Do I not know how to count - lol

[Digby57]

I thought for sure I was able to count 7, 14, 18, 21 but I'm second guessing myself. I put the eggs in the incubator at noon on March 11th. So I count that as day 0 correct? March 12th is day 1 (at noon) and March 18th would be day 7 (when I candled again) etc?

I ask because I went in to check my humidity first thing this morning and there's a pip, an hour later there's a baby chick and 5 more pips. 19 eggs in the incubator at this point and I was counting today as day 20. A new friend that knows way more than me says that they start hatching on day 20 and his experience is that bigger breeds hatch a little earlier than smaller breeds. And these are Liege Fighters, so I guess that fits.

 

[R2elk]

I thought for sure I was able to count 7, 14, 18, 21 but I'm second guessing myself. I put the eggs in the incubator at noon on March 11th. So I count that as day 0 correct? March 12th is day 1 (at noon) and March 18th would be day 7 (when I candled again) etc?

I ask because I went in to check my humidity first thing this morning and there's a pip, an hour later there's a baby chick and 5 more pips. 19 eggs in the incubator at this point and I was counting today as day 20. A new friend that knows way more than me says that they start hatching on day 20 and his experience is that bigger breeds hatch a little earlier than smaller breeds. And these are Liege Fighters, so I guess that fits.

Your counting is correct.It is not unusual for chicks to start hatching on day 1 especially if your incubator temperature is a little high.

It can also work the other way around also. For me it was not uncommon for my Welsummers to hatch on day 22 while others hatched from days 20 and 21.

 

[Digby57]

Thanks, I’m glad that I can count at least. Haha I had started to doubt myself for a minute but I’m just happy I had some success on my first attempt. It’s a Genisis incubator with the stock yellow turner. It’s forced air and preset to 100* which I have seen may be a half point high for forced air but a thermometer I trust pegged it just barely under 100* so I decided just to leave it the way it was for this first attempt.

 

[orrpeople]

Yeah, I agree - your temps might be a little high. Do you have a second thermometer you can throw in your incubator the next time?
I, too, have breeds that like to make an early appearance, and those that are more "late bloomers" ! Congratulations on your hatch!

 

[TominWa]

Don't trust any advise concerning counting here. Hardly anyone here knows math. I listened to them a year ago. 4 turned into 6, then 8. But 8 was really 4 the way it was explained to me. I think it is 12 now, but I might be wrong I'll know more when the sun comes up.

 

[Digby57]

I had originally tried a couple digital thermometers I had left over from aquariums but those were totally inaccurate. Then I got 2 mercury type thermometers on the more expensive end of your typical back porch thermometer and they both agreed exactly even spaced out. And they agreed with the incubator to within 0.2* or less so I was feeling fairly confident.

Now that I think about it more I never checked the temp directly under the fan and that very first egg was set directly under the fan on day 18, but I could not tell you where it was up until day 18.

I don’t know if that level of minutia is relevant or what I would even do about it if I thought it was the reason. And I guess I don’t care if they hatch on day 20 as long as they hatch and turn out to be healthy anyways.

 

[Digby57]

Don't trust any advise concerning counting here. Hardly anyone here knows math. I listened to them a year ago. 4 turned into 6, then 8. But 8 was really 4 the way it was explained to me. I think it is 12 now, but I might be wrong I'll know more when the sun comes up.

Lol, I’ll keep that in mind.

 

[R2elk]

Don't trust any advise concerning counting here. Hardly anyone here knows math. I listened to them a year ago. 4 turned into 6, then 8. But 8 was really 4 the way it was explained to me. I think it is 12 now, but I might be wrong I'll know more when the sun comes up.

Chicken math has nothing to do with regular math. Chicken math only comes with addition and multiplication.