Starting lockdown early?

[scoopy82]

Hi everyone

My incubator has hatched 2 lots and both times they began hatching a day early. With my first hatch I think I had the temperature a little high, and my neighbour also used it to hatch some eggs and I dont know what temperature she had it on but hers also hatched a day early. I'm sure my day counting was ok - if you set at 9am on a monday they should start hatching from 9am 3 mondays from set day right? And lockdown should start 9am on the friday before hatch day right?). So I was just wondering if there would be any harm in going into lockdown a day early? or maybe even 12 hours early?

 

[stephanie1992]

i put mine a week early and ive known people to go two weeks early. u should be fine. mine are early cus im ganna be gone and i have several hatching differnt days.

 

[pete55]

Hi

Have you checked your air cells and do they appear large enough before considering early lockdown?

 

[yinepu]

ONE day is not going to make any difference.. if the air cells are much too small (or too large) .. ONE day won't make enough of a difference to matter

I have put eggs in DAYS early and had every single egg hatch out


now if it is chicken eggs and you were talking about throwing them into lockdown a week early.. then yeah it would make a difference

but ONE day?.. nah... throw them in there.. they will be fine!







edited for typos... i love my typos!

 

[cmom]

I agree a day or two early won't hurt. I have done it before because I had different dates (a staggered hatch) and at that time I only had one incubator/hatcher. All hatched out fine.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with the others that a little early won't hurt. Hatching is not an instantaneous operation but is drawn out over quite a time. It can start real early or real late.

To me, the main purpose of going into lockdown three days before hatch is so you get them in lockdown before they start to pip to reduce the chances of shrink-wrapping them. Like Yinepu said, a day or so is not really going to affect the size of the air sac. That has been determined already.

 

[pete55]

Im sorry but I disagree. If the eggs have not lost sufficient moisture and therefore adequate weight loss then lockdown should be postponed until external pipping. If the chicks systems are overloaded with fluid then it will possibly weaken them. I would recommend either checking the air cells to see if they appear large enough or weighing them.

A more detailed explanation is in the thread below;

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=577310

Best of luck with your hatch

Pete

 

[Ridgerunner]

The problem is that if they have not lost enough moisture by lockdown, they are not likely to lose enough between lockdown and hatch to make any real difference, at least with the tolerances of knowing you have a problem. The time to address this problem, if it exists, is much earlier during incubation. Lockdown is too late.

Can we just agree to disagree?

 

[pete55]

Of course we can agree to disagree

Thats what the forums all about, exchanges of information and Im all for that. Its about open friendly discussions and Im always happy to consider other opinions, thats how I keep learning

Pete

 

[yinepu]

Quote:
X2

if they have made it to lockdown and haven't lost sufficient moisture nothing short of putting them in a dehydrator is going to make any difference in the size of the air cell.. and I am in no way suggesting that anyone put their eggs in a dehydrator! That would probably cause more problems than I would care to imagine!

what we need to focus on now (in my opinion) is to be on the lookout for chicks that haven't turned in their shells or are too big to maneuver into position to pip.. so if they are still alive when hatch date is past then I would think the OP needs to decide if an assisted hatch is something they are comfortable doing

hopefully there IS sufficient room for them to turn and pip on their own.. but I doubt that they will be able to if the air cell is really as small as they said it was when they candled

my biggest concerns now are if the chicks can hatch and if they have too much moisture that they drown before anything can be done to help them since it's so late in the incubation