Egg turning question

Ok, so as y'all know (see how I am getting good at speaking American even though I am Canadian?), I am going to the chickenfest with Sheila. I'm still bummed out all y'all aren't coming. All the more wine and cheese and chickens for us. :-P

Anyhoo, the question is about my eggs. I have some silkie and frizzle eggs that were set in the 'bator on the evening of September 15. Twenty-one days is October 6 (Monday). Should I turn off the egg turner tomorrow before I leave and let them rest for the Friday night, Saturday, Sunday AND Monday, or is it better to leave it on and turn it off when I am back on Sunday? Are silkies and frizzles all 21 days or 19 days?

Thanks y'all for any advice, eh?
Claire

Yer kunflickted, eh? Wish I new about the turning...

Towtallee kunflickted.

Bummer...

Don't you have an eggysitter?

Nope. The incubator is my eggysitter. We are leaving Friday after work and coming back Sunday afternoon so it's not that long to be gone. We are leaving the dog with a friend but otherwise everything should be OK on its own.

I think you should turn it off when you leave on friday evening the reason being it would be better than doing it on sunday because that is not enough rest time it's only 1 day of rest and it's susposed to be 3 days and isn't friday 3 days before they hatch on monday??
Yea i would turn it off friday

Thanks so much Harmony - I knew you would know. I wasn't sure - it's sort of 3.5 days and I was worried that slightly too much would be worse than a too short. I didn't want to take any bigger risk than necessary. I feel better knowing that's what you recommend. I will turn it off tomorrow before we leave. I hope I will have pips starting the day after we get back!

I assume silkies and frizzle cochins are 21 days then, not 19.

THANK YOU!!!
Claire

It's just a half a day over and i don't see why that would even make a difference in the hatch.

Silkie eggs are 21 days and so are frizzle calm down claire

OK, sorry, breathing into a paper bag now to calm down a bit....

Claire, my cochin have all been hatching at 19 days

Acccckkkkkk! Where's my paper bag?!

Jordan i don't know alot about incubating but i think if they hatch early it has something to do with the temp. being to high.

harmony, my 2 yesyerday that hatched were hatched by their mama, and it was 19 days. 19 days for the ones in my bator too

oh kripes. Now I'm really confused. I have 2 cochin that are at day 18. I stopped turning yesterday, assuming they were 21 day (as opposed to my previous Seramas.) There sure is no textbook to hatching anymore...with all the varieties out there, now.
~music

Music for all chickens it's 21 days jordan might have miscounted a day it happens but you did the right thing stopping the turner.

Jordan i would like to ask why you took the chicks from their mother doesn't she miss them or did you remove them before they hatched.

harmony, i took them because the mother has never been locked up and was afraid some thing would get them. the mother does not roost inside at nite, but in a tree

I thought it was 19 days for all bantams. Now I'm really confused. That's what I thought I read in Gail Damerow's book.

Oh my i shall look it up (be back)

could be my silly faulty memory. I will look again. Must run to meetings for the rest of the afternoon (yawn) but shall be back around 4:30 or 5 to check it out....

Went to at least 20 different sites all said 21 days at 99.5 temp in a forced air incu and 100 to 101 still air.

All sites warned of NO staggering eggs as it caused problems with death of chicks and eggs from opening to remove chicks as they hatch. Said it lets out valuble moisture and warm air.

All sites said Do Not open incu unless necesary to prevent chilling eggs and loss of humidity.

Stop turning 3 days before hatch.

This is all i know and i'm quoteing from the Web. ****Harmony**** over and out!

this one says 19-21
http://www.asby.com.sg/period.htm

Thanks for the link. So this means that cochins may hatch the day the serama does? I'm assuming the cochin is a bantam. But the buff brahma (I bought a variety pack) will take 21. Or is the buff brahma a bantam? It is a rather large egg.
Thanks guys!
~music

Jordan you are confuseing "Music" and since you started this i will let you finish it.


For my opinion all the sites but this one said 21 days i hatched bantams for the first time this year and the first hatch hatched at 20 days i lowered the temp on the next hatch and they hatched at 21 days these were the only hatches i had.

This was my experience I'am by far no expert and will plead stupidity on this subject.

***Harmony over and out of this subject***

Several sources suggest that smaller bantam eggs may hatch a day or two earlier and the larger (e.g. Jersey Giants) may take a day longer. It may very well be due to the difference in mass and heat penetration. I do know that I keep my bantam eggs in the "cooler" areas of the incubator-- and closer to the source of humidity since they also have greater relative surface area for evaporation. I have had great success with bantams and the hatches were a day early in an incubator set at 95.5. They have been very healthy and hatched beautifully--but I do use a hatcher--so I am not opening the incubator with the staggered eggs.

And I just scored some more Omaha Steak styrofoam coolers from my Dad!

OK, sorry that this got a bit confrontational. I just wanted to be doing the right thing, and I'm turning off the turner, because Damerow actually says you can turn it off anytime after day 14, so I'm fine.

Thanks all for the help!

Cat whats a Hatcher??
And i know you knew more about this than me and i still plead ignorance and if i gave any bad advice to anybody on this trust me with the pox here I'm suffering enough.

Hi Harmony--Everyone works out a system that works for them. So if it works, I say stick with it.

A "hatcher" is just an incubator (I use my homemade ones because they don't have egg turners anyway) that you move the eggs into on day 18. This way you can keep the hatching mess away from the unhatched eggs in a staggered hatch, You can also adjust the temp and RH for to optimum for hatch and you aren't opening and closing the main incubator to remove the hatched chicks.

It works well--but not everybody has an extra incubator to use. I make mine from Omaha Steak boxes--you just add a window with glass from a picture frame from the Dollar Store, punch a few holes fpr ventiliation, drop a light bulb attached to a dimmer in the top and, add a thermometer/hygrometer, damp sponge and if you want , a small fan--and there you go. It is basically Melissa's incubator from the sticky.

Cool if i really get into incubating i might just give that a try "Thanks Cat"

So my RCom 20 is now my "hatcher" because it has all the Oct 6 due eggs in it and it has the turner shut off. I put the humidity at 50%. I will up it to 60% when I get home if I have pips.

The Brinsea 40 and the LG are stacked to the gills and turning. I will not buy any eggs at chickenfest!

A question I have here. Do you think the humidity in the area(state you live in) of the hatching eggs makes a difference. Could that be the reason of the 19-21 day period?????

Well--if they are in the incubator and kept at a certain RH--then the local region's ambient RH shouldn't matter. But if, as has happened to me, the incubator RH drops occasionally, it might. But I think it would more likely affect the success of the hatch, not the time of the first pip. At least I think so.

I thought the timeing was heat related and pipped eggs not hatching was humidity related??

That is the way I understand it too, Harmony. If the humidity has been too high--the air sac may be too small and the chicks will drown during pippiing; but if the RH is too low during the pip the egg membranes are dry and hard and the chick can't break free easily.

But if the temp is too high it increases the rate of development of the embryo and this can lead to developmental abnormalities as well as an ealy hatch--while the converse, too low a temp, slows development, may lead to other developmental problems and slows the hatch.

Harmony,
I never said,or meant to imply that you were wrong. I was just stating my experience (little as it is). If I have offended you in any way, please know I didn't mean to.
Kathy

Good morning Kathy. How are the babies? How many did Jez hatch so far?

just 2, i don't think the rest are gonna hatch. all the babies are doing great. they are all todether. how have you been? i miss our chats

Been very very busy, i miss our chats also, hopefully life witll be "normal" again soon. Or at least my crazy type of Normal again. :)

Back from chickenstock...quick note here to say that I had 2 hatch. A buff orpington and a frizzle baby who appears to be black or grey. Many pips.