Sorry in advance for the long post. I am having my first go with an incubator (having become slightly chick obsessed! I have had 2 broodies successfully hatch eggs earlier in the summer.)
I had a Covatutto 16, and set 16 eggs in it. After candling 5 were discarded and the rest were developing. Then disaster struck. On day 18 the incubator blew it's circuit board and stopped working. It was the last day of turning eggs, and it was working at 1pm, but by 7pm it had broken. I don't know how long it was off for, the eggs were cold but I wrapped warm towels round the incubator and managed to borrow a Hova-bator off my friend and whacked them in that. I put plenty of water in and by 10pm the temperature had risen to 37C and the humidity was at about 60%, which is where it has been more of less for the last couple of days. I took the view that I didn't want to tinker about with it too much.
Today was the day I was expecting chicks, but there has been nothing at all. No chicks, no rocking eggs, no cheeping sounds. I daren't open the incubator, and even if I did I wouldn't really know what to check for anyway. Is it likely my chicks have died, or is it not unusual for things to take longer in the incubator? My 2 broody clutches both hatched on day 21 precisely, even the ones hatched by the hen who temporarily sat on the wrong nest for half a day! Is there anything in particular I should be doing, or do I just wait and hope they get on with hatching?