Late or Early Lockdown?

[Josie22]

Hello everyone! I am incubating some eggs for the first time, Australorp/Silkie rooster cross. 4 are fertile. 2 were placed in on 1/17/20 at 9:10 p.m, another was places 1/18/20 around noon and the 4th 1/19/20 around noon as well. I am doing a dry hatch and the humidity lingers around 26-35.
Should I proceed with lockdown on day 18 at night? Or should I do it a day later for the other 2 eggs to catch up? I would appreciate any advice! Thank you so much for your time!

 

[MissMonty]

I'd probably do it early, for the first ones but then you may run into issues because the others still will need turned.

 

[Josie22]

I'd probably do it early, for the first ones but then you may run into issues because the others still will need turned.

I didn’t think about that, uh oh. Now I’m really pulling my hair!

 

[MissMonty]

I didn’t think about that, uh oh. Now I’m really pulling my hair!

I have seen people lock down early and open to turn the eggs but I know its a "no no" to open once you're in lock down so I'm not sure. Hopefully someone else will chime in

 

[Josie22]

I have seen people lock down early and open to turn the eggs but I know its a "no no" to open once you're in lock down so I'm not sure. Hopefully someone else will chime in

I was thinking about that...about how many times would they need to be turned manually during the day? And you would do that for 2 more days if I decide to open? Maybe if I place them on opposite ends of the incubator and open sooo very slightly since the ambient humidity is high anyways 30s...I keep it in the bathroom!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Eggs don’t really need to be turned after day 14. I would wait until date day 19 to put into lockdown i.e., up the humidity, gives the later eggs an extra day to catch up.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Staggered hatches can be logistically difficult if you let them. I'd candle the eggs and judge by air cell size when it's appropriate to up the humidity for hatch. BTW- eggs only need turning until day 14.

I personally dislike the term "lockdown" as that is not what you're doing and implies a quarantine to opening the incubator for any adjustment or monitoring. I believe more hatches are botched due to that term and people over compensating when they do open the incubator during that ominous period of 18 days to hatch.

Hatching is all about the temperature and keeping humidity low enough the air cell grows large enough that the chicks don't drown. Below 20% RH fatalities can occur. I find 30% RH works well to grow proper size air cell in 18 days. If they are not to size, humidity was higher than I wait until day 19 or even day 20 to up humidity for hatching. If Incubator was running drier than 30% growing air cells faster then I up humidity to 50% when cells are about right size then up to 70% day before hatch.

Again, just candle the eggs, check air cell size and come up with the time to up humidity that's a happy medium between the smallest air cell and largest.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Oh, and welcome to BYC!

 

[Josie22]

Staggered hatches can be logistically difficult if you let them. I'd candle the eggs and judge by air cell size when it's appropriate to up the humidity for hatch. BTW- eggs only need turning until day 14.

I personally dislike the term "lockdown" as that is not what you're doing and implies a quarantine to opening the incubator for any adjustment or monitoring. I believe more hatches are botched due to that term and people over compensating when they do open the incubator during that ominous period of 18 days to hatch.

Hatching is all about the temperature and keeping humidity low enough the air cell grows large enough that the chicks don't drown. Below 20% RH fatalities can occur. I find 30% RH works well to grow proper size air cell in 18 days. If they are not to size, humidity was higher than I wait until day 19 or even day 20 to up humidity for hatching. If Incubator was running drier than 30% growing air cells faster then I up humidity to 50% when cells are about right size then up to 70% day before hatch.

Again, just candle the eggs, check air cell size and come up with the time to up humidity that's a happy medium between the smallest air cell and largest.

Hi, thank you so much for this response! Do you have any reference for me to check the appropriate air cell growth? I might stick to day 19! Thank you! And humidity is best at 75% during that time correct?

 

[Josie22]

Oh, and welcome to BYC!

Thank you