2 incubators going, 2 days apart, and moisture loss is inconsistent in both. Ready for lockdown in

[zippy722]

I have 2 incubators going that are 2 days apart on the timetable. Today is day 18 for the first one, and 16 on the second one. In both incubators, moisture loss in the eggs is inconsistent. Some in the first incubator are where they should be (13%ish) and many are not (9-11%). Should I move those that have loss the least weight to the second incubator to delay the increase in moisture? If I do this, should I go ahead and take the egg turner out of the second incubator now to mimic day 18 (realizing that the majority in the second incubator are on day 16), or leave the turner in and remove it on day 20 (for early eggs and day 18 for most eggs). My humidity in both has been consistently between 25-40%. I have 12 eggs in the day 18 incubator and 9 eggs in the day 16 incubator. Thanks for any advice.

 

[zippy722]

Any thoughts?

 

[gpop1]

relax then candle a egg to check the size of the air pocket. Theres pictures on the web that show the rough size it should be. Mother natures really good at dealing with "kinda close". If incubating and hatching required real skill and close attention then I would never have anything hatch.

 

[FridayYet]

Good luck on your hatch! Individual eggs will vary in moisture loss due to age, shell porosity, etc. What's your average for the first batch?

If the average is lower than you like, you can hold off lockdown for a day or until you hear cheeping or a pip.

 

[zippy722]

Good luck on your hatch!  Individual eggs will vary in moisture loss due to age, shell porosity, etc.  What's your average for the first batch?  

If the average is lower than you like, you can hold off lockdown for a day or until you hear cheeping or a pip.

I went ahead with the lockdown yesterday because most all of them had continued to lose weight when I weighed them. Most were close to or at the 13% suggested by day 18. Thanks for your suggestion.

 

[zippy722]

relax then candle a egg to check the size of the air pocket. Theres pictures on the web that show the rough size it should be. Mother natures really good at dealing with "kinda close". If incubating and hatching required real skill and close attention then I would never have anything hatch.

I have looked at plenty of pics and know that a couple of them aren't where they need to be. But because of the continued weight loss from yesterday's weigh-in, I decided to go ahead. Hope I don't regret my decision. And you're right, this isn't about perfection. Mother Nature doesn't like perfection!!