Lockdown issues...any advice?

[stephanie1992]

ok i put some eggs in the bator the 19th, 21st, and 23rd, then relized they have differnt lockdown days, and i only have one bator and have nothing else to use to hatch them, there on a auto egg turner i need to take out on lockdown, what do i do about the later ones till there ones hatch, move them lockdown day, should i keep turning them till eggs peep? and then stop while the chicks hatch? move them out when dry and keep doing that? or anyone else have any ideas??

 

[chooksandeggs-Aus]

I'm not sure I should be admitting how much of a lousy book keeper I am but in this case I think my error might help you.
I write on my calender and mark the eggs with the appropriate date when I put a batch in the incubator. Obviously this is so I know when day 18 is and transfer the eggs to the hatcher. Sounds very efficient doesn't it?
The only trouble is....I got it wrong with a very recent batch of eggs! (the second time actually!).
My calender was right but the date I wrote on the eggs was wrong!
Thinking I had the calender entry wrong I left the eggs in the incubator, an auto turn Janoel, and got a hell of a surprise at the chirping noises coming from the incubator at about 11 o'clock the night before last.
3 chickens had hatched and lots more of the eggs had pipped.
The chickens may well have been enjoying the auto turn giving them a free ride every 2 hours!
They had hatched but were sitting safe and snug in their shells! I suspect there was at tiny little smile on their beaks :~)
The eggs turning past day 18 had no ill effect on hatching despite all we are told.
In your case I think you can use that to your advantage and leave auto turn on until your batch dated 19th start to pip/hatch.
The other 2 batches then will be right in the range to stop turning.
I hope this help.
Rob.

 

[speedy2020]

I just pick the lock down on the 18 1/2 -19th days and keep your finger cross. I did that with my last round and they are 3 days apart. Since your is 5 days apart, it is little harder. Good luck.

 

[Gypsy07]

If I was you I'd raise the humidity slightly when the first eggs were due to go into lockdown, but keep turning the second two lots of eggs for another couple of days. Then when the second lot of eggs are due to go into lockdown that's when I'd stop turning everybody and raise the humidity right up. It's a compromise but one I'd be happy with. Turning an extra day or a day less won't make much of a difference, neither will a day extra of high or low humidity. You just want to be sure the humidity is high enough that nobody gets stuck while trying to hatch. Good luck!

 

[amosygal]

Quote:
I'm quite new here, but I'd like to say I agree with Gypsy07. But I just want to add that in my opinion if you see pips raise the humidity immediately and don't wait for the second batch's lock-down day.

 

[Gypsy07]

Yup, definitely! Any pips, get that humidity bumped up as fast as possible!

 

[stephanie1992]

soo i had an ideA.... what if i removed a few turning racks from the turner (as they r removeable), and made a spot where my eggs that needed to be on lockdown could hatch and left the ones that didnt need to be on lockdown could stay on the turner, i could put u a barrier between the spot with the lockdown eggs so when they hatch the chicks cant get to to turners and get hurt. Good idea? would that work?