Aaaaaah! I am at day 14 and I just candled.... Question!

[Apomerantz]

First, let me explain what is going on with this hatch. I have over 30 quail eggs and 6 silkie eggs in the incubator together. They are in an auto turner with some quail rails and some chicken rails. I staggered when I put them in by a couple of days, so they would hatch at the same time (21 days for the chicken eggs and 19 for the quail eggs). I had this planned to perfection! Here is my possible problem: I just candled the chicken eggs and they look WAY further along then 2 weeks. It seems like my last batch at 2 weeks they were not filling up as much egg. These chicks are taking up most of the egg except for the air sack, so about 3/5ths of the egg. Should they be that big at only 14 days along? The lady who I bought the silkie eggs from said hers were hatching at day 16, but I just assumed she got the dates mixed up, but now I am not so sure. Am I worrying for nothing? Has anyone had eggs that hatch ridiculously early? What should I do if my silkie eggs start pipping and hatching before I go into lockdown and take them out of the turner?

Amy

 

[eggsited chickens]

My chicks started hatching day 17/18. I wasn't in lockdown yet. I saw that one had pipped so as quickly as I could I prepared the incubator for lockdown. The one that pipped came out 12 hours later, fine. If you can work fast, I'm sure it will work fine...or take it all into the bathroom and turn the shower on so you have a lot of humidity and get the job done.

I stressed....didn't need to.

 

[Apomerantz]

If that happens what should I do about my quail eggs that are not due to hatch for another week? I am hoping that I am just worrying over nothing and that they will just wait until next week...

Amy

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

It sounds as though perhaps a hen was sitting on them for a couple of days before they were collected or they were collected and were placed in an extremely warm place. Unless the temp in your incubator is running above 101.0 there should be no reason for them to be hatching as early as day 16. Sometimes they will hatch at day 19 unexpectedly...but it's not something that happens a lot.

 

[eggsited chickens]

I guess that would be considered a staggered hatch! I don't know how people do it.