When to lock down?

Ok - breathe!  I'm guessing you're on day 17.  Do nothing.  Close the incubator and walk away.  You should see pipping in the next few days.  People will tell you not to open the bator at all, but I have to say that I recently hatched out babies and on Day 22 opened the bator for a few seconds to save a chick that was trying to drown herself in the water bowl.  I had 12 eggs set, seven hatched out, two pipped but didn't hatch.

You'll be fine.  Have fun.  You'll be shocked how much fun it is to watch them hatch!

The day you set the eggs is day 0 no matter what time of day it is. I wouldn't put any water in the incubator. The chicks are living on yolk for another 3 days after hatch and don't need food or water. I open my bator during lockdown to remove chicks that are dry and active, but I do wait until there's several of them. I would let the slow developers hang out in the bator for as many days as they need. I would candle them after 2 days late.

I also have a question about lockdown. Does it matter is your lockdown at the same time as you set your eggs? Like i set my eggs at 5 pm, so today is day 18. Does it matter if i wait till 5 or can i do it anytime?

My incubator is an LG still air, so the water was for humidity not for the chicks to drink.  Once you close the bator for the last three days you just don't open it.  You'll get different answers as to when the 'lockdown' period starts.  Some say if you set at night the count starts the next day.  I'm not sure it matters to be honest.  Sometime in the next three or four days you should start seeing pips in the eggs.  The hatched chicks can live without any human interference for three days post hatch, so it is advised that you don't open it until then....but as I said in an earlier post.  I openend mine and I had chicks healthy chicks hatch out after doing so. 

Good luck with the hatch!

I try to let them all hatch before opening the bator if I do open I usually spray some water in the bator before closing this will help keep the humidity up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 7L Farm 

I try to let them all hatch before opening the bator if I do open I usually spray some water in the bator before closing this will help keep the humidity up.

X2,   That is also what I do and works out well.

For some reason it's confusing counting to 18 and 21. People start with day 0 or day 1. I suppose it doesn't matter as long as you know how your counting. To me when you start is the start of day 1 so I call it as such. You know, then next day (24 hours later) is end of day 1 and start of 2. But again, however is easy for you. What takes all the confusion out is to remember the day you started, let's say it's a Saturday. If all goes well then they'd be hatching 21 days later on a Saturday. Lock down is day 18 so count back 3, Fri, Thurs, Wednesday is lock down.