To lock down or not to lock down...

[Londonchix]

Hi guys, let's say you planned well with dates for setting your eggs in the incubator but for some reasons you will not be home on day 18 to remove eggs from the cradle and lock down.

Do you risk the chance and lock down a day or two early or a day or two late? Keeping in mind of course that the eggs may try to hatch early.

What would you do?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Hi guys, let's say you planned well with dates for setting your eggs in the incubator but for some reasons you will not be home on day 18 to remove eggs from the cradle and lock down.

Do you risk the chance and lock down a day or two early or a day or two late? Keeping in mind of course that the eggs may try to hatch early.

What would you do?

Eggs technically do not need to be turned after day 14 so as long as your air cells are looking good, I'd lockdown early. The important thing is to have the humidity up for when they pip and hatch. I wouldn't be comfortable locking down more than a day early, personally, and I wouldn't lock down later unless it was for air cell reasons and I was going to be there to monitor for pips. But, I'm not saying lockingdown 2 days early would be taboo either. Question is are you going to be able to maintain a hatch humidity over the extended period of time?

 

[Londonchix]

That's really helpful! I didn't know about the 14 day thing. Humidity is a tricky thing but I have wrapped my knock off incubator is sheeps wool. I know that sound weird but having put the wool along the thin walls of the incubator it seems to keep the humidity very stable and I only need to add water at lock down.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

That's really helpful! I didn't know about the 14 day thing. Humidity is a tricky thing but I have wrapped my knock off incubator is sheeps wool. I know that sound weird but having put the wool along the thin walls of the incubator it seems to keep the humidity very stable and I only need to add water at lock down.

That's interesting. I actually stop turning my eggs now at the end of day 13. The development guide says that they start turning toward the fat end of the egg around day 14 and it's been documented that eggs don't need turning past two weeks (basically once they are a completely formed and free moving chick), so it made more sense to me to stop turning so that they can move into position easier. Last hatch was 100% hatch from lockdown with no upside down malepositioned pippers so I am happy and it's my new method...lol