Abused eggs hatching ***Update/ progressive thread**

[Their Other Mother]

Please forgive me but I did it...... I abused my eggs while they were in the incubator. I didn't wait for the styro bator to dry when I set 10 white leghorns on Oct. 23rd at noon while it still smelled like bleach. Then set 16 mixed eggs in the same bator on Oct. 30th at 6:00pm. I turned them 3 times a day, then 2 times a day, then forgot one turn, then 3 times.... ran dry one day - twice - Temp spiked up to 104, then when I candled them last week 2 white leghorns were clear so I tossed them and 3 showed no movement so I just set them to the side. Humidity was - for the most part - 50 - 55%. Then it rained Sunday afternoon. I took the eggies out of thier carton on Monday night and haven't opened the bator since - Not even to turn the other mixed eggs.

So I'm sipping coffee this morning at the breakfast table reading my new Lehman's non-electric catalog and I hear peeping! It's only day 20 - sure enough there's an egg pipped and it's one of the 3 I had set to the side cause I thought they were no good! Within 2 hours 6 of the 8 eggs were pipped and the other 2 are moving. Humidity is at about 63%, Temp at 102 (still air) and at 3:30 pm I had to go buy chick starter because I've got a chick! 2 more should be completely hatched by tonight and the others are still progressing.

So the question is, How will the remaining 16 mixed eggs that are still in the carton, not being turned, in 63% humidity do?

 

[shelleyd2008]

They should be fine, I wouldn't worry about it. Good luck!

 

[Their Other Mother]

I hope you're right! Another just hatched....

Now there are two!

 

[shelleyd2008]

See?? Your luck is changing already!!

 

[Their Other Mother]

These are from the first set though -- I more worried about the ones due to hatch next Thursday. Have you staggered hatches in the same bator before?

 

[Their Other Mother]

Number 3 just hatched! Yea!

 

[shelleyd2008]

I have, it worked pretty good for the first 3 I think, then the next 2 or 3 were flops. No but it's ok for them not to be turned for a few extra days near the end. It's better then than in the beginning. But I could never get my humidity over 55% at most.

 

[Their Other Mother]

I've just noticed with this hatch, the humidity rises 1 degree with each chick that hatches. Have you ever noticed this too?

 

[shelleyd2008]

Not with mine! A lot of people say the humidity goes up when the chicks start hatching, but not mine! But it is normal for it to go up, my birds are just all weird!

 

[Pumpkinpup]

glad it worked out!