Could I lock down on Day 17? UPDATE - PICS!

[thespinningcottage]

I'm hatching at school and day 18 is tomorrow (Saturday). My plan all along was to just come to school tomorrow and take them out of the turner. The secretary who checks the gate and building keys out to teachers for weekend use is gone today. I MAY not be able to borrow a key - I haven't tried all possibilities yet. Just in case I can't get a key, could I lock them down late in the afternoon today??

 

[Buck77]

Yep won't hurt anything. Research shows that after day ten turning is not quite as critical as it is earlier.

 

[thespinningcottage]

Thanks! Do you think I should put the humidity up today also, or wait until Monday for that? Sorry I forgot to ask about that earlier... (Tuesday is hatch day)

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Personally I would up the humidity some, but not as high as you would on Monday. Agree with Buck...turning doesn't matter.

 

[thespinningcottage]

Thanks, OTG! I have been nearly sick today when I realized the *&%&* key would be a problem. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry janitor can have keys to the entire kingdom but teachers have to jump through ridiculous hoops to even borrow one. (Don't let her in on the weekend, she might PLAN INSTRUCTION or something....)

Anyway, didn't mean to rant... I'll up the humidity to 55%-ish today, and bump it up into the 60's on Monday, does that sound about right? Thanks again!

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Actually, I would probably put it at about 45% for the weekend and then about 55% on Monday. When I first started hatching, I lost a lot of chicks to too drowning from too much humidity and now I tend to incubate on the lower end of the humidity scale. I typically "dry hatch" but I have eggs that are due today and I had them at 35% during incubation and 55% from day 18. No pips yet...I'm worried!!

 

[thespinningcottage]

We're at 48% now, I'll just leave it then....
Good luck with your hatch, I hope everything will be okay! Do you have a thread started somewhere so I can peek in and see how you're doing?

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Yep...sorta'.... It's "What am I doing wrong?" And get this...from the same box of shipped silkie eggs I put 4 under a broody silkie hen the day after I set mine in my incubator. I candled them at day 14 and 2 were clear so I took them and left her with 2. One of them hatched this morning!!!!!

This is the stuff that makes me crazy. I think I'm just going to use my broodies from now on and forget the incubators completely!!

 

[chkinut]

oldtimegator, i'm using the same humidity u used (around 38%....sometimes a bit higher, sometimes a bit lower). and i've got 9 showgirl eggs in there.....so i'm kinda curious as to how your's turn out. keep us informed! and good luck!

 

[thespinningcottage]

The hatch went great. All day yesterday (Monday) chicks were popping like popcorn. We ended up with 11 safely in the brooder, one slightly shrink-wrapped chick that had been stuck since late afternoon yesterday still in the incubator (safely helped out of the egg), and 2 not pipped. The distressed chick seems fine now, but has dried goo on its back. As it turns out, they hatched a day early so locking down on day 17 wasn't even an issue. Maybe I'll go in tomorrow to the other 2 eggs hatched - technically they're not late yet. Needless to say, it was hard getting the kids to concentrate yesterday and today!