Hens go broody when you don’t want them to… and won’t go broody when you do. 
Some of my ducklings are hatching 3 days 'early' (in reality, my guess is they started incubating on their own while the eggs were collected over the 3-4 day collection period) today.
I immediately turned off the auto turner that I went in to school to remove for lockdown... only to find 1 egg with a hole in it and pips in a few others.
With where the turner had stopped, we decided to get everything set up on the table so we could pull the cover, pull the turner with eggs, refill water trays and get the eggs back in the bator.
I know it was less than 90 seconds and probably less than 60. Temp was back up to where it belonged within a couple of minutes. Decided the risk was worth it even with a hole and pips over letting them hatch in the turner with the way it was and getting them stuck between rails and breaking legs and stuff.
By the time we left school after getting a brooder set up and running around town to get last minute supplies (3 days early...), 2 had holes and were actively picking away at the shell. Pips in 5 other eggs. Matches in number to the 1/3 of the eggs I thought "looked further along"
2nd egg to break through, #22, right before we left, I noticed a tiny bit of blood on the edge of the shell and a tiny bit on top of his bill. He was still picking away singing to his hatching buddy.
I was assuming this was normal. Was I correct in that assumption? My plan is to not help them - mainly because I don't know what I'd need to do or when. Which will be made easier in that the incubator is in my classroom and I won't be this week other than to go watch them hatch a bit with the kids (I'm on vacation - we are open year round, so no school breaks).
21 of 22 duck eggs have made it this far.
4 of 19 chicken eggs have made it (bad eggs and nothing happening with the others).
I immediately turned off the auto turner that I went in to school to remove for lockdown... only to find 1 egg with a hole in it and pips in a few others.
With where the turner had stopped, we decided to get everything set up on the table so we could pull the cover, pull the turner with eggs, refill water trays and get the eggs back in the bator.
I know it was less than 90 seconds and probably less than 60. Temp was back up to where it belonged within a couple of minutes. Decided the risk was worth it even with a hole and pips over letting them hatch in the turner with the way it was and getting them stuck between rails and breaking legs and stuff.
By the time we left school after getting a brooder set up and running around town to get last minute supplies (3 days early...), 2 had holes and were actively picking away at the shell. Pips in 5 other eggs. Matches in number to the 1/3 of the eggs I thought "looked further along"
2nd egg to break through, #22, right before we left, I noticed a tiny bit of blood on the edge of the shell and a tiny bit on top of his bill. He was still picking away singing to his hatching buddy.
I was assuming this was normal. Was I correct in that assumption? My plan is to not help them - mainly because I don't know what I'd need to do or when. Which will be made easier in that the incubator is in my classroom and I won't be this week other than to go watch them hatch a bit with the kids (I'm on vacation - we are open year round, so no school breaks).
21 of 22 duck eggs have made it this far.
4 of 19 chicken eggs have made it (bad eggs and nothing happening with the others).
