Hatching early!

[NaomiSarah]

It's an odd hatch! I set the eggs 19 days ago and three have already pipped, but I just locked down yesterday. Silly little chickens. I have about 7 australorps and 13 "Austrashorns" (our nickname for a barnyard cross of australorp rooster and shaver/leghorn hens). One pipped half an hour after my final candle before lockdown! I should have locked down earlier. My only guess is that they incubated on the counter for a day before I set them because the temp/humidity has been perfect, although I missed a few rotations.

Next hatch will be all bantams, I'm excited to see the colors I get from my itty bitty teeny tiny mille fleur bantam roos with my dutchie hens!!! I'll hatch a few mille fleur eggs too. They're unbelievably tiny!!!

 

[CCourson05]

Did your incubator run a little high??

 

[NaomiSarah]

Nope, ran it between 98.5 and 100.3 for the whole hatch, humidity between 20-30%.

 

[NaomiSarah]

Last timeI hatched these they were right on time at day 21, I think they must have started on the counter the day before I set them.

 

[CCourson05]

Was it above 82 degrees on your counter? If so, then yes, they started developing...

 

[NaomiSarah]

I'm not sure, I don't have a thermometer on my counter lol. But it was a warm day so I wouldn't be surprised. Upto 5 pips now!!!

 

[Stingrayg4]

I've had them hatch on the 18th day. This was under a hen though, not in an incubator. All of the chicks from that hatch did fine.

-S

 

[NaomiSarah]

Well I have 5 chicks hatched now - all fine, fully developed except 1 with a severely crooked neck, which i posted about in the emergencies forum - it's still drinking and walking around and peeping and sleeping so I'm not gonna cull it unless it starts to struggle, just massaging the neck every couple hours.