Do you open the incubator to get out new chicks, or wait for them all to hatch?

[Maddison]

Ok so I had a shrinkwrapped chick that I had to help out because (I assume) of my excessive opening of the incubator to get out newly fluffed chicks. now, is it possible that each time your doing this you risk the chick having problems when hatching? would it be a good idea to wait for all chicks to hatch, which could be more than 3 days to get the chicks into the brooder? additionally would it be unsanitary and dangerous to leave chicks in there when they poop for the first time? (The first poo is called meconium, and it's the debris that builds up in the intestines prior to birth) keep in mind I don't have a staggered hatch but I did store the eggs and as such some will hatch later than others. LASTLY! theres one other egg that is past its 24hr mark to hatch, it has pipped but not zipped (much like the shrinkwrapped one), Im reluctant to help because it could be just tired, it was peeping previously but has since gone almost quiet. but is it even possible for a pip and zip to take longer than 24hrs? this chick is not shrinkwrapped like the last...

 

[jay873]

I usually wait till there's enough that they start rolling the eggs around then I take out the fluffy ones and I never get shrink wrapped maybe increase your humidity mine is at least 80 usually around 90 (just during lockdown) and yes eggs can take a day to hatch but I think that is a little late imo but probably normal and the poop thing I have no idea I've never had a chick die from disease

 

[handicappersnurse]

Ok so I had a shrinkwrapped chick that I had to help out because (I assume) of my excessive opening of the incubator to get out newly fluffed chicks. now, is it possible that each time your doing this you risk the chick having problems when hatching? would it be a good idea to wait for all chicks to hatch, which could be more than 3 days to get the chicks into the brooder? additionally would it be unsanitary and dangerous to leave chicks in there when they poop for the first time? (The first poo is called meconium, and it's the debris that builds up in the intestines prior to birth) keep in mind I don't have a staggered hatch but I did store the eggs and as such some will hatch later than others. LASTLY! theres one other egg that is past its 24hr mark to hatch, it has pipped but not zipped (much like the shrinkwrapped one), Im reluctant to help because it could be just tired, it was peeping previously but has since gone almost quiet. but is it even possible for a pip and zip to take longer than 24hrs? this chick is not shrinkwrapped like the last...

I always help chicks out of the eggs if they make a hole and don't hatch out on their own after a period of time. I found if the chicks don't hatch out on their own after making a hole in the egg instead of just pipping and popping off the top half of the egg, they usually die in the egg. Everyone of my guinea and chick eggs that can't hatch successfully on their own, get and egg C-Section. I then leave them on a soft cloth in the incubator to see if they are strong enough to survive. If I find them wandering off the cloth, I dry them with a hair dryer and place them under the heat light in the brooder box I have prepared for the ICU chicks. I always take my newly hatched keets and chicks out of the incubator after hatching on their own, dry them with the hair dryer and put them in a soft bed under the lights in their brooder box. I know many bloggers disagree with this technique, but the hatched chicks don't dry quickly with the humidity so high in the incubator and they knock the other eggs around too much. The babies that can't seem to hatch on their own most usually survive well post egg C-Section. Hope this was helpful.

 

[Laodicia]

if it pipped straight to the shell and not the aircell first then it will take longer than 24 hours. the chick being quiet sounds like a chick that just pipped and is tired. I've had a few chicks that have pipped the wrong side. same place as the drawn down aircell but the opposite side, so they didn't pip internally, and thinking they had, went in to help. but it was definitely too early, I waited out the blood veins and the chicks were fine.

my thoughts on opening the incubator is it depends. I have a home made one that has a very small access door that I can open to get chicks out, my arm all but blocks the hole. and I'm fine with doing that. but if opening your incubator means really opening it like taking the whole top off, then you need to leave it shut.

 

[Harmony Fowl]

I remove chicks once they reach a certain steadiness on their feet. They never dry completely in the incubator for me and they cause too much havoc for the remaining eggs and chicks. I do try to remove several at once, both to save on opening the incubator repeatedly and because I’ve noticed single chicks added to the brooder sometimes get picked on as the least energetic in the bunch. They say not to open the incubator, but you aren’t pulling the lid off to make daisy chains inside, you’re just grabbing the chicks quickly and closing it again. I don’t even open the lid all the way, just enough to get my arm in. Newborns are surprisingly quick, but not that fast. I think the advice on not opening the incubator, while good, is aimed at the folks who get so nervous they open it every few minutes to check. That would cause harm.

I assist when a chick has externally pipped, several hours have passed and the chick is active and making efforts that should be yielding progress but which are not. For me, this usually looks like a chick who makes a large hole rather than zipping and can’t seem to turn to zip or push hard enough to break free.

 

[Maddison]

I remove chicks once they reach a certain steadiness on their feet. They never dry completely in the incubator for me and they cause too much havoc for the remaining eggs and chicks. I do try to remove several at once, both to save on opening the incubator repeatedly and because I’ve noticed single chicks added to the brooder sometimes get picked on as the least energetic in the bunch. They say not to open the incubator, but you aren’t pulling the lid off to make daisy chains inside, you’re just grabbing the chicks quickly and closing it again. I don’t even open the lid all the way, just enough to get my arm in. Newborns are surprisingly quick, but not that fast. I think the advice on not opening the incubator, while good, is aimed at the folks who get so nervous they open it every few minutes to check. That would cause harm.

I assist when a chick has externally pipped, several hours have passed and the chick is active and making efforts that should be yielding progress but which are not. For me, this usually looks like a chick who makes a large hole rather than zipping and can’t seem to turn to zip or push hard enough to break free.

Yes! that exactly it! the chick has made a large hole but no zip, much like the last chick! do you think that I should assist at this point??

 

[Harmony Fowl]

I do at this point. I have found that if I don’t, they just struggle until they die. The last one I helped had its feet spread so it wasn’t pushing hard on any one spot. One foot was wrapped up in membrane and it didn’t seem to be able to turn around.

I chipped away at the hole the chick had already made bit by bit. I got its head and feet free and let it work on the rest.

 

[Akrnaf2]

Ok so I had a shrinkwrapped chick that I had to help out because (I assume) of my excessive opening of the incubator to get out newly fluffed chicks. now, is it possible that each time your doing this you risk the chick having problems when hatching? would it be a good idea to wait for all chicks to hatch, which could be more than 3 days to get the chicks into the brooder? additionally would it be unsanitary and dangerous to leave chicks in there when they poop for the first time? (The first poo is called meconium, and it's the debris that builds up in the intestines prior to birth) keep in mind I don't have a staggered hatch but I did store the eggs and as such some will hatch later than others. LASTLY! theres one other egg that is past its 24hr mark to hatch, it has pipped but not zipped (much like the shrinkwrapped one), Im reluctant to help because it could be just tired, it was peeping previously but has since gone almost quiet. but is it even possible for a pip and zip to take longer than 24hrs? this chick is not shrinkwrapped like the last...

Wait! If you open the incubator while piping you can shrink rap the chick, due to the humidity decline.

 

[Maddison]

Wait! If you open the incubator while piping you can shrink rap the chick, due to the humidity decline.

Im aware of this, but surely opening it for no more than 5 seconds wont shrinkwrap it right?

 

[Harmony Fowl]

Just be as quick as you can while also being careful. Many people here would have far fewer chicks hatch if five seconds were universally deadly.