Day 19 pips?????

[bohok]

I had one egg pip this morning and two more this evening (of 12) and it’s Day 19. I’ve read that early hatching is a sign of too high of heat. Even though my temperature gauge inside has consistently shown a little UNDER 99.5…should I lower the temps at this point to keep the rest from hatching early???

 

[SilverBirds]

What breed(s) are they? Bantams will sometimes hatch earlier than standards. Is your separate gauge calibrated? Temp can play a part in having early hatchers, but sometimes chicks are just ready to get out of the egg! If your thermometer is truly accurate, I'd leave everything as is, and just be watchful for any preemies with unabsorbed sacs.

 

[bohok]

What breed(s) are they? Bantams will sometimes hatch earlier than standards. Is your separate gauge calibrated? Temp can play a part in having early hatchers, but sometimes chicks are just ready to get out of the egg! If your thermometer is truly accurate, I'd leave everything as is, and just be watchful for any preemies with unabsorbed sacs.

They are all standard size breeds, no bantams!

I don’t know for sure if it was calibrated, it’s a temp/hydrometer combo. But I did also buy a medical laser thermometer and anytime I measured the surface temp of the eggs they were within the 98-99.9 range


Thank you for the advice! I will leave them be for now - if they do hatch with unabsorbed sacs, what can I do for them?

 

[SilverBirds]

They are all standard size breeds, no bantams!

I don’t know for sure if it was calibrated, it’s a temp/hydrometer combo. But I did also buy a medical laser thermometer and anytime I measured the surface temp of the eggs they were within the 98-99.9 range


Thank you for the advice! I will leave them be for now - if they do hatch with unabsorbed sacs, what can I do for them?

I put them into a little cup or container within the incubator so they can finish absorbing the yolk. If the yolk is small, it should only take a few hours for it to fully absorb or to dry and fall off. Larger ones can take over a day. Never try and pull or cut the sac off as it can cause the chick to bleed out or pull out its innards.