Mixed batch

[fishin_dad]

I ordered 2 batches of eggs and batch 2 was lost and showed up 3 days late. I added them on day 3 of the first batch not thinking about lockdown for the first batch. Any suggestions?

 

[JaeG]

You can wait to put them all into lockdown until your first batch has internally pipped. You'll just have to candle on day 19 and maybe day 20 which you can still do. Until there are external pips it's absolutely fine to open the incubator - you won't hurt the eggs.

When you do candle on those days try your best to keep the eggs in the same position as they are in the incubator so that the chicks, who will be positioning themselves for hatching, don't get confused because you are tipping the eggs up a different way.

You will see the shadow of their beak in the air cell once they have internally pipped and you should be able to hear them peeping (I can't easily in my incubator because it has a noisy fan at the top and you can only see into the incubator through the top). If they aren't quite at the internally pipped stage you may see them pressing up against the membrane. Once they start to internally pip, raise the humidity.

 

[fishin_dad]

I have borrowed an incubator to move my first batch into for lock down but the egg turner is not the same. Would it be OK to use a paper egg carton in the incubator so that I can keep the eggs upright during lock down or will it affect the humidity in a negative way?

 

[JaeG]

I have borrowed an incubator to move my first batch into for lock down but the egg turner is not the same. Would it be OK to use a paper egg carton in the incubator so that I can keep the eggs upright during lock down or will it affect the humidity in a negative way?

A paper egg carton will work fine - I think people cut them down a little so that the eggs still get good air flow around them. Good luck.