Tomorrow is Lock Down Day!

When I started this incubation process 17 days ago, I was feeling pretty uneasy and nervous about the very real possibility of making novice mistakes and losing chicks. The first week was pretty intense - constantly watching the temperature and being sure to turn the eggs on schedule.  After I made it past that point, something changed and I started to feel more confident.  I don't know if it was just getting into the groove or actually seeing the baby chicks develop each time I candled - but something clicked.  The last 10 days have flown by - and tomorrow is lock down day already. 

Before the actual lock down, I will go through the following steps:

1.  Carefully remove all of the eggs to a safe spot lined with a soft fluffy towel.
2.  Add water to the chambers to bring the humidity level up (ideally to 65-70%)
3.  Line the wire floor with non-slip shelf liner.
4.  Candle the eggs one more time to remove any that are clearly not developing.
5.  Put all the good eggs back in and close the incubator. 

Because my incubator is in a very bright room, I will candle the eggs tonight after dark - so I can more easily see what is going on inside.  After this, I can just keep an eye on my temperature and humidity levels AND watch for signs of pipping through the incubator windows. (I am so excited for these little babies to arrive!)  I will also be busy getting my brooder ready for them to move to 24-48 hours after hatch.

I carefully removed the eggs to a safe area. On the right side of this picture, you can just barely see my pitcher of very warm water, it should be at least 100 degrees so that the temperature in the incubator doesn't drop too much.

Under the wire floor, is the plastic humidity chambers.  I filled these with very warm water.

The non-slip shelf liner waiting to be installed.

Now my chicks will have a safe, non-slip floor to walk on.  Without this, the wire floor would be quite difficult for the newborn chicks to walk around on - making them more susceptible to splay leg.

All my eggs are back in ready for lock down.  The four eggs below the wooden chopstick are my the ones I am most unsure of in terms of development/viability.  I will candle tonight, and if still unsure, will try another process called water candling.

It should be noted, that my incubator does not have an automatic egg turner - and I have been hand turning the eggs at least 3 and up to 5 times daily.  If my incubator had an automatic egg turner, I would remove it for lock down.

I'll do my best to keep you posted on the progress of my peeps.  Thus far this has been a great experience and I hope to add some more members to my feathered family very soon.  Wish me luck!