First time hatcher - Setting April 8 or 9 - Now what?

[1muttsfan]

It goes pretty quick - and I love to touch the eggs

(must be my "inner hen")

 

[PacsMan]

Ok, so I was reading more stuff on here. When do you pick the eggs out and smell them to see if they're bad? 3 days?

Also, when can you candle them (at what day) and what are you looking for?

 

[Cattitude]

Quote:
Ooh, you have one of those incubators that I saw on eBay! I almost bought one but got a Hova Bator instead (on special). How well does that incubator work? The cover gives you so much lovely viewing area. Seeing yours has me thinking.... *slaps hand*

 

[1muttsfan]

Did a quick candle tonight, found 8/50 non-starters, not bad for shipped eggs (couldn't candle the welsummer eggs they were to dark, so they will be a surprise)

 

[1muttsfan]

Sorry cat, meant to add-
Love the Janoel, the temp is dead on and the humidity stays up well. It is so fun to watch the hatching too. My test run was some banty cochin eggs I put in for a friend, got 3/4 to hatch. It is very easy to clean and disinfect. And I did get it on ebay, shipped from beijing.

 

[1muttsfan]

Quote:
You can candle as early as now, but I would wait a week (I did mine early because I am going out of town for a few days and couldn't wait that long). Developing eggs will have a small round spot sitting on the yolk, surrounded by a small network of blood vessels. Duds will just have the yolk floating around. Once you see an embryo you will understand better what to look for. This site has some very good pictures of early development -

http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/egg_candling.html

I use a small, bright led flashlight, but it really isn't bright enough for the dark eggs.

Only rotten eggs will smell bad, most non-developers don't have any smell that I have noticed.

 

[PacsMan]

So, I candled 4 or 5 tonight. One I couldn't see anything, the others looked like the air sack on the larger side of the egg was just darker.

It's only day 3, so we'll see what happens.

Marty

 

[wowmanacat]

I am not sure what is going to happen to my eggs for the temp keeps jumping all over the place and so does the humidity. I think the thermostat that we got is not working so I have to keep a close eye on the temp. this morning when I got up it was 104 after being 95 last night. I guess all I can do is wait and see.

 

[1muttsfan]

Sounds like you have a bad thermostat. Unfortunately that can have a negative affect on your hatch. Do you know anyone with an incubator that you could borrow? It may still be possible to hatch some of those eggs.

 

[wowmanacat]

Nobody around me has a incubator, but this is my first time so I am not to worried about it for they are eggs that I was just going to be throwing out since the chickens were on antibiotics for the time. If this don't work I will most likely buy a incubator or see what I can do to fix my homemade one.