Lockdown at day 16? Yes, no?

[Coop77]

And I've heard that the egg turning is most important when the eggs are still developing their veins during the first half of the hatch. But I'm no expert.

 

[Jrose]

Living in SW Idaho. The humidity in my little valley is relatively high and I typically dry-incubate til lockdown. I actively monitor air cells and judge my humidity needs by their size relative to their development. Summers are particularly hot, but I don't incubate in the summer. Winter and spring hatching are the trends, when it's cool and moderately humid and storm-heavy. My last hatch? Total dry incubation, it was very humid. This hatch? Much drier and I kept the water up in the bator. It's touch-and-go.

If my 5 thremometers (different styles/brands) are way off, and my 3 chicken broodies and 2 turkey broodies are way off, then shoot, I'm just outta luck, aren'tI?

Actually, what's interesting about this hatch; All of my AmeraucanaXmarans hatched day 18-19. My maransXorpingtons have been staggered between 19/21. The marans and the banties are just now hatching at day 21/22. I haven't noticed a set breed specific trend before, but the olive eggers are usually the first ones out, for sure!

It's an LG incubator and they all get shuffled all around the incubator, switch spots, make sure everyone gets corner/edge time and center time alike (since this thing has cool spots). I turn twice a day. Always have done and have had 90-100% hatches.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

And I've heard that the egg turning is most important when the eggs are still developing their veins during the first half of the hatch. But I'm no expert.

You're right, turning early is most important so those veins can constantly access new nutrients.

Living in SW Idaho. The humidity in my little valley is relatively high and I typically dry-incubate til lockdown. I actively monitor air cells and judge my humidity needs by their size relative to their development. Summers are particularly hot, but I don't incubate in the summer. Winter and spring hatching are the trends, when it's cool and moderately humid and storm-heavy. My last hatch? Total dry incubation, it was very humid. This hatch? Much drier and I kept the water up in the bator. It's touch-and-go.

If my 5 thremometers (different styles/brands) are way off, and my 3 chicken broodies and 2 turkey broodies are way off, then shoot, I'm just outta luck, aren'tI?

Actually, what's interesting about this hatch; All of my AmeraucanaXmarans hatched day 18-19. My maransXorpingtons have been staggered between 19/21. The marans and the banties are just now hatching at day 21/22. I haven't noticed a set breed specific trend before, but the olive eggers are usually the first ones out, for sure!

It's an LG incubator and they all get shuffled all around the incubator, switch spots, make sure everyone gets corner/edge time and center time alike (since this thing has cool spots). I turn twice a day. Always have done and have had 90-100% hatches.

I'm sorry, all I can offer you is what the research shows to be the reasons for early hatch, etc..
A better test would be to hatch all eggs from the same breed, same line, same size eggs, stored for the same period.
Otherwise there are too many variables.
The research comes from hatching thousands of eggs from similar size eggs, stored for the same period under ideal conditions and from the same breed and line.

 

[Jrose]

A clutch of 13 turkey eggs from one mother turkey, brooded by herself, hatched day 25.

A clutch of 16 orpingtonXmarans from three buffo rpington hens, brooded by one buff orpington hen, hatched day 18

A clutch of 64 mixed eggs and breeds from all my breeding stock, incubated, hatched day 18-22

A clutch of 34 mixed eggs from marans and Ameraucanas, incubated, hatched day 18

A clutch of 4 legbarX's, not from my breeding stock, brooded by one of my hens, hatched day 18

A clutch of 4 super-mutts, not from my stock, brooded by one of my hens, hatched day 18

A clutch of 52 maransXAmeraucana eggs from my stock, incubated, hatched day 18

A clutch of 11 coturnix quail eggs, not of my stock, incubated, hatched day 15

A few highlights from the last 9 months

I don't care what research says, this is my reality I'm living right now. I'm not really wondering why it happens, just curious if it'd hurt the eggs to stop turning a few days early! Sounds like that's just fine, so I'll start adopting that habit!

 

[JetCat]

I don't care what research says, this is my reality I'm living right now. I'm not really wondering why it happens, just curious if it'd hurt the eggs to stop turning a few days early! Sounds like that's just fine, so I'll start adopting that habit!

Don't let ole canoe get you all ruffled up, heck he tried to tell me one time that because i had a quail chick born with no eyes that it had to be because i had too high a temp and/or too low an oxygen level during the first 6 days of incubation no two ways about it!!!! clearly the other 160+ chicks from that same hatch that were all perfect and healthy proved him to be in the wrong.

 

[kuchchicks]

 

[Jrose]

Don't let ole canoe get you all ruffled up, heck he tried to tell me one time that because i had a quail chick born with no eyes that it had to be because i had too high a temp and/or too low an oxygen level during the first 6 days of incubation no two ways about it!!!! clearly the other 160+ chicks from that same hatch that were all perfect and healthy proved him to be in the wrong.

Haha, I'm not ruffled. Just making it clear that I don't care! The online forums are a great place to ask questions and get answers you didn't ask for