Mixed Breed Incubation Lockdown

[heavenzeyes]

Ok so I've gotta lotta different chicken breeds and sizes. I've typically placed the same size & breed eggs together for incubation and have started their lock-down at day 18. However I have a few bantams that have recently started laying eggs & sharing the same nesting spot with the larger gals. I've read that bantam eggs mixed with larger breed eggs can be incubated together. However ,the lock-down day should start at day 16 instead of day 18 when mixed for incubation, due to bantams typically start to pip at day 18. I've never incubated mixed breeds before and my hatch rate has always been 100% success rate. I only have 1 operational incubator and would like to start incubating mixed breed eggs together. SO my question is, when incubating mixed breed eggs which day is best to start lock-down for an overall high success hatch rate?

 

[sylviethecochin]

My personal experience is that, when bantam and standard eggs are incubated together (under the same hen) they hatch at the same time. My girl's hatching out seven eggs today (there were more; I'm having fertility problems with bantams) and the bantam and Leghorn eggs have hatched pretty much simultaneously. She's waiting on one bantam egg.

 

[heavenzeyes]

I have a mixed breed incubation goin on, it's now day 22.5, almost 48hrs ago my 1st chic hatched & is practically dry. 6hrs ago I had another hatch & is still wet. I have 3 that have pipped and are showing small signs of starting the zip process. Can I remove the dry chic to the brooder now, with having one wet chic & a few pips going on? I don't want to put any of the babies in danger yet I don't want the oldest to suffer from lack of water or nutrition beings it's almost been 48+hrs since birth. I've never experienced this sort of long span time between hatches. Any & all helpful advice would be greatly appreciated!