First hatch nerves

[mrsjrad]

So I'm day 18 of my first hatch, I went into lockdown on day 16/17, (I didn't realise until day 16 that with smaller eggs I should lock down early) - we have a mixed lot of eggs, could be a huge cross range of breeds. There are 4 small Eggs and 3 larger eggs, I'm starting to get nervous that we won't have any success!!! Someone please tell me I'm just worrying for nothing!

 

[Ridgerunner]

You are not worrying for nothing. You are worrying because it’s your first hatch. You’ll worry a lot less for your second hatch.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I was hoping someone else would come on here and reassure you but it hasn’t happened. You will probably be absolutely fine. That’s what I meant to imply but thought I better come back and make that clear.

The eggs really don’t need to be turned after about two weeks. It doesn’t hurt them to be turned after that but it’s just convenient to stop turning them when we up the humidity and go into lockdown. So for you turning or not turning them is not an issue.

Humidity is a little more iffy. The egg needs to lose a certain amount of moisture during incubation. If it loses too much the chick can be shrink-wrapped. If it doesn’t lose enough moisture the air cell is too small and the chick can drown when it internal pips. But you don’t have to be all that precise about how much moisture it loses. There is a wide range that works. Lots of people go into lockdown a full day early and they still normally get great hatches. I really doubt that you hurt them at all going into lockdown that early.

I will mention that I have never noticed my smaller eggs hatching sooner than the large eggs, but my smaller eggs are pullet eggs, not bantam eggs. I don’t know if that makes a difference.

Don’t get too hung up on that 21 day thing either. It’s not unusual for them to be a couple of days early or late. There are a lot of different reasons for that. A big one is average incubating temperature. If the incubator is too warm they can be early, too cool by just a bit and they can be late. Some of the other factors that determine late or early are heredity, humidity, how and how long they were stored before incubation started, and just some difference in individual eggs. But average incubating temperature is the big one.

 

[mrsjrad]

Thanks so much Ridgerunner, I really appreciate some expertise!

I am sure as you said, I just have first hatch nerves, I have 7 that went into lockdown, I am hopeful 7 will come out!!

However have prepared myself that we may not get 100% success from the 7.

I have managed to maintain temp within 0.5 degree C of what I believe they're meant to be (27.5 celcius) and humidity has been maintained
between 68-72.

I am very excited and already planning my next hatch hehe!!

Thanks again for your reply