At Work When They Hatch?

[MamaDoodle]

My eggs are due to hatch the 14-16 this month, and I am worried I will be at work when they do!

I have 11, ten eggs but one double, and all seem to be doing well so far... I only work four hours a day on week days, 10A-2P, so maybe I am too worked up. The incubator is beside my bed and I imagine I will hear them when they are ready. But still...

I have never hatched before! Day old chicks, sure, but not hatching!

Will they be okay for that time? Do they hatch in the morning or at night more often than not? Should I have a family member stay here those days? I don't know if my husband will be working those days... I am so worried, I want to be eyes-glued to the incubator when the time comes for my new babies!

 

[brahmabreeder]

They will be more than fine if you are at work. I'm usually not there when mine hatch. They know what to do and never get help from me. Mine also hatch all through out the day.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

They'll hatch when they are ready, any time of day. Usually the hatch will stagger out so you wont miss much. My hatches usually run two days with the bulk popping like corn in the middle of that. It can take up to a day from pip to fully zipped and out of shell.

 

[MamaDoodle]

They will be more than fine if you are at work. I'm usually not there when mine hatch. They know what to do and never get help from me. Mine also hatch all through out the day.

I feel some relief at this, thank you!

They'll hatch when they are ready, any time of day. Usually the hatch will stagger out so you wont miss much. My hatches usually run two days with the bulk popping like corn in the middle of that. It can take up to a day from pip to fully zipped and out of shell.

Ah, not so stressed...

--Thank you for the replies!

I had done all sorts of research on heat, humidity, turning, lockdown, handling, and egg cautions/incidents, I forgot about the actual hatching time! e

 

[Kyzmette]

MamaDoodle, this last month I attempted to hatch my first set of a dozen eggs. Everything was working great, the incubator was working as it should, I was following the rules, and the day they hatched I got to watch the first one completely hatch prior to having to leave for work. It was beautiful!

When I came home, however, the incubator's humidity had dropped below 70% for some reason, even though it had worked fine up to that point. I lost every one of the remaining eggs, even though one had even pipped. The single baby who had hatched has had terrible health issues and I don't expect her to be alive when I get home from work today. It's been heartbreaking. I've tried everything, and I just can't help her thrive.

You should be fine, but make sure your humidity levels are where they need to be. I'm not trying to scare you, but humidity is vital for the hatchlings. I was reading the info on how you have to open the air ports of the incubator, and the only thing I can think I did wrong was maybe I opened them too much without adding enough water back into the reservoir to compensate.

Good luck with it. I'm sure it'll go great!

 

[LTygress]

The best thing to do with hatching eggs is... leave them alone. Chicks have been hatching themselves out for centuries - even without the help of a hen. They'll be fine.