open the bator for this and that, and help with this and that, and add more water and whatever. sometimes the chick never starts to spasm again so never zips as it should. And opening the bator is removing the very thing it needs to get started again and you would very likely never suspect it. set a can of soda in the bator as a pip and zip primer."
I just read this in another thread and it was a total lightbulb moment for me that just reinforced why I dont open when not needed.
Now if tomorrow comes and still nothing-IMO I would open the egg a little to see if its ok or gone-
read this and youll see why Im saying dont open until tomorrow
"Anyone ever tried to make an incubator that you can put your hands into? It seems every hatch I read about someone has to open the bator for some reason during lockdown. The issue from what I have found is not just temperature and humidity which can be replaced fairly easily. but the Carbon Dioxide is released form the bator as well. the muscle spasms that cause the chick to hatch stop when the carbon dioxide is released. I was thinking yesterday about attaching a Co2 bottle to a bator and then you can put it back in if you had to open it for any reason. of course this would require knowing how much is enough to add. from what I found out it goes something like this. Chick is in solid egg and Co2 levels rise causing muscle spasms that do three things. one they cause the neck to spasm and this causes beak to pip. stomach spasms drawing remainder of yolk into chicks stomach. muscles in legs spasm strengthening legs. okay so this goes on for say 24 hours until the beak finally breaks through. this hole gives the chick a fresh dose of oxygen and the spasms stop. this helps explain the pip then nothing thing that a lot of people see. at this point he Co2 levels in the entire bator begin to increase until they reach the point that spasms begin again. it is exactly during this period of time that Co2 levels are building up that most people get concerned and decide they need to open the bator for this and that, and help with this and that, and add more water and whatever. sometimes the chick never starts to spasm again so never zips as it should. And opening the bator is removing the very thing it needs to get started again and you would very likely never suspect it. set a can of soda in the bator as a pip and zip primer."
I just read this in another thread and it was a total lightbulb moment for me that just reinforced why I dont open when not needed.
Now if tomorrow comes and still nothing-IMO I would open the egg a little to see if its ok or gone-
