Need some advice pronto plzzzz

[serama00newbie]

Ok soooo I have a dozen shipped serama eggs....this is my first hatch... I have a little giant still air incubator and have been turning the eggs 3 times a day ..... Temp has stayed at 101 and humidity. Between 48-60... Idk why its so up and down.... Its now day 16 and I'm freaking out..... They say seramas tend to hatch out on day 18 or 19..... So If they say to lockdown on day 18 for normal chicken eggs why day should I lock down????? Someone with good know how with seramas help..... I have put sooo much time and effort into this hatch I feel like it would break my heart if they don't make it...

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi

Glad you could join the flock! First off I do incubate but I've not done serama eggs. Any chicken eggs would be fine to be stopped turned after day 14. Most do it day 18 as good practice to put the humidity up at the same time. The first 14 days are most critical for turning as this is when the embryos are developing all their parts and need to be turned so they develop correctly. I hatch mainly polish and sometimes have them pip the egg on day 19 the morning after I've locked down.
Your humidity seems a little high have your air cells grown adequaly in size?

Drop by the incubating section of the forum for members who have incubated seramas. Wishing you the very best of luck hope you have a great hatch

 

[serama00newbie]

Oh thank you.... Um the humidity was at 49 then the next morning it spiked itself up idk why... I did even add more water or anything...and I did read about how crucial air cell development is and I candled them to check on day 14 and far as I can tell from the diagram they look about right except some of them have sadle shaped air cells

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

With having Sadle shaped air sacs were they shipped eggs? You can hatch them in cut down egg cartons for wonky air sacs. Check out this article it has a section on shipped eggs https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101
I like the egg carton method, I use it even for non shipped eggs. I cut them down so they are shallow but still support the egg and push a hole in the bottom for air flow.

 

[Jules713]

Are you going by reading on front of incubator for humidity? I wouldn't trust that to be accurate. My little giant humidity reading is all over the place I don't even go by it.

 

[serama00newbie]

Oh crap .....i sure am..... Ooooooo no.... What do I do now???

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

First don't panic As you said they look ok compared to the diagram. This late on in incubation there is not that much that you can do barring going and buying a hygrometer that you know to be giving you correct readings, I got a lizard one from the pet shop that worked well and was not too expensive.

At lockdown you should be shooting for at least 65% humidity.

 

[Jules713]

I'd just go with what ya got. Fill up all the areas when you go into lockdown to make sure the humidity is high. My first batch I ran by the reading on front and realized the humidity was way too high. I still got some to hatch.

 

[serama00newbie]

Oh gosh....this whole process is just overwhelmingly exciting.. I doubt that I'll even be able to get any sleep... I'll Be glued to the Bator. Alot of people have said that sometimes seramas tend to need little help.... I'm. Sooo nervous. I can't take the thought of them being fully grown and not surviving hatch..oh my little babies .... I hope and pray they do ok

 

[serama00newbie]

The 18th day starts tonight so I'm gonna go ahead a prepare everything.... When should I give up hope???? 22nd day,,23rd day???