# LOCKDOWN



## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*I understand the principals of locking the incubator down; so as to not have fluctuations in temperature and humidity. It just isn't what birds do. They do not lock down-I see my hens; chickens, turkeys, and ducks off their nests, taking breaks, even after the eggs have externally pipped, and yet, for the most part, the eggs hatch successfully. I have had people tell me of their hens never leaving the nests for days before they hatch; I doubt this. In the last 50+ years I've had thousands of brooding birds and not a one ever went days, or a day, or even a half day without a break unless a baby had already hatched. After a chick emerges most mother birds can be hardly pried off that nest until the eggs are done hatching. *
*
I have eggs hatching in the incubator now, and I forgot the lockdown with being ill. Normally I put incubator eggs under a broody a week before they hatch. I'm hoping the birds are right and lockdown is not necessary. I also hope you wish me luck in this hatch.
*
*I do know that lockdown is very important in dry climates and during droughts. Even birds have trouble at those times with a hatch unless they're a specie adapted for it.*


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

danathome said:


> *I understand the principals of locking the incubator down; so as to not have fluctuations in temperature and humidity. It just isn't what birds do. They do not lock down-I see my hens; chickens, turkeys, and ducks off their nests, taking breaks, even after the eggs have externally pipped, and yet, for the most part, the eggs hatch successfully. I have had people tell me of their hens never leaving the nests for days before they hatch; I doubt this. In the last 50+ years I've had thousands of brooding birds and not a one ever went days, or a day, or even a half day without a break unless a baby had already hatched. After a chick emerges most mother birds can be hardly pried off that nest until the eggs are done hatching. *
> 
> *I have eggs hatching in the incubator now, and I forgot the lockdown with being ill. Normally I put incubator eggs under a broody a week before they hatch. I'm hoping the birds are right and lockdown is not necessary. I also hope you wish me luck in this hatch.*
> 
> *I do know that lockdown is very important in dry climates and during droughts. Even birds have trouble at those times with a hatch unless they're a specie adapted for it.*


Good luck Dan! I agree a hundred percent, I never paid attention to lockdown because that's not how nature does it. I continue to check and monitor progress at the end and have the incubators open far too much, but I know I save a lot of chicks that way.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

_Good to know. Thanks._


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I was a rebel. So many said oh don't do this or tragedy will happen. It might be best for newbies to stick with the program but those with experience know it's just not that cut and dried.

I'm looking forward to seeing the new peeps, Dan.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*There's eight turkey and three call duck. Most of the turkey and all three calls are externally pipped. So far so good.*


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Here we go. Explosion time.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Here we go. Explosion time.


*Hope so-the explosion will be short-lived.*


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## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

Awesome! Good luck! And, that does make me less nervous to hear too. Just sayin. I understand the concept and will do my best to keep them locked down- I don’t want any issues I don’t have to have- but it’s reassuring nonetheless. 
Recently, we have had AC issues (as in having none) so have had windows open every night etc- I know this keeps it more humid indoors as well- mine reads at 45-50% for us inside now- rather than a sealed and enclosed indoors with a heat/AC pump running, at 20% or so. Small blessings I suppose...


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*6 poults have hatched and two ducklings leaving two turkey eggs and one duck egg to assist. Hope all make it. One poult had severe problems and had to be put down. I hope no more are like that.*


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## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

Sorry to hear of one not viable, always a shame.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

Overmountain1 said:


> Sorry to hear of one not viable, always a shame.


*It happens all to often with incubator eggs. The third duckling hatched. Two more turkey eggs to go.*


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*Another poult hatched and one to go. The third duckling is very weak so... But maybe in time...*

*OM-remember to use hand disinfectant when assisting; very important if you should have a cold or be ill. This is something I'll worry about with the new babies. It seems like every time I assist when ill, some babies die later no matter what I do. While birds don't get the same diseases as people the bacteria still plays havoc on the newly hatched, or so it seems to me.*


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## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

Excellent point Dan- thank you! To date I am healthy but using it every time I touch the eggs too, for now. Can’t hurt, can only help. I have a little bottle I keep right there for that purpose. 

I got two of the girls to take two (one each) of the late incubator eggs that got added as they came into brood, so they’ll be with that hatch now and it’s all good. Should do alright. If not-  We have an awful lot coming. I think I’ll be ok!


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

Overmountain1 said:


> Excellent point Dan- thank you! To date I am healthy but using it every time I touch the eggs too, for now. Can’t hurt, can only help. I have a little bottle I keep right there for that purpose.
> 
> I got two of the girls to take two (one each) of the late incubator eggs that got added as they came into brood, so they’ll be with that hatch now and it’s all good. Should do alright. If not-  We have an awful lot coming. I think I’ll be ok!


*Just yell if you need help when the time comes.*

*I put d eggs under a cochin that went broody weeks ago in an old pigeon nest. Now I realize I did not write down the hatch date. She is in a bad place for me to keep checking. I may bring the eggs in to the incubator and give the hen new eggs AND WRITE THE HATCH DATE DOWN! I wish there was an easy way to find posts because I know I wrote of it in a post when I gave her the eggs.*


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

This one Dan? D’Uccle Broody Actually read the post. Don't just look at the title.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

robin416 said:


> This one Dan? D’Uccle Broody Actually read the post. Don't just look at the title.


*YES! Thank you very much. I will go write it down now. I really did not want to take the eggs ad now I won't have to. The nest she is in is one I have to bend over and crawl to get to; not easy for me to do over and over.*


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

LOL Don't count on me hitting on something like that on a regular basis. I got lucky. Glad it was the right one. You gave just enough information for me to track it down. Cochin, loft kind of hints.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*My back and knees thank you again!*


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Does that mean you're not going to be doing any swapping to keep yourself and us as confused as ever?


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*No swapping! Right now my brain could not keep one more "change" straight. With this crap I have, I can't keep what's going on now straight in my mind. 12puppies here and seven puppies there and eight d chicks and and and....and now there's seven new poults and three call ducks and 9 muscovy ducklings and 10 cochin and the blasted ducklings don't stay with the mom so I continually look for stray babies and...GOD HELP ME! Kimmi insists she's fine today so I'm hoping this will be my last horrid day.*


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*The end of the dddaaaaayyyyyy. The last check of the incubator-a loud pop and the plug and cord end fried. Thankfully, most of the babies had already been moved to where they needed to go. Eggs to hatch later went under brooding mothers. No sweat. Put a new plug on the cord and the bator will be back in business. I am so glad the day is almost over. What next?*


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Son of a gun. Is this the bator that Kimmi got?


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Son of a gun. Is this the bator that Kimmi got?


*Yes, but no big deal. The plug end came loose and shorted out; an easy fix-just cut away the fried end and splice a new plug-in on. I'm sure there's a old appliance in the junk to raid the plug-in from tomorrow. Kimmi is quite good at that sort of thing. I'm just glad it wasn't full of eggs, just six call eggs that I gave back to brooding Cher; the call hen. The few eggs she had went under a phoenix that didn't have a big clutch because the eggs will hatch a few days after the six. Once hatched I'll give them to Cher to raise with whatever hatches from the first six eggs. I had taken them in the hopes that Cher would keep laying. She didn't and went broody two days later on two eggs.*


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I'd go through and check the rest of the electrical connections. You don't want that thing shorting out when you all are sleeping.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*My "new" incubator is doing very well. While it is missing some items I'd like to have, it hatches eggs wonderfully. So far I've hatched duck, turkey, and chicken eggs. I finally tried, the hardest to hatch in an incubator, serama eggs. They are hatching today. I don't remember how many are due today; three chicks so far!*


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

That's is actually pretty amazing. All I've heard over the years is how hard it is to hatch Serama eggs in an incubator. 

Seems you have the magic touch.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*There were nine eggs that made it to hatch day. Seven have hatched, another is pipped, the last ??. I too find this amazing. I've tried several incubators over the last years that I have had serama. This is the first time the eggs hatched; an amazing incubator-Thank you, Kimmi!









*


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Good job on everyone's part.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*Hatch is over. Another chick hatched making a totalof eight from nine eggs. Only one DIS. I do not remember exactly how many eggs I removed at the first candling. I do remember that the ones that were removed ere clear/infertile. No eggs were removed with the following candling, so just the one egg died. I think that's pretty fantastic to have no DIS during the 20 days of development.

Now, to find out if this was a fluke. I put in several serama eggs and this time I will keep typed records of what happens during development and hatching.*


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

That's got to be some kind of record for hatched in an incubator. 

Since my math stinks that somewhere near a 90% hatch rate. Impressive.


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## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

They’re all adorable!


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*89 % not counting the infertile eggs.*


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## Animals45 (May 11, 2021)

Wow, Good job and luck!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

danathome said:


> *89 % not counting the infertile eggs.*


Just had to didn't you Mr. Retired Teach?


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

Animals45 said:


> Wow, Good job and luck!


*Thank you. There is another 13 serama eggs, 5 call duck, and 5 wild turkey eggs to hatch through now and July. I'll soon know if the present hatch was a fluke or I do have a great little incubator.*


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## Animals45 (May 11, 2021)

danathome said:


> *Thank you. There is another 13 serama eggs, 5 call duck, and 5 wild turkey eggs to hatch through now and July. I'll soon know if the present hatch was a fluke or I do have a great little incubator.*


Wow, please post pics when some hatch! Which ones have hatched so far?


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

Animals45 said:


> Wow, please post pics when some hatch! Which ones have hatched so far?


*None of the eggs mentioned in my post, above, have hatched yet. It will be a very staggered hatch. Some of the serama should hatch in the next few days-next week the wild turkey, then in about 24 days the call ducks.*


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## Animals45 (May 11, 2021)

danathome said:


> *None of the eggs mentioned in my post, above, have hatched yet. It will be a very staggered hatch. Some of the serama should hatch in the next few days-next week the wild turkey, then in about 24 days the call ducks.*


Wow! Still post pictures if you can though please?


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*Of six serama eggs to hatch today, all six hatched. Of five wild turkey eggs, four hatched and one DIS (I dropped the egg-it didn't break, but enough of a jolt that damage was done). Two call eggs have DIS and one serama to hatch on the 12th was clear. All in all, I am pleased with this incubator and would certainly recommend it to anyone wanting a smaller unit.*


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Great pictures Dan, thanks!


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*One of these days they will be my pictures and not Kimmi's. I have a new camera, but there is absolutely no directions to download onto the computer. Kimmi can't figure it out either. Just need a day to look online and know it will be an all day frustration. Kodak-I don't get why there's no instructions to download or what computer program is needed. It's all worded like any dimwit should know.*


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

That has to be Kimmi's doing. Although the more Dan practices the better and better his pics get.


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## Animals45 (May 11, 2021)

Wow, so nice so glad they are doing well!


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

danathome said:


> *One of these days they will be my pictures and not Kimmi's. I have a new camera, but there is absolutely no directions to download onto the computer. Kimmi can't figure it out either. Just need a day to look online and know it will be an all day frustration. Kodak-I don't get why there's no instructions to download or what computer program is needed. It's all worded like any dimwit should know.*


I hear ya Dan!


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## LightSussexLady (May 28, 2021)

*Broodies don't keep their eggs in a box in a controlled atmosphere, with exact heating and humidity, nor do they have regulated rolling or tilting gadgets, like people do. They move their eggs around way more than any incubator can or does. A broody would also never have as much as 70% humidity under her, unless a couple of chicks are already pipping. I have had chicks catch me out and pip before I got around to raising the humidity, and by pipping they raised it themselves. From 50 to 70. So for lockdown, just stop turning and lay them down, that is always good, The humidity thing you can take or leave.*


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