This is the first time in 7 years I have incubated eggs. I forgot about all kinds of things and I learned a whole lot from this site.
I have a batch currently hatching. The first few babies hatching drove me nuts. I kept thinking something was wrong. It was taking way too long, etc I was up all night watching them hatch, from pip to zip. I wrote down the times so I could share this with other people who thought the pip to zip process was taking too long. I put 12 eggs on lockdown and 11 chicks hatched.
The hours it took from external pip to zip:
Egg 1: 13 hours
Egg 2: 10 hours
Egg 3: 17 hours
Egg 4: 13 hours
Egg 5: 19 hours (pipped at the wrong end but he zipped)
Egg 6: 12 hours
Egg 7: 23 hours
Egg 8: 6 hours
Egg 9: 9 hours
Egg 10: 9.5 hours
Egg 11: This egg got kicked around and rolled over. It had pipped underneath and I didn't see it. It was the last to hatch.
Egg 12: Didn't hatch
A few notes: Once the eggs pipped these chicks were quiet until right before they started zipping. I thought they died. These are shipped BBS Orpington eggs. The incubator is a 1588 Genesis. I kept humidity around 50% for the first 18 days and then 60-70% for the last three. Just thought I'd share the information
Tina
Updated once lockdown was complete.
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