Hey, BloominOrchid. I'm in Maryland and picked up some of those potluck silkies too! Didn't get them unitl this past weekend and jus set them on the 24th so I'm 10 days behind you. I use a forced air Hova Bator with auto-turner. I have made about 5 or 6 attempts at hatching: some hatches are amazing and some were duds. I've had better luck with eggs that weren't shipped but one of my best hatches were shipped buff orpingtons. So, it's a gamble every time. Each hatch teaches you something new. You WILL loose some. It's part of the process. Some of the things I've experieced are: if I leave an egg in the bator the full hatch time that I'm not sure of, it DOESN't "burst" or foul the hatch...it just doesn't hatch and then I know for sure. Another thing: I have helped chicks out of the shell when I feel that the chick has been at it for more than 24 hours and may be stuck to the shell. So, those are two things that don't follow conventional advice but have been my experience. Please keep this thread going and post pics of what you end up with!