# Day 20 in the incubator



## tonykummrow

Leghorn eggs


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## tonykummrow

First time posting here. Been reading through the forum quite a bit lately and have learned alot. I currently have 5 eggs in my incubator at day 20 now and they are starting to wiggle around and I just wanted to share my excitement. This is my first time incubating eggs and these past 20 days have seemed like an eternity! Getting very excited to see how many will make it and what I will end up with. I have 3 other eggs at day 13 in there as well and I'm hoping the best for them also


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## robin416

Welcome to the forum, TK and the very addicting hobby of chickens and hatching. And just so you know without a doubt, the 100th time can be as exciting as that first hatch. 

And this is a very visual crowd who drool over newly hatched chicks so if pics are possible everyone will be happy.


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## tonykummrow

Sounds great and yes I will take pics. I've been raising chickens for over a year now but have never hatched my own. Always had a co-worker do it for me and yes it's exciting


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## seminole wind

tonykummrow said:


> First time posting here. Been reading through the forum quite a bit lately and have learned alot. I currently have 5 eggs in my incubator at day 20 now and they are starting to wiggle around and I just wanted to share my excitement. This is my first time incubating eggs and these past 20 days have seemed like an eternity! Getting very excited to see how many will make it and what I will end up with. I have 3 other eggs at day 13 in there as well and I'm hoping the best for them also


Welcome tk! You can share that kind of excitement anytime. Pictures are a bonus. Have the eggs started peeping at you yet?


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## tonykummrow

Thanks and I haven't heard and peeping but have heard the eggs shaking around in the incubator a bit. Haven't been home much to actually sit and listen the last 2 days. It's been a crazy weekend. Today at 3pm will be the start of the 21st day. I hope to see or hear something. The incubator I have only has one little window on top to see the temp so only time I get a good look is when I pull the lid for 10 seconds to flip the other batch that is due next weekend. Temps have been at about 100.5 and my last candling at day 17 looked really promising


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## seminole wind

I loved my last incubator. It was all window on top.
Try making kissy-peeping noises near the incubator and see if anyone answers you back.


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## tonykummrow

That's not a bad idea lol. Celebrating easter dinner today with family. Will have to try that when I get home


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## tonykummrow

Still don't hear any peeping. Eggs seem fairly still tonight. They are due to hatch tomorrow and I'm really anxious but not quite seeing what I would have liked to see by now. Was hoping for a little peeping action. I will keep everyone posted . and I was a day off lol looked at the calendar and actually realized monday the 28th is day 21. Guess I was getting so excited I got ahead of myself. Like I said crazy busy weekend


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## seminole wind

Don't worry. Sometimes the peeping would wake me up. Sometimes I would get up at night and peep and they'd peep back.
Once you see a little crack hole (pip), the rest will follow pretty quickly.


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## zamora

This is so exciting! I can't wait to try my hand at hatching eggs. Good luck to you and keep us posted.


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## chickenqueen

I was in your shoes 3 wks ago.My babies are getting their feathers.No matter how many times you hatch eggs it is so eggciting!Hope everything goes well today.


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## seminole wind

Most eggs are very timely. Mine always come a day early. Except the last batch. I do use 2 thermometers and one I can hang in to spot check. Also there are mini climates in incubators and the first 18 days I make sure they all move to a different area.


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## tonykummrow

Well still nothing today! Getting frustrated I may have done something to doom the little fellas. Never did check for temp difference on the opposite side of bator when I put them in lockdown. I will keep everyone updated


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## tonykummrow

Turns out the temperature differs about 2 degrees from the top side of the egg to the bottom side of the egg. Making the top half of the egg right around 102.5 which is too hot. I turned down the temp a bit but it's more then likely too late. I added another thermometer tonight and put 9 new eggs in the bator. If no activity by tomorrow afternoon I'm gonna assume the worst and do an eggtopsy. My 15 day old eggs in the incubator seemed to have stopped developing . so candle them tomorrow and make a decision.


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## tonykummrow

this is the incubator I am using


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## robin416

If you heard eggs moving in there, I wouldn't do anything just yet. They will take breaks and rest up for the hard work of hatching. On far too many occasions people gave up too early only to find live chicks in the eggs when they broke them open. One guy tossed an unhatched egg in the trash, then some time later he heard peeping and finally tracked it to his trash can.

Then there is the question about how certain you are that what you were measuring temps with is 100% accurate.


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## tonykummrow

I put a new thermometer in there tonight. They are almost the same. I'm not giving up on them yet but the temp seemed about 1 degree too warm towards the top of the eggs . hoping tomorrow I get some results


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## seminole wind

If your chicks are late, they were not too warm-they would be early. Next time I would try wrapping that thing in bubble wrap because your temps probably fluxuate too much. I would definately candle a "mover" for signs of life.


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## tonykummrow

I candled one of the eggs I know was a mover and saw what appears to be a fully developed chick with no signs of life. Fluid in the egg didn't look right either. I will leave them in one more day and see


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## seminole wind

I hope it's okay. Any veins left?


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## robin416

You can very carefully make a hole in the air sac end, just big enough to see in to and without breaking the membrane to look for signs of life. 

The fluid is a problem though. Makes me wonder if the humidity was too high.


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## seminole wind

I will just keep my fingers crossed.


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## tonykummrow

I got nothing from any of them :-( better luck on this next batch I guess. Installed a computer fan in the incubator to circulate the air to keep the hot spots and cold spots away. Hope this keeps the temps steadier. New thermometer too. Set 19 eggs in the Bater yesterday. I truly hope I figured out all my first time learning experience flaws. Just need to figure out how to keep the humidity more steady. I also put a kitchen towel over top of the lid to keep some of the air in. I hope all this works.


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