How long can hatched chick stay in incubator?

[hamza76744]

what does a wet towel do ???

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I will leave mine in until they are dry and a little more stable. I have heard about people who keep the incubator at a certain humidity and don't open it for ANYTHING during lockdown. I'm not that careful with mine. It stays around 65-70% humidity, but if I feel like I need to open it, I do. One time I saw a chick pipping and opened the incubator to video tape the hatching (so cool!), and that chick and all the other hatched out just fine. I also keep a wet paper towel in the incubator to help with humidity. I sometimes think we don't give eggs & chicks enough credit. I think they can handle a lot more than we remember sometimes. Like the spike in temperature that my incubator had with my last hatch... it was up to 114!!! All the eggs that had started developing were fine. Thank goodness! I know it's better to err on the side of caution, though, so I try to be somewhat careful but I don't stress over it. Best of luck!

x2. Once mine are up and active I pull them out and put them in the brooder. I keep my humidity at hatch up around 75% or more, so i rarely have an issue with it dropping too low. I use a wet sponges in mine. Works awesome.

Hi, I had a question or two regarding the chicks. After they have dried out in brooder box at 99 degrees, how long do you have to keep them in a place with warmth...and how warm does it have to be ...are you suppose to have lights on 24-7 in these incubators

My situation is a little unique, but so far chick is looking good. I found her almost dead on floor in coop, cracked all over and could just see her. (my hens are having chicks right now and doing quite well, so was not planning on being a part of what happened next, so was a little unprepared) However, I brought her inside, made a makeshift incubator with temps. fluctuation between 85 and 100...humidity, who knows, but I misted a lot with warm water and kept wet paper towel balls all over, I was constantly opening to monitor and spritz...I helped her out of the membrane around the beak as it had dried out a lot. then put her in a cup, so she could finish absorbing her egg yolk..up to this point she was barely making a sound, the odd very weak peep. but she came around..pushed her self out of the cup, for the most part, ..but then convulsed and shook for half an hour while I panicked and looked up info. on net...finally I just picked her up and put her to my chest and held her carfully, trailing yolk sac and all..she stopped shaking and fell asleep, put her back in incubator with fluctuating temps....and well, she got better and stronger and is now a little yellow fluff ball, walking on her own etc. she is in her incubator with temps between 80 and 95, doing well..in and out of heat lamp spot light. we take her out to run around about every 2 hours, she loves it and is already pecking at food. She is 2 days old. It is quite amazing..and now I can sleep! thought I would share, answers or insight to above questions would be so appreciated, thanks

Chicks need a heating source in the brooder 24/7 until they are adjusted to room temp around 6 weeks. Rule of thumb is 95-100 first week and then you deduce the temp by 5 degrees every week until you are at your room temp. Some people use the red lights. Supposedly they are more "calming" at night when it should be dark. The light only needs to be at one end of the bator though so that the chicks can move in and out of the heat as they need.

what does a wet towel do ???

I use wet sponges, but a wet towel or sponge in the bator will help increase the humidity and keep it up.

 

[RoosterDon]

I love this thread as it says so much. I agree that we tend to not give chicks enough durability credit. Think about them under a hen having hatched. The hen will periodically get up and do her thing so that humidity is gone instantly but they do just fine. But I completely agree with following the guidelines as closely as possible.

I am somewhat a newbie at this, but what I do is transfer the chicks to a separate container with a brooder in it and a heat lamp. This way they get the heat in the open area but have the booder heat source as well and a place to go and feel snuggly. I turn the light off at 9:00pm. I don't know if it really simulates that it is time to go to bed, but it seems like they quiet down and actually 'roost'for the night. Either way, the brooder gives them the heat needed and the rest of the area is somewhat warmed while they get their feathers going.

I am doing the sponge/wet paper towel thing for the first time. This is the first time I have hatched with a humidity and thermometer reader.

For the life of me I can't get the humidity above 60%. But I have had successful hatches in the past up till this date in our smaller Mini incubator, and I promise you we were not really following guidelines as newbies. During those hatches my (now) college kids were home and constantly openeing and closing the incubator lid and the hatches went just fine. This goes back to the durablility thing of the chicks that I believe in.

But still, when I see the humitidy go below 60% I am adding water and wet paper towels. In the meantime my chicks are currently pipping and zipping and are doing really well. I am currently hatching 18 in my Brinsea Octagon incubator, and 7 in my Brinsea Mini. No hatches yet in the Mini, 4 so far in the Octagon. But I have movement and pipping in the Mini as well were I do not have a humidity gauge.

Also, I do not have a turner on either incubator and am now comfortable knowing that the turning on every hour is not THAT mandatory. YES, we want to turn as often as possible, I guess especially in the beginning, but I have had days where I only turned them in the morning and evening due to work, and here I am with hatching eggs. Again, these guys are pretty durable.

 

[Mrs. Mucket]

I often take early hatchers out of the incubator so they don't injure, peck at, or bowl over newly hatched chicks. I have a brooder box ready with heat lamp and wait for at least two chicks to be dry in incubator so one is not alone in the brooder. I try not to open the incubator (foam Hovabator) more than twice a day for this but I have done it with pipping going on without any problems. I do like the hot wet paper towel idea just in case so I will be trying that!

 

[bigbird]

Amazing story! Such a wonderful thing you did. That bird will always have a special place in your heart!

 

[PjnLinda]

Wonderful job!! I love that you followed what your own instincts, (the Lord), told you to do.

 

[Axolotln]

Hey, first timer. I have the incubator automatic on 37.5 as per instruction leaflet and at day 21. Struggling a little with creating a broody pen but I'm sure I will. So you cant leave them in the box for 3 days like the keaflet that cane with the box says? None hatched yet but I knoe they're in there.

 

[shallana08]

what is pip?

 

[kempkalm]

Pip means they are starting a hole in shell and they will continue in a zipping form.

 

[Nottyhorse]

Oh dear! I didn't know you shouldn't open the incubator whilst the chicks are hatching - I've opened it a lot in the past 24 hours since the first one hatched. Number 2 is hatching but I will now leave well alone. The 21 days is up tomorrow so hopefully I won't have damaged the remainder. I hope not because we lost the last lot at about 6 weeks when the fox got them.