Immediately after your chicks hatch, leave it in the incubator.

 

 

Congratulations! Your first chick (or maybe multiple chicks!) has hatched! This is exciting! But what do you do immediately after your chicks hatch?

 

You may have eagerly waited for your chick to make its debut. Sometimes it takes up to a day for a chick to hatch. You may have been observing the egg’s movement, the pipping progress, and even the chick chirping inside! Now that it has hatched, what do you do next? 

When the chick first hatches, it will be exhausted. Try to stay quiet and give the chick time to catch its breath and start exploring its surroundings. 

 

I often notice that within a few hours, the chicks are up and moving around. As my students like to note, the chicks often seem to “power off” when they have just hatched. They might be waddling around in the incubator one moment then suddenly lie down and fall asleep (within a matter of seconds). It is very charming and sweet to see! 

 

The chick can stay in the incubator for up to three days. The chicks do not need any additional food or water. I usually tend to move our chicks when they start chirping more. In my experience, that means that they are getting thirsty. 

 

Keep your chicks in the warm incubator for a while after they have hatched. As soon as they “fluff up” or their amniotic fluid dries, you can move them to your warm brooder. 

 

Be careful about opening your incubator when other eggs have not hatched though! If a chick has started pipping, but it has not broken through the membrane of the shell (the inner, slimy egg membrane), the cool, dry air could cause that membrane to harden and the chick might not be able to get out. Just take note before opening your incubator to take any chicks out. 

 

Congratulations on your baby chick!