just curious if theres any pros/cons of powering up the incubator when i only have enough eggs to half fill it? one of my best laying hens is still laying (all the others have stopped) and her eggs are fertile...and am hoping any of her offspring that hatch will also be good layers (the hens anyway!) i dont want to hatch too many 'early birds' so have set aside 12 eggs, my OH thinks i should wait another 2 weeks and then power up the 'bator when its full...but im worried the earlier eggs may not be in great condition by then (they'll be 2 and 3 weeks old) so..should i fire her up or wait a bit?
Fire it up! 2 weeks is ok, 3 weeks old is really pushing it. I set weekly when I'm hatching. I've set some 3wo eggs as an experiment and had none hatch though I know others have hatched them out that old. You'd probably get something but a much lower %. Hatchability goes down every day, it's only a small % but it adds up. Besides, the sooner you start the sooner you'll have cute little chicks!
