First hatch with complications.

[hollyelise]

I had a friend start me on my hatching journey by supplying me with 7 assorted eggs from her coop. That said, 3 of the 7 are one week ahead of the others. I'm currently incubating in a brinsea mini advance. Now that my 1st hatch draws closer to lockdown, I'm trying to work out the logistics for the best outcome on both hatches. (All 7 are currently still viable!) Any suggestions?

My current plan is to slow down the programmed turns to a minimum, as the second hatch will be in the second half of incubation at this point. I'm thinking that once I hear chirping or notice a pip I will completely stop the turning until my three are out but no longer than a day or two.

I should add that the really complicating factor in all this is that I have no clue which eggs were added when. They are mixed and my friend did not mark them. If I were more advanced I would hope to be able to candle them and differentiate ages between the two hatches and separate them accordingly, ...but I'm so, so a beginner and cannot accurately tell with confidence.

Any help or advice would be appreciated. As it's my first hatch & I'm a person who likes to do things "by the book"...this issue is causing me some worry.

 

[red horse ranch]

I had a friend start me on my hatching journey by supplying me with 7 assorted eggs from her coop. That said, 3 of the 7 are one week ahead of the others. I'm currently incubating in a brinsea mini advance. Now that my 1st hatch draws closer to lockdown, I'm trying to work out the logistics for the best outcome on both hatches. (All 7 are currently still viable!) Any suggestions?

My current plan is to slow down the programmed turns to a minimum, as the second hatch will be in the second half of incubation at this point. I'm thinking that once I hear chirping or notice a pip I will completely stop the turning until my three are out but no longer than a day or two.

I should add that the really complicating factor in all this is that I have no clue which eggs were added when. They are mixed and my friend did not mark them. If I were more advanced I would hope to be able to candle them and differentiate ages between the two hatches and separate them accordingly, ...but I'm so, so a beginner and cannot accurately tell with confidence.

Any help or advice would be appreciated. As it's my first hatch & I'm a person who likes to do things "by the book"...this issue is causing me some worry.

I'm not familiar with the incubator and turner you have but this is what I would do with my Hovabator if I found myself in your position. On day 18 for the first eggs I would stop turning all the eggs and remove them from the turner. Increase the humidity to 55%. My incubator recommends 45-55 for incubating and 55-65 for hatching so this should be right in the middle of what both groups need. I don't know how much not turning would hurt the second group but I wouldn't try to hatch while they are on the turner.
When your chicks hatch they will probably be rolling around the unhatched eggs anyway.

 

[Sphinx]

If three are a week ahead, you should pretty easily be able to candle them and figure out who is ahead.


Click here to see candling day by day. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-candling-pics-progression-though-incubation


I'd mark them so you can differentiate which ones are going to hatch sooner.

Then, if it were me, I'd turn the turner off altogether, and turn the ones that aren't as far along by hand 3-5 times a day (mark them so you can tell which was is which, and make sure if they're on the X side overnight one night that they're on the O side overnight the other night).


You're lucky- a Brinsea Mini Advance is a great incubator- super easy to work.

 

[hollyelise]

Thank you both for the advice!

Red horse ranch: your right, i didnt think about the bumping around the others would get from the first hatch, so that should work to my benefit on hatch day, when I cannot open up the incubator due to possibly "shrink wrapping" the hatchers.

Sphinx: Thank you for the link to the candling pics...those are easier for me to tell going day by day. One issue I have had is the fact that I'm candling at an earlier day than my friend said the eggs were on. I'm going to try a more powerful light tonight, since this should be my last chance. I'll try figuring that out and marking them.

Thank you again!!