Thank you. We were fairly confident for a better than 50% hatch because all eggs candled very well throughout the entire incubation period, and EVERYBODY was ready to hatch when we went into lockdown (I have 11 eggs and actually had hoped that 8 or more would hatch and even *hoped* for close to 100% hatch just because the entire process had gone so well up until now). All 11 eggs were vibrating with internal movement when we went into lockdown. The hygrometer has only been reading in the low 50s, but the entire bottom of the bator (an ExoTerra) is covered with a soaking wet washcloth, plus all the channels are filled with water, plus there's a bowl of water on each shelf.
We're not exactly giving up just yet. Today is day 21...someone could still hatch. Temps have been very steady all throughout incubation, humidity has been great, and it's been really a textbook-perfect incubation period. The only issues have been with humidity during lockdown, and I think that has more to do with our $10 hygrometer than anything else (we *will* be recalibrating it again after this).
I tell you this much, though. As PERFECTLY as this bator has held all throughout and as beautiful as they all looked when candling at each stage, and as fertile as my eggs were that came from my friend's very fertile barnyard of chookies, if I have a 0% hatch, I won't be setting my second hatch on the 20th like I was planning. I won't purchase any eggs to hatch, either (and I have a BUNCH lined up). I'll try a couple of more hatches and see what happens but I'll use free/cheap eggs I can get from friends and acquaintances.
This hatch ain't over til it's over. But there's no cheepin', no rockin', no pippin', no zippin', no nuttin'.
