First time silkie hatcher! Chicks seem small for lockdown age

[Helenhowes0]

Also hatched posted eggs before too

 

[Ridgerunner]

Even when I set eggs laid by my own hens each hatch can be different. That's when the same hens lay those eggs. Is it a silkie thing? No, no, no!!! It is a hatching eggs thing.

Those are shipped eggs. You do not know how long those eggs were stored or in what condition they were stored before they were shipped. You do not know what happened to them during shipping, either how shaken up they were or what temperatures or other things they experienced during shipping. Those things were not in your control.

I don't do dry hatching but many people do and get great results. It sounds like the humidity may have gotten so low during incubation that they may have lost more moisture than normal. I don't know what method of dry hatching you use. Some people add no water at all while others maintain a lower than normal humidity. This may or may not have contributed to that moisture loss.

There is nothing you can do at this point that will make anything better but you can do things to make it worse. I'd carry on as if everything were perfect and see what happens. Let us know how it turns out. It may not be as bad as you fear. Wishing you the best.

 

[Helenhowes0]

Thank you. Ive put them in lockdown so will see how it goes. Will keep you updated

 

[Debbie292d]

Thank you. Ive put them in lockdown so will see how it goes. Will keep you updated

I know you're trying to dry hatch, but for lockdown I'd up the humidity now to near or at 70%. Silkie eggs are a bit thicker than traditional chickens, some say like porcelain and they need a little more humidity to hatch.

I hatch a lot of silkies and can't say they won't hatch at a lower humidity though, as that's all I've ever used, and successfully.

 

[Helenhowes0]

Ok ill pop some more water in
Thank you