History: One time maybe 7 yrs ago I did a homemade incubator and tried hatching eggs. Didn't go well and since then I leave it all in the hens hands/wings??
Facts: I'm not great at picking up eggs regularly (maybe 3 or 4 times a week-not an issue, until the ladies want to sit)
I'm even worse at marking eggs when the ladies do decide to sit (but i do get a little better at picking up).
I now have 12 eggs in an incubator that vary in age from poss 3 weeks to maybe 5 days old.
my problem: On Saturday one of my mommas was off the eggs she's been collecting for several weeks, with two hatched peeps. There were 15 still in the box. I brought them in and tried to candle them (failed mostly). There were 3 i was comfortable were duds, and 12 i put in the incubator. Some looked days away from hatching based on charts i looked at and some were somewhere in between. Incubator was never used- someone gave it to me a couple years ago and i just put it away. Temp isnt regulating well, humidity i cant get away from 50 +/- and 2 eggs have pipped!!!! I worked 4 pm till 1 am. When i left they had pipped but I didnt see any movement. Came home just a bit ago and now I see beaks moving in both. So it has been 11 hours and I dont know what to do next. Let them be? Help them? I actually turned everyone last night cause again I have no idea how old some are...Obviously that didnt kill them- Id hate to do something now that will
The holes might be ever so slightly bigger now at 2 am than they were at 3 pm when I left for work but not by much.
Side note: the cardboard is because I am worried if any are no good they might explode so i had hoped if that does happen maybe the cardboard will prevent too much splatter to the other eggs.
Facts: I'm not great at picking up eggs regularly (maybe 3 or 4 times a week-not an issue, until the ladies want to sit)
I'm even worse at marking eggs when the ladies do decide to sit (but i do get a little better at picking up).
I now have 12 eggs in an incubator that vary in age from poss 3 weeks to maybe 5 days old.
my problem: On Saturday one of my mommas was off the eggs she's been collecting for several weeks, with two hatched peeps. There were 15 still in the box. I brought them in and tried to candle them (failed mostly). There were 3 i was comfortable were duds, and 12 i put in the incubator. Some looked days away from hatching based on charts i looked at and some were somewhere in between. Incubator was never used- someone gave it to me a couple years ago and i just put it away. Temp isnt regulating well, humidity i cant get away from 50 +/- and 2 eggs have pipped!!!! I worked 4 pm till 1 am. When i left they had pipped but I didnt see any movement. Came home just a bit ago and now I see beaks moving in both. So it has been 11 hours and I dont know what to do next. Let them be? Help them? I actually turned everyone last night cause again I have no idea how old some are...Obviously that didnt kill them- Id hate to do something now that will

Side note: the cardboard is because I am worried if any are no good they might explode so i had hoped if that does happen maybe the cardboard will prevent too much splatter to the other eggs.