h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Day 18 of incubation! Called "lockdown" by many backyard chicken keepers (some oldtimers and longtime breeders/showers scorn those that refer to day 18 as lockdown), it is the time that it's important to not open the incubator more than absolutely necessary, and to raise humidity. In the next 3 days, the chick inside the egg needs to internally pip, or break the membrane into the aircell; externally pip, or break a small hole through the shell; zip, or turn and extend the original hole around the egg in the upper third (not the long way); and push out of the shell--normally resting between each stage. It can take up to 24 hours between external pip and zip, and zipping can take a few hours, as well. There is not always any indication of the internal pip, unless you hear peeping.

Before I locked down tonight, I candled. By what I could see, 2 of my dark eggs either never developed, or quit early, and the 3 light eggs that were questionable on day 14 have not developed further and are definitely dead, leaving me with 6 eggs in the incubator. I have no idea how the eggs under my hen are doing at this point, and I value my skin too much to go look! Not all broodies are fierce, but Frieda is!

It's quite likely that the next few journals will be chicken-related