There are a lot of different reasons some eggs might hatch early or late. Heredity, humidity, how and how long they were stored before they started incubation, and a few others I’m sure I don’t know about. The big one is the average incubating temperature but that isn’t the only reason. I’ve had them hatch two full days early under a broody and in my incubator. Some people have had them hatch a few days late. I don’t know how accurate or how often that 25 days is, but I have a lot of respect for Mother Nature. Sometimes those eggs seem to hatch in spite of what we do.
I have had hatches stretch a bit over two days, but that’s a little unusual. Usually most of them hatch not that far apart.
I think your concern is what you’ve read about shrink-wrapping them if you open the incubator during the hatch. There is often a big difference in what can possibly happen and what will absolutely happen each and every time. Shrink wrap falls into that category. It’s possible you can shrink wrap a chick by opening the incubator if the egg has piped but not totally finished hatching. I’ve done that so I know it can happen. But I’ve also not shrink wrapped eggs that have pipped when I open the incubator. It doesn’t happen each and every time. It’s best by far to not open the incubator during hatch but it’s not an automatic death sentence.
The odds are really high your hatch will not stretch out that long. They are in the incubator under the same conditions. If they came from the same flock, heredity, storage conditions, things like that are probably pretty equivalent. What I’m trying to say is that the odds of you having a problem like this are pretty thin. Usually when the hatch is over, it’s over.
I have had hatches stretch a bit over two days, but that’s a little unusual. Usually most of them hatch not that far apart.
I think your concern is what you’ve read about shrink-wrapping them if you open the incubator during the hatch. There is often a big difference in what can possibly happen and what will absolutely happen each and every time. Shrink wrap falls into that category. It’s possible you can shrink wrap a chick by opening the incubator if the egg has piped but not totally finished hatching. I’ve done that so I know it can happen. But I’ve also not shrink wrapped eggs that have pipped when I open the incubator. It doesn’t happen each and every time. It’s best by far to not open the incubator during hatch but it’s not an automatic death sentence.
The odds are really high your hatch will not stretch out that long. They are in the incubator under the same conditions. If they came from the same flock, heredity, storage conditions, things like that are probably pretty equivalent. What I’m trying to say is that the odds of you having a problem like this are pretty thin. Usually when the hatch is over, it’s over.
