Why is this happening again?

[wanda047]

I recently had 8 turkey poults hatch out three days early. The day I was supposed to stop turning and up the humidity.... I found eggs pipping and rolling in the bator. By bedtime, I had several already hatched and wanting out of the bator.

All 8 "premies" survived and are now several weeks old and doing great. None of them have any health issues, curled toes, failure to thrive, etc.

Now... I have 4 Mille Fleur d'uccle eggs due to hatch on Saturday night. It's Wednesday.... two out of the 4 have already pipped and one is starting to zip. What in the heck is going on?

I always document on a calendar when the eggs are placed in the bator, what day to stop turning, etc. I've double checked all my dates and I did not miscalculate on the turkeys... nor on the chicks trying to hatch now.

I'm using an LG, still air. Temp has stayed right at 100-101, humidity between 45-50% throughout the incubation. Anyone have any idea why this has happened to me with my last two hatches?

 

[chickeypoo]

sometimes if your temp is a bit up they will hatch early. i have had two hatches go early this year so far. and all have survived them.. but it's irritating to say the least when you are trying to get things ready good luck

Sue

 

[wanda047]

When the turkeys started hatching early, I nearly had a panic attack. I already had 3 brooders in the house, all occupied and was not prepared. My intentions were to move the oldest chicks outside to their new home and use their brooder for the turkeys. I didn't even have their coop finished yet! Needless to say, I hit over-drive and got it finished and the chicks moved out the following day. The first night the new poults spent the night in a cardboard box with a light.

Again, I do not have an empty brooder. Rain has prevented me from getting the Polish chicks in their coop. I tried putting them outside with some other chicks (cochins), but my cochins chicks whooped them left and right. With the first sign of blood... the polish were brought back in the house.

If the rain will hold off tomorrow, I'm going to try to get the walls up on the Polish coop and move them out. This has been my plans all along... but again, I've got babies hatching 3 days early. They need to get with my schedule.

As for the temp in the bator, everything I've read says to keep the temp in a still air bator at 102, and mine seldom reads that high, but close to it. Maybe my thermometer is off a tad? I'll get a new one before I hatch anything else. Thanks!

 

[chickeypoo]

i got a digital one from the pet store(for lizards) then got a water wiggler and used that(well, i made my own water wiggler cuz i didn't want to buy one off the internet and wal mart didnt have any haha) i filled a zip loc bag with warmish water, (well not totally full) zipped it shut, then i rolled it up a bit and taped it so i could insert the dig. probe into the hole end of the wiggler.. and my hatches have been a lot better if i had a pic id post it.. well, maybe haha. i don't know how to post a pic yet

good luck. and i know all about not having an empty brooder ready

last night was prime example. even though they hatched on time.. i never gave it a thought. and i didn't have a heat lamp.. so hubby had to get the one out of the coop. they are all happy in their rubbermaid brooder box lol.

Sue