Oh I have to say that too, not to be negative, but DO NOT count your chickens before they hatch. There are things that can go wrong during those last three days, even if you see movement. I mean that. You could have disappointed people if they are presold, but oh well, it is nice to line up the cookies. I had a bad hatch this last hatch. There was 21 eggs that were perfectly coming along and at day 18 there was heartbeat, I could see that with candling. Come hatch day, 10 of those eggs did not hatch, the others did. Sickened. And needed to find out why. Thought about moving the incubator from the big room in the house back out to the chicken coop. I have had poor hatches over the past couple of years since the unit has been in the house room. A huge room, storage room, clean, good place....I thought.....got the unit moved to the chicken house again. Setting eggs today, again....I was thunderstruck and sickened at what I saw, which I know created the poor hatch THIS time. The other times, still not sure. I thought and thought about why those 10 eggs did not hatch out and read Shipperkesue's post on why this happens....came to the consensus that it is lack of oxygen. Made total sense. But why? Is there something in that back room? I know the water softener machine and hot water tank are, but don't think anything else....maybe just not enough fresh air. Anyways, was cleaning out the incubator before we moved it to the chicken coop and I looked at the bottom centre vent hole. Crap!!!! The incubator was beside a half wall and someone had draped (this is the room where all the clothing, like winter coats, sled riding gear, motorbike riding gear, all that kind of stuff) their coat and the coat had been blocking the bottom hole. Oh geeze. So no air coming in, only air exiting through the top hole, sigh...sigh...sigh....100% bang on, the reason, the embryos suffocated for surely. Not sure why some did not, really don't know, and probably never will. Anyways, I should have had a few more hatch than I had, and now more testing is going on. I think I will leave the sportsman in the chicken coop and it will be for summer hatching only and I am going to buy a Marsh rollex for winter hatching, which I can do in our teeny tiny little home
. My experience, long and lengthy, but I NEVER count my chickens before they hatch, never, ever, ever...have a beautiful day, CynthiaM.
