if I add 1 still-warm egg 20 hrs late to the incubator, might it work?

[patandchickens]

Enh, I wrote out the whole explanation of my reason for wanting to do this, but you know what, it doesn't matter...

...I am just wanting to know, if I add a still-warm-from-the-hen egg to an incubator whose other inhabitants went in 20 hours ago, is there some reasonable possibility of this late egg hatching ok, or is it just doomed (either because still-warm, or because it will be almost a day younger than the others)? Surely some people must have done this before and know what happened?

Thanks for any info,

Pat

 

[Paganbird]

I have staggered hatches all the time. One day won't make much of a difference.
I have 13 chicks due to hatch tomorrow (3 pipped so far) and about 25 more due to hatch on Friday. No big deal.
Put the egg in... it will be fine.

 

[bockbock2008]

20 hours is nothing! Eggs are shipped from coast to coast which can take several days and end up hatching. You'll be fine.

 

[patandchickens]

My concern isn't that the egg is 20 hrs old, it's that it will be about a day later than the others, so it will go into lockdown (with raised humidity) when it is only day 18 not 19; and also I have no clue whatsoever whether it is ok to put a just-laid egg in the 'bator or whether it needs to cool down and sit for a little while, as would normally happen with a hen's clutch?

I guess I will leave it in there, it's just that the incubator is SO darn crowded that it is going to be very hard for me to turn them all and if there is little hope for this egg I'd rather have it out of the way. (Although ideally I'd rather hatch it

)

Thanks,

Pat

 

[fordmommy]

I added 4 chicken eggs the day after and a bunch of quail eggs. People do it all the time and don't have any more problems.

 

[Cara]

It shouldn't be a problem. It's not all that important whether you stop turning at day 18 or 19, so i'd just stop turning them all a day later.

 

[lockedhearts]

I think it will be fine, I have done Incubating and Hatching and broke all the rules and they still hatch. It may be a day behind in hatching but I doubt going a day early into lockdown will hurt it.

 

[patandchickens]

Yeah, well three times i have *followed* all the rules and they mostly CROAK

(Hopefully I have got it right this time...)

Ok, thanks very much guys, I will leave the egg in there and be optimistic

Pat

 

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

I have no problem with adding new eggs up to 24 hours later. The hatch winds up essentially the same.

I do make it a point to put the new egg(s) as close to the previous ones as I can, so they can send their little peep signals to each other and synchronize.

Maybe I'm crazy.

 

[kathyinmo]

Pat,
As far as lockdown being a day early for that egg ... it won't matter. Recently, I locked down a whole batch a day early, and they were fine.

Another time, I forgot to lockdown a few Silkie eggs, and did not even realize it until I saw a pip in the incubator. I quickly transferred them to the hatcher, and they all hatched quite nicely!