Three early birds...

[Coops Dad]

I bought a Nurture Right 360, tested the temp and humidity with calibrated thermometer and hydrometer (incubator was off by +.2* and +3% respectively, close enough) and put 9 freshly laid eggs from the day's production into it. Fast forward 19 days and, at 5:30 AM, I woke up to a damp little chickie peeping lonely little peeps. Two of its siblings followed within a few hours, unzipping with little fuss, muss or struggle. The other 6 eggs are still percolating.

The poppa is my Blue Andalusian/Jersey Black Giant and the mommas are an EE, a Mallorcan and a Buff Brahma. All three nuggets are shades of grey and charcoal. My wife is over the moon for these little lintballs and can't wait for the rest of the hatch to pop.

I could attribute it to a temperature error if they ALL started hatching but... just the three? Each from a different hen?

IDK, people; what do you think is going on?

Oh, and pics in keeping with the tradition of showing baby photos:

 

[333113]

Sometimes the heat of the day can give them a jumpstart, or the hen may have sat on them a little longer. I found one duck egg last summer that was buried in the straw next to the nest. It looked okay when I candled it, but evidently the heat of composting was just enough and not too much to give him a two-day head start! And he had the same parents as the rest of the team, so I doubt it was genetic.
So, I know stuff like that can happen.

 

[Coops Dad]

Well, poop. Out of 9 eggs, three hatched early, one hatched on day 21, the two Maran eggs were infertile, and the three Ameracana eggs have dead chicks in them. They look to be @18 day bebes, still with a little liquid around them, no internal pipping and no movement.

The thing ran at an indicated 99.5*/45% humidity (99.7/48% actual) for 18 days, then 99.5*/65% (99.7/68%) through today, when I threw in the towel.

What could have gone wrong with those 4? The marans are resistant to the rooster's wiles so I had hopes but no expectations from those two eggs.

OTOH, I have four little fluffbutts in shades of black, charcoal and gray. My son took one look and said "well, we know who the daddy is! That other rooster got shut DOWN!"

! My Blue Andalusian/Jersey Black Giant rooster.