Eggs hatching 2 days early.

[Schmidt Hill Farm]

Hi, I am brand new to incubating eggs. This is my very first go around. anyways, I’m using a nurture right 360 and I set the eggs on February 18th and today is day 20 and I have 1 chick fully hatched and drying and 2 pipping. My question is why would they hatch earlier? Also, if none of the other eggs start hatching today or tomorrow, do I still leave the chicks in the incubator until all of the eggs are hatched?

 

[gimmie birdies]

day 20 is not an early hatch. some do hatch early. don't try opening any eggs, let them hatch normal. They can be left in incubator until all eggs hatch.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Just thinking out loud: Depending on environment could it have been further along in dev before setting?My girls use 1 nest (out of 5 ) so warm fluffy butts are on eggs a lot until I can collect in evening.

 

[Sylver Queen]

Just thinking out loud: Depending on environment could it have been further along in dev before setting?My girls use 1 nest (out of 5 ) so warm fluffy butts are on eggs a lot until I can collect in evening.

In response to your question about days to hatch... I let my hen hatch out her first brood and they just turned one week old. I gave her eggs I had curated and let sit for a few days (indoors where no hens had access) on a Saturday evening and the first one hatched on a Thursday night and the rest on Friday. I thought that was early too but nature took its course and that's what happened. Seven thriving babies out of eight eggs so that's awesome. ;-)

I wish you well with your hatching! I am attempting my first incubator hatch ever with eggs from the same birds and doubt I will get as good of a hatch but I will do my best. I'm on here checking humidity questions as well since I'm setting up the incubator a day early and the humidity in there seems too high. Looks like there's a lot of different information on humidity!