Lockdown Anxiety

[HereChickChickChick88]

So my eggs in the incubator are approaching their hatch date - They were put in 2 friday nights ago and are set to hatch sometime late this coming week. However, they were shipped and are mostly bantam eggs. Based on a few things I've read, I have a couple questions...

1. Since they have been shipped in the summer, is it possible that they began to incubate in transit?

2. I've read that bantams sometimes hatch earlier than standards?

So will either of the above affect the beginning of "Lockdown?" According to the general rule it should begin Tuesday evening...

My current humidity (that I have to regulate) stays between 38-50 and temp mid to high nineties. Candled yesterday - 6/8 are alive (knock on wood).

I'm new - this is my first hatch. Thank you in advance for your advice.

 

[AlleysChicks]

Usually I base lockdown on the draw down of the air cell.

Sometimes they might but mine hatched day 21 with the standard chickens.

Take deep breaths! Have snacks ready, I spent the first few lockdowns by the incubator. Not the whole lockdown, but day 20-21 but I like to check the progress every 10 minutes lol

 

[abraga]

I've hatched a lot of shipped serama eggs this yr. Had many pip on day 18. The eggs were very small. Shipped eggs can have weird air cells.i mark the air cells with a pencil and place the lowest point in the air cell up when I set them for lockdown. If I have saddle air cells or unusual cells I put those some end down in a egg tray. Because it's hard to determine where they will pip. I had two eggs successfully hatch that pipped wrong end of the egg this time to. I've successfully hatched many that way. I have also increased my hatch rate of shipped eggs by resting them small end down, a full 24 hrs prior to setting them in the incubator. I'm also very careful not to spin them or flip them when unwrapping them. I incubate them small end down in an egg carton and gently turn them by hand from side to side. I do not check fertility until about day 10 at which point I mark air cells. I have been dry incubating for the most part, humidity averages 35/40% . I have all my bators set it at 99.7. For lockdown I run humidity at 70%. Normal eggs I set with the low end of the air cell up since they generally pip in that area.i live in virginia...up in the mountains..right now, high humidity, warm days..cool nights. This is what works best for me. If u are someplace where it is hot/dry for example..you will most likely need to have more humidity @95.5 temp...dry incubation might not work in a very dry, hot area.

 

[chicknovice123]

Hi chickchickchick,

I just finished my first hatch nearly 3 weeks ago.

I also incubated bantam eggs and all 10 hatched . Like you I was a bit nervous that they might arrive early.

When I candled them on day 17, one of the eggs had strange moving shadows in the air cell which I thought might be an internal pip. Next morning I heard a faint cheeping, so I locked them down (day 17). The first two hatched on day 18 and the last ones on day 20.

I'm not sure why they were early. I wasn't up to scratch with temp. Calibration to be honest so it could be the incubator was running warmer than I thought.

But it was also a hot day (by uk standards!) the day I collected the eggs and I wonder if that might've started them off, on the way home...

So I don't really know the answer to your questions but I do think it's a good idea to keep an eye on bantam eggs as you get towards lockdown, in case they do show signs of an early hatch.

Good luck!

 

[abraga]

Hi chickchickchick,

I just finished my first hatch nearly 3 weeks ago.

I also incubated bantam eggs and all 10 hatched . Like you I was a bit nervous that they might arrive early.

When I candled them on day 17, one of the eggs had strange moving shadows in the air cell which I thought might be an internal pip. Next morning I heard a faint cheeping, so I locked them down (day 17). The first two hatched on day 18 and the last ones on day 20.

I'm not sure why they were early. I wasn't up to scratch with temp. Calibration to be honest so it could be the incubator was running warmer than I thought.

But it was also a hot day (by uk standards!) the day I collected the eggs and I wonder if that might've started them off, on the way home...

So I don't really know the answer to your questions but I do think it's a good idea to keep an eye on bantam eggs as you get towards lockdown, in case they do show signs of an early hatch.

Good luck!

Incubators can have warm and cool spots. Eggs closer to the heating element can developed and hatch earlier.

 

[chicknovice123]

Is this something that's less of an issue in incubators with fans?

 

[abraga]

Is this something that's less of an issue in incubators with fans?

Well...i have a genisis hovabator 1588 with a fan..great incubator..but I do temp checks..and noticed that temp readings are slightly cooler around perimeter. If i incubate in it i rotate eggs. I also have a brinsea and an RCom..they seem to be more stable than the Styrofoam. Usually I use the rcom or brinsea for incubation only and the genisis for hatching since I sometimes have staggered hatches.