Lockdown for dummies

[birdstheword]

Sorry for the dumb question.

Lockdown is suppose to be for the final 3 days, why then do you start it on the 18th day? (18, 19, 20, and 21, isn't this 4 days?)

Is that because they can start hatching on the 20th day

My eggs are on the 16th day. Do I start lock down at the beginning of the 18th day or anytime of that day.

 

[jm93030]

24 hours is 1 day...right?


so for example
from day 18 at 7pm to day 19 at 7 pm is 1 day
from day 19 at 7 pm to day 20 at 7 pm is day 2
from day 20 at 7 pm to day 21 at 7 pm is day 3

hope this helps

 

[birdstheword]

OK I get it

This is our first try at hatching. Didn't want to get it wrong

Thanks

 

[jm93030]

sure..anytime

1 day early doesnt make a big diference

 

[Gypsy07]

x2! You can stop turning them a couple of days early and it doesn't really matter. The turning is most important in the first seven days of incubation. Towards the end it's not so important. Ditto with the higher humidity. If your humidity has been good the first 16-17 days and your eggs have lost almost the right amount of moisture, a day or two extra of high humidity won't do much harm.

Obviously it's best to follow the guidelines as closely as possible to maximise your chances of a successful hatch. However, if you have to deviate slightly from them you might notice a slightly reduced hatch rate, but you won't instantly kill every single one of your eggs.