Rocking eggs - Does it mean an early hatch?

[MuckyPuppy]

I was just hand turning my eggs and two have rocked by themselves (maybe they were protesting being turned

). This Saturday (2nd July) is "lockdown" does this mean that some of them may hatch early? Should I up the humidity and stop turning now instead of waiting for Saturday? I'm so excited as this is my first hatch and didn't really expect much!

I have been planning on using paper towels to help bring up the humidity does it matter where they are? How wet do they need to be? Can I put a wet cloth under the eggs themselves? Please feel free to answer any questions I haven't thought of yet!!!

Edited to fix punctuation!

 

[Gypsy07]

I'm not 100% sure but I'd say it does look like you might be getting an early hatch. I've never seen eggs rocking until day 19 or 20, with them going on to hatch on day 21. Perhaps your temperatures have been a bit on the high side? Or are they bantam eggs? Bantams and smaller breeds of large fowl tend to develop quicker and hatch earlier. Were they all set at the same time? Any chance some of them could have been 'sat-on' by a hen and pre-incubated before you put them in your bator?

I think if I were you I'd maybe stop turning them now and raise the humidity on Friday. Stopping turning a day or two early will have no noticeable effect on them this far on in the incubation, and ditto with the higher humidity. But that's just my opinion of course! And other people might think different. See what other replies you get before you decide what to do.

 

[LilMissPetie]

I have hatched bantam's and they have hatched early ever time. Listen for peeping too. I've had to lockdown after I noticed pips once and they all made it just fine. Good luck

 

[MuckyPuppy]

Oh wow, Thanks for answering! They are all bantams. I didn't know that they can hatch earlier than LF. Thank you ever so much for letting me know as it wasn't even something that would have occured to me to ask!!!

The kiddos will be over the moon!

Thank you both ever so much again.

 

[floridachickhatcher]

lol i once had 10 chicks hatch on day 20 and then 8 more on day 21 and the hatch im on now This one egg was just really rocking and it hatched early this morning around 5AM of course its day 21 for him but still that little guy wanted out of the egg

 

[MuckyPuppy]

Quote:

Hmmmmm, We probably won't be getting much sleep over the next couple of days!

 

[floridachickhatcher]

Oh i never do but when a bunch of them are in the tub brooder they are quiet since they have company ^_^

 

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
In that case, stop turning them and bump up the humidity right NOW.
Bantams tend to hatch about day 19, so you want to be going into lockdown straight away!

Good luck with them

 

[MuckyPuppy]

Quote:
In that case, stop turning them and bump up the humidity right NOW.
Bantams tend to hatch about day 19, so you want to be going into lockdown straight away!

Good luck with them

Bumping humidity up right now and starting lockdown. There are quite a few twitching eggs now! So excited! Thank you for the good luck wish! It's even my birthday today. What a wonderful present!! This is actually what I am doing right now

it looks exactly like me!

 

[FeatheredObsessions]

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!