I don't wanna burst anyones bubble but the earliest I have cut before was day 29. Now granted it was just a small V just to see if I hit albino's or not but in any case they all hatched out just fine and had no problems! Infact they were all killer feeders! But I wouldn't recommend it to someone who A. this is their first year or B. isn't confident in what they are doing or is afraid they may "screw" up. I may have been lucky but then again I cut the 6 other clutches I had early too. Not at day 29 but more like 35-40. Guess I was just impatient.