14th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-Along

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I'll be honest, I can't resist candling. I have them positioned so I can shine my light in and see even in the incubator. One of the eggs, the air cell is almost filled up with shadows and I can see the beak pressing against it and almost poking it.
Me, too. :) But I don't have them against the side so I can check that way. I just did a little candling check today, because I wanted to see how the air cells were doing. A couple are lower, and several are the same(one of those is Jumbotron, with the large air cell from being under a broody).

Such a nerve wracking time of the hatching process! Humidity is at 66%, the dry hatch guide I saw said it should be between 60 and 65%. I'd filled both water holders in my Nurture Right 360, opened the vent all the way.

I prepped the laundry room, took my husbands laundry basket out so I could put a chair in there, because I'll probably be in there sleeping. it's the only room I have that can be temperature controlled. Have a little oil filled heater in there to keep the temps up. Last time I set up on the floor in the living room because I was up all the time checking the chicks progress.
I ought to set them when they'll hatch more during the day but I usually get back from my mom's place late.
 
I put my eggs into lockdown this afternoon. I was candling them one last time and heard peeping and the egg I was holding was pipped already!! I had a panic attack and quickly got everyone back inside without the turner, added my sponge and water and now my humidity is too high!! Hovering around 75% and a second one is pipped. I'm so nervous it's too wet, but I don't know what to do. I could take the sponge out and hope the water in the trough is enough, but then what if it's too low?! :duc
Oh man, how exciting to have a pipped peeper! I kept clucking at the eggs but nothing so far, official hatch date is tomorrow 7:30 PM AZ time, but there are a few bantams. :)

How did the air cells look? About right for the day your eggs are at? I'd take the sponge out, and see where the humidity goes. For "dry" hatch it was 60-65% humidity, mine is running a little high at 66%.
I used to worry more about keeping the humidity up, but then I consider how many times the broodies have hatched out chicks and they were fine.
 
Me, too. :) But I don't have them against the side so I can check that way. I just did a little candling check today, because I wanted to see how the air cells were doing. A couple are lower, and several are the same(one of those is Jumbotron, with the large air cell from being under a broody).

Such a nerve wracking time of the hatching process! Humidity is at 66%, the dry hatch guide I saw said it should be between 60 and 65%. I'd filled both water holders in my Nurture Right 360, opened the vent all the way.

I prepped the laundry room, took my husbands laundry basket out so I could put a chair in there, because I'll probably be in there sleeping. it's the only room I have that can be temperature controlled. Have a little oil filled heater in there to keep the temps up. Last time I set up on the floor in the living room because I was up all the time checking the chicks progress.
I ought to set them when they'll hatch more during the day but I usually get back from my mom's place late.

Yeah, I'm currently camped out in the same room as the incubator. My daughter wanted to see the beak and movement so I snuck one out to candle, and it cheeped at us! Started tapping at the shell too, so that was fantastic for her to see. And I'd swear I just heard chirping from across the room...
 
Start of day 18 here
One of my eggs is behind the other two, I put it under the broody for awhile, but it wasn’t warm enough and was developing more slowly, so I moved it back into the incubator.
How far behind, do you think?? Can I put all 3 eggs under the broody to hatch? Or should this one stay in the incubator?

The slow egg:

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The two more developed eggs:

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Oo, that is a tough one, maybe put the eggs that are farther along under the broody, and keep the slower one in the incubator, and hope the otehr two slow down and the slow one catches up? The only trouble is if the slower one doesn't catch up the broody might decide she only wants those first two, and not liek the third, as opposed to haveing them all hatched before putting htem under said broody. Of course your hen might be the welcoming kind. :) My mom once stuffed 7 more chicks under a hen that already hatched three. She looked a bit baffled at first, but took it in stride. but I have had others that once their two chicks had hatched, they didn't want any more, and would peck at the one I tried to put under them ( thus they all ended up under the welcoming hen.)
I think I might have a slower one as well, it was under the broody for the first two weeks. I think I have one speedy too, hens had sat on it while laying other eggs.
Your air cell size is reassuring to me,
 
Yeah, I'm currently camped out in the same room as the incubator. My daughter wanted to see the beak and movement so I snuck one out to candle, and it cheeped at us! Started tapping at the shell too, so that was fantastic for her to see. And I'd swear I just heard chirping from across the room...
So exciting! I like to cluck back, kind of encourage them. It sounds like the one that was tapping is doing well. Did it external pip yet, or is that what the next step for it is?
 
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