lockdown?

[offbeatbassist]

Reading through the threads, I keep seeing lockdown mentioned. I am interested in incubating, but have not purchased/built an incubator yet. Most threads seem to be focused on current egg health or specific issues.

Are you supposed to set the humidity as specific levels all the way thru, or just toward the end?
Are circulated air incubators better than still air incubators?
Is lockdown a point in the process that you stop opening the incubator and checking your eggs?

 

[XxMingirlxX]

I think the best advice I can give you if to read the article linked below by SallySunshine, it's super informative and helpful to experienced hatchery and beginners alike - everything from picking an incubator to assisted hatches :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

Hope that helps : )

 

[Egghead_Jr]

In nature when a hen feels the chicks turning to position inside the egg prior to pipping shell she stops leaving the nest for feed and stops standing to turn the eggs. This constant cover raises the humidity these last few days.

When incubating we mimic this. Humidity % will vary with almost everyone to talk to but there is a general consensus that 35% for first 18 days and 60% last three proves best results. The more times you incubate and tweek things you'll come up with the humidity that works best for you. My personal thought about the range of humidity's used is most people don't "salt test" to calibrate their hygrometer. It's hard to go by percentages if your hygrometer is not reading true. Always preform a salt test and do it prior to every incubation. Low battery can effect the reading.

We stop turning eggs on the same day we up the humidity, day 18, to keep things simple. In reality egg turning can stop earlier than that and humidity only needs to be upped prior to external piping of shell. Day 18 works best for both and keeps it simple. People here refer to that as "lockdown" as many feel you can't ever open the incubator after day 18. This is of course not as catastrophic a thing as you'll be led to believe.

 

[offbeatbassist]

Thanks for the responses I'll definitely read the link.

The days you are referencing (day 18) is for chickens? And other birds will be different..


My brother just got some chicks, but we have ducks, turkeys, and quail (soon), between the two of us, that will be laying fertile eggs.

I'll have to read up on each animal probably, but I know coturnix quail is suppose to hatch around day 18

 

[XxMingirlxX]

Yes, all different birds have different hatching and lockdown times.

 

[OwenFamilyFarm2]

Oh boy. I read some of the hatching 101 stuff. We haven't been doing any of that stuff! Now it is more confusing than ever! With the next batch, I will do more stuff as recommended on this site.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

xs 2 on the hatching 101 thread. An awesome hatching reference. For humidty this is the methodology that I use (for chicken eggs) : http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity So far it's been working great for me.