[Prod]

Of the 4 Nankin eggs I have in my incubator one has just hatched (cant believe how emotional it was watching) a second one is pecking through it's shell as I write this.  The chick that has already hatched is absolutely tiny, like the Yellow Easter Chicks you see on Easter Cakes'   My question is   do I leave it to see if the other 3 hatch successfully and if they do should I leave them in the incubator, which is and Octagon 20  or move them into a much bigger brooder box, the type with the red light??  How soon will they need food & water as I understand I should not open the incubator as the humidity falls and can takes hours to build up again.   Having got this far I would hate to lose them.....

[splash101]

And Breathe 

Congratulations!

They could stay in the incubator for 24 hours.
I have read that the chirping and the chicks scrambling over the other eggs encourages the chicks still inside the other eggs.
They dont need food or water for the first 24 hours but if they go into a brooder with food and water in there they will often start pecking fairly soon

When I hatch, I only open the incubator twice a day (12 hours between) and take out any hatched chicks and put them into a brooder. If its one on its own though i would be inclined to leave it until at least another hatches.
Make sure they are are fully fluffed up and dry before you take them out.

A brooder can take a while to reach the desired tempreture so plug it in a couple of hours before you intend to put the chicks in there.

They must be tiny, about the size of a quail when they first hatch.
It is so exciting to watch them hatch. Many an hour we have layed in front of the incubator just watching, and then running downstairs in the morning to see how many more have hatched.

Dont forget the pictures (when you get a chance)

[Prod]

Thanks   2 have now hatched. I tried to take some pics  but they didn't come out & I don't want to use the flash.
The other 2 eggs are moving  but I am not sure if it is the two hatched chicks who are doing that.  At the moment I am in the lounge and the incubator is at least 15 mtrs away  but I can hear them cheeping

The main thing I wanted to know though was if I can use the incubator as a brooder box as they are so small??

[splash101]

Some chicks hatch days later than the first ones so dont give up.

If it was me, i would leave them in the incuabtor for tonight and put them in the brooder tomorrow, but thats just my thoughts.