20 Silkies are in the incubator Anyone else with me!!! - Page 2

We are on day three with 18 silkie eggs. This is our first time trying. We are doing the dry method too. I had the eggs shipped half way across the country during the hot weather with an ice pack, so I willbe happy if we can just get a few to hatch.

Also, currently trying to think of a design for the coop we need to build.

I'm so happy, I just candled my day 4 eggs (store bought eggs) and they have the spider and veins!!!!  I saw nothing but a dark blob (yolk?) yesterday and was very nervous about them, but today I see the veins and am so happy!!!

Don't fret yet!  Are you about a week + in?  I candled last night (found a blood ring, down to 6 eggs now) and I saw no movement, but when I waited, turned the egg on to the small side a bit and "coaxed" the developing fetus to the edge of the egg so I could see it, I found the fetus.  It took a lot of time but when they finally came close enough, and I was in a dark room with a strong, small maglight, I could see the main developing fetus and they all wiggled a little.  But it really took a long time of slowly turning and seeing if I could get them to come to the edge.  I don't know if that is too much messing around with them and I will try to resist looking at them again until day 14, LOL 'cause I don't want to hurt them! 

 

I suggest if you see veins still, no blood ring, that they are still doing fine!

 

Don't know if it matters, but I always scrub my hands then let them dry before handling the eggs, just so as not to chill or contaminate them ;P

I started with 39 eggs in my bator almost 2 weeks ago, about 12 are Silkies.  I started with the dry method too, but found my humidity was dropping too low, so I've been adding water. I feel like I've been having such a hard time keeping it stable. I've had to toss 11 eggs that were no good, 6 of them being the Silkie eggs I'll be happy if any of my eggs hatch at this point.

A really big HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!  to you and your wife!

 

It takes a while for my eyes to adjust and see what's inside the egg.  I go into the bathroom with the lights off, sit on the toilet or sink so I can be relaxed, and stare into the egg like a gypsy into her crystal ball, until I find the bugger and see it wiggling!  It takes a couple of minutes for each egg usually (though sometimes I'm lucky) and since I second guess myself all the time, I wait to see them move around a lot.  I don't think you can harm them that easily, been candling almost every other day  LOL, I have no self control.  Anyway, the whole point of doing this for me is to learn, so I gotta see what's going on!?!?!?!?!?   I do think, even with the dry method, you do need to try to keep the humidity above 25%??  But don't sweat it, just bring it back up if it was really low for a while.  I mean, there must be a lot of variation in nature, don't you think? 

 

In fact I did read on one site, I think it was a University site, that it might be beneficial to allow the eggs to cool down to 97 degrees once a day, as it simulates the hen leaving the nest to eat etc... I feel like almost every site is so adamant on the temperature, like it's such a precise science, that it feels almost wrong! – like dogma!  So unnatural.

 

Of course I have NOT hatched any eggs yet, but I will honestly say my incubator has a daily cycle that I can’t control anymore than I do.  I wake up to it being 97 degrees or even, like this morning, 96.9 degrees, and at 4PM, if I’m not right on it, it spikes up to 102.5!  I watch it and adjust it when this happens, trying not to let it get too extreme (but the morning I can’t help much).  I open vents and close them as the day goes by (I am home all the time) and most people do emphasize that it’s the egg temperature that is most important.   If I’m actually successful in getting these chicks to hatch, then I’ll feel good about my motto “don’t sweat it, just adjust and keep an eye on it, they won’t die so easily”