It's right now that the 4-day difference between me and the rest of you is abundantly apparent. Congratulations on all your chicks!
Anyway, Day 19 for my eggs. I've just candled them one last time and removed a further 20 or so what had definately been developing but haven't been for a week at least. That means that 13 eggs out of 48 have gone into lockdown, which to be honest was more than I expected for a new incubator and doubtful eggs. One of those was borderline (may have stopped developing a few days ago, I'm not inexperienced to tell), 2 looked good but I couldn't see movement (could be sleeping?), the rest had definite movement in them. One was even cheeping at me (are they meant to cheep yet?) so I was pretty excited about that!
Is it strange for me to be thinking about the next lot I'll be putting in the incubator (maybe next weekend or next week sometime) already? My sister's been pestering me to put some of her duck eggs in the next batch. None of my hens were old enough to lay, but at a poultry sale yesterday a bought a couple of Ancona girls who have already layed (well, one of them has at least - in my lap [quite literally in my lap - I was holding her at the time. First time that's ever happened!]). The guy I bought them from had a number of Ancona roosters for sale, so I'm collecting the eggs from my two new girls for the next week or so on the off chance that they're fertilised.
I have no idea how I'm going to wait out the next two days, though. I'm so excited! I don't want to get my hopes up, though - I've never had very good hatches (last time I had 3 out of 7 eggs pip and then die in the shell - bad incubator and the humidity was wibbly the entire time, though), but if most of the ones in lockdown hatch I will be so chuffed about that!
Sorry for babbling... just really excited!
from Rachel.