Staggered Hatch... Can It Be Done?

[silkiechick05]

Hello, I have some eggs that are about a week into incubation. My silkie finally decided to start laying again and I have a couple eggs that I would like to add to the bator. Can I put them in with the older eggs?

Would the increased humidity hurt the developing chicks during lockdown?

How would I turn the eggs still incubating with the other chicks are hatching?


I was thinking about taking all the egg turner rows out but one and then creating a boxlike barrier to keep the chicks away from the turner..


Thoughts??

 

[panner123]

Hatches like this can be done, but should not be done by a novice. If you to attempt this it is best to have a second bator to use as a hatcher. As a rule the higher humididty will drown some if not all of the later chicks.

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

We stagger hatch all the time. We run two bators and do half racks of eggs to hatch every 5 to 7 days. But we have a seperate hatcher for when they come out of the bator on day 18 so that helps.

 

[paddock36]

I just hatched a little Serama and have 9 eggs not due until the 18th and I turn by hand. I just candled all my other eggs and they are doing fine.

 

[silkiechick05]

If at lockdown I had the humidity at 60%, would that hurt the chicks about to hatch or the still developing chicks??

 

[silkiechick05]

Bump!