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I would candle if I were you- take an egg or two into a very dark room with a flashlight and hold your hand around the flashlight and the egg so no light escapes, and shine into the fat end of the egg. You should see a large space with air that's very light, and a dark space that is potentially wiggling a bit if you watch very closely. If you see this, you should simply leave them under Mama and let her hatch them.
Lockdown is something you do days 19, 20, and 21 or 18, 19 and 20. You just stop turning them and increase the humidity to mimic what a Mama would do by holding very still and tight to the eggs when she's sitting. She doesn't get up or move the eggs around the way she does the first 18 or 19 days. You're far better off with a broody than an incubator, so if the eggs are good, they'll be fine without you running out & making a purchase.
I encourage you to look with a flashlight so you'll know. The float test can fool many people, and it depends on what you were looking for.
I would candle if I were you- take an egg or two into a very dark room with a flashlight and hold your hand around the flashlight and the egg so no light escapes, and shine into the fat end of the egg. You should see a large space with air that's very light, and a dark space that is potentially wiggling a bit if you watch very closely. If you see this, you should simply leave them under Mama and let her hatch them.
Lockdown is something you do days 19, 20, and 21 or 18, 19 and 20. You just stop turning them and increase the humidity to mimic what a Mama would do by holding very still and tight to the eggs when she's sitting. She doesn't get up or move the eggs around the way she does the first 18 or 19 days. You're far better off with a broody than an incubator, so if the eggs are good, they'll be fine without you running out & making a purchase.
I encourage you to look with a flashlight so you'll know. The float test can fool many people, and it depends on what you were looking for.
