Slowing hatch

[fostermom55]

Is it possible to safely slow down or extend hatch date? I put eggs in the incubator today before looking at my calendar (dumb ,I know!). I really wish I had waited a couple of days

 

[Huntmaster]

Hard to fool with mother nature. At least with any regular success.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

I dont think you can do that

 

[nuthatched]

Why? You can knock down the temp a few degrees but if you might be able to stop incubating if it's only been a few hours.

 

[Huntmaster]

Why? You can knock down the temp a few degrees

Raising or lowering humidity to get right amount of evaporation for correct air cells is fine but messing with temps to lengthen or shorten incubation time is just asking for problems. A few degrees in incubation means alot.

 

[nuthatched]

Raising or lowering humidity to get right amount of evaporation for correct air cells is fine but messing with temps to lengthen or shorten incubation time is just asking for problems. A few degrees in incubation means alot.

You're right, I wasn't thinking.
although I have seen many people swear that raising the temp a degree or two hatches stronger chicks but it's probably just a wives tale.
I do wonder why they needed slowed to begin with.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is it possible to safely slow down or extend hatch date? I put eggs in the incubator today before looking at my calendar (dumb ,I know!). I really wish I had waited a couple of days

Safely? Not really. While there is a range of temperatures where they will hatch, the further you are from the middle of that range the more likely you are to have problems. The average incubating temperature is important as to when they actually hatch so in theory you can slow them down by lowering temperature. Where are you now in that window? If you are high or even in the middle of the correct range you may not harm the hatch but if you are a bit low you could.

Besides temperature is not the only thing that controls when an egg hatches. Even under a broody hen but also in an incubator I have calibrated so I know the temperature is correct I often get chicks hatching two full days early. I think it is due to heredity, it is pretty consistent. So even if you manage to lower the temperature some to delay hatch without killing any they could still hatch about on time.

I've been caught in something like this before. An unexpected trip came up so I was gone when a broody hen hatched. I really wanted to be there when she hatched.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I’d say just take the eggs out if it’s only been a few hours

 

[NatJ]

Is it possible to safely slow down or extend hatch date? I put eggs in the incubator today before looking at my calendar (dumb ,I know!). I really wish I had waited a couple of days

If you noticed within the first 6 hours or so, it would be fine to just take the eggs out again, and wait a few more days before starting to incubate them. If they've been in the incubator more than about 12 hours, I would not try to take them back out.

Depending on what is on your calendar around then, the chicks might be fine.
Ways to adjust what days you need to be available:
--You can start lockdown a few days early if needed.
--Chicks can be left in the incubator for 6-72 hours after hatching, so you've got a pretty big window of time in which they CAN be pulled out but do not yet NEED to come out.

If you run the incubator a little warmer or cooler than usual, the eggs can hatch early (warmer) or later (cooler). But I don't think you'll get more than about a day's difference in any case, and changing the temperature more than a few tenths of a degree could be dangerous to the eggs.