FEBRUARY Hatch-A-Long 2015:Please Read First Post To Join H-A-L

[rainbowchick]

Questions:
Pic #2 was kind of an ambiguous shape, and I realized today that it might've been sitting pointy end up for this whole week... Should I put it right side up now, or let it keep going as is? I've got it sideways now....
Pic #6 doesn't seem to have veins, but also doesn't seem to be clear. I keep it to check again on day 10 right?
Pic #7 shows my average air cell line. Seems on the small side to me... I've been doing the dry hatch method (between 30-40%), but I'm thinking I need to bump that up??

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

Okay, folks, day 7 candling on my first ever try with incubating eggs...

pic 1 is fertile
pic 2 is a dud
pic 3 is fertile
pic 4 may possibly become a quitter (I'd check again at day 14)
pic 5 is fertile
pic 6 is a dud

Looking good!

 

[Wasson6Pack]

My first hatch this year from my own flock netted 6 of 6 EEs. I have 21 (I think) in lock down now. I'm adding about 6 - 10 a week to incubate and since the one I'm building isn't ready yet, I had to purchase another cheapy.

As for packaging eggs to ship, I have received a bunch and my findings are that double boxing (on almost anything fragile) especially on eggs helps tremendously. In also noticed that fragile doesn't seem to mean anything to my local post office. The girl asked me why I get so many packages that are fragile and the kids said excitedly that they were fertile eggs that we hatch. You should've seen the horror on her face as she said, I'll be more careful with them from now on! Seriously, you get paid $15+ an hour and can not understand the word fragile on a box? Anyway, the eggs that have come in the best so far were double boxed with the words LIVE EMBRYOS on every side. The eggs were individually wrapped in bubble wrap and supported with shredded newsprint.
I'm guessing they are so used to seeing fragile that the barely read it, but LIVE anything on the side must be attention getting.
Shipping in cold weather isn't too bad, I keep my eggs cold during the week until I set them all on Fridays, but freezing temps are not good. I don't recommend heat packs, they can actually cook the eggs if they are not properly separated from the eggs.

 

[jennianne]

So far, so good--no peeking for me! I have been keeping busy baking bread, now the house smells all yummy!

 

[StephensonC]

Okay, folks, day 7 candling on my first ever try with incubating eggs...

I would hang on to 2 and 6 for a few more days. It's really hard to tell this soon in pourous shells like that. The rest look good!

 

[rainbowchick]

So what end should I be putting #2 on? Does anyone have any idea which way it goes? Or should I just put it back the same way it's been for a week?

 

[StephensonC]

So what end should I be putting #2 on? Does anyone have any idea which way it goes? Or should I just put it back the same way it's been for a week?

I would say the big end is on the left in the pic. The pointy end is on the right. Which way have you been setting it? Can you see the air cell when you candle it?

 

[rainbowchick]

It's not super well developed, so it was hard for me to distinguish where the air cell was, but I'm guessing left side too... I'll check again at 10 days- it may be a dud and all this worry will be for nothing....

 

[nab58]

Candled and weighed my 7 eggs. Today is day 8.

One had a blood ring and another was cracked even further than the first time I candled it. I removed them both and broke them in a zip lock bag. Both were not developing.

I'm down to 5 eggs now. One is a blue egg from my EAster Egger...I so want that one to hatch! The other 4 eggs are from my black, pink egg laying EE. I hatched one of her eggs last go around. The chick was really cute but I really don't want 4 black chicks. I guess we'll know what we get in another 2 weeks!

It's so exciting to see life developing inside the eggs! I could actually see movement.

 

[nj2wv]

Mine are due Monday. My candler needs a battery so I used my cell phone light. Looks like 2 clear 2 blood ring 4 good and 4 can't see through shell. I am keeping them all just to be safe since the candler is out. I did separate them in different rows so I know which had what thing.