Last night I was at my lil 4 acre farm. I just got done building a large coop and pen for my layers. Picked up some 3 mo old pygmies, and the girlfriend brought a pregnant beagle home from the shelter. Busy enough as it is, and still have to build a pen for the two Tamworth feeder pigs due next week. Anyhow, I started incubating based on a 23 day gestation period.... Swore I saw it here..... Well the boys were looking at the eggs, and about 1/2 and hour later Carla, my girlfriend, said that one of my eggs were cracked. I was ticked, thinking that the boys did something.... Lo and behold, about 6 pm, I had our first pip. By this morning, 13 hours later, I had 5 pips. Incidentally, yesterday evening was the beginning of day 20. I set them on a Thursday evening hoping for a Saturday evening hatch. Thankfully I have to work til 6 pm tonight so I won't be hovering. Maybe I will have more pips today, maybe even some chicks. Sitting here worrying about the humidity, added water Tuesday, humidity is hovering around 65 to 67% if I trust the hygrometer. Reason I have trust issue is that the thermometer in the bator reads 101, and the hygrometer reads 97.2 so who knows? We'll keep an eye out and see what happens. I don't want to have to do chick hatch surgery.... not on my first one lol!
Incubation for chicks is typically 21 days, but if the temp is high during incubation they can hatch a little early.
they will hatch. dont mess with them. i dont think it's ever a good idea. others may disagree however if the chick isnt strong enough to make it out of the shell, he/she isnt strong enough to be on the farm.
Your humidity is way too high if you hygrometter is correct. Did you calibrate it before hatch....? If you're hatching early it generally means temperature is too high! Good luck!
Quote:I may have been confusing in the way I wrote my post. The hygrometer has a temp reading and a humidity reading. The temp reads 97.2 as compared to a regular thermometer that reads 101. The humidity is 67%. Did you mean that 67% is too high? Who knew that a hens butt is so perfect.... for hatching eggs that is....?
