Help!! Incubator stopped working WHILE chicks were hatching!!!

[Luckyhen006]

Hey guys!! So Its day 22, and we just had one egg hatch.
We have a couple zipping as well, but our incubator just quit working!!
It shut off and on multiple times then just quit.
We thought maybe it was just the wall socket so we moved the incubator somewhere else, NOTHING. We thought it might be the breaker of the house, NOTHING, what can we do to help these chicks survive?? With a dead incubator? Any Help is Appreciated!! Thank you so much!!

 

[deer trail duck farms]

depending on the type of incubator you could put a heat lamp above it close to prolong the heat in it. i would run and buy a new incubator in the mean time.

 

[Luckyhen006]

depending on the type of incubator you could put a heat lamp above it close to prolong the heat in it. i would run and buy a new incubator in the mean time.

Okay thanks so much!

 

[pennyJo1960]

I agree there incubators have come down in prices.

 

[Luckyhen006]

Thanks so much!! And one question, kind of unrelated to the original question. If a chick started zipping sometime last night, and is taking a very long break, not even halfway around the egg, does that mean that it might need an assisted hatching? Or no? And how do I know it is shrink wrapped? The membrane does look rather dry.

 

[deer trail duck farms]

Thanks so much!! And one question, kind of unrelated to the original question. If a chick started zipping sometime last night, and is taking a very long break, not even halfway around the egg, does that mean that it might need an assisted hatching? Or no? And how do I know it is shrink wrapped? The membrane does look rather dry.

i usully wait atleast 24 hours after no progress has been made i push it to 36 hours if i can... the membrane will turn a brown color when it dries up shrink wraps.

 

[Luckyhen006]

Oh okay! Thank you! Right now it is yellow.

 

[MidwifeMamaHawk]

Oh okay! Thank you! Right now it is yellow.

You can put a little coconut oil on it to keep it moist, but that might provide false reassurance as it only affects the exposed membranes. I would just leave it closed to preserve humidity and run grab another incubator ASAP.

Also, there is a GREAT article around here regarding assisted hatching and how to know when it is necessary and when to STOP and put the chicken back. Highly recommend reading it right after you get the new bator to make sure you don't intervene prematurely. I will look for it and try to link it here.

Here it is - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

About 1/3 of the way down starts the part about identifying whether to intervene and then instructions for doing so along with important considerations. Good luck with your bator and eggs!

 

[Evadig]

You can put a little coconut oil on it to keep it moist, but that might provide false reassurance as it only affects the exposed membranes. I would just leave it closed to preserve humidity and run grab another incubator ASAP.

Also, there is a GREAT article around here regarding assisted hatching and how to know when it is necessary and when to STOP and put the chicken back. Highly recommend reading it right after you get the new bator to make sure you don't intervene prematurely. I will look for it and try to link it here.

I think you mean this one?https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

 

[LaFleche]

Oh okay! Thank you! Right now it is yellow.

Don't open the incubator or it will lose the humidity as well as the warmth!

You can put a warm water bottle underneath your incubator to help with keeping the temperature up, but be careful not to cover the ventilation holes as the chicks need a lot of oxigen to hatch.