Half seems empty

[Chickie_Momma_91]

So I candles a couple days ago and candles tonight. The circle is where the embryo was. Is it normal for half to be empty? Also, these were under a hen *maybe* for 2 days. The rest weren’t under a momma. Will this effect lockdown? We have 15 days left in incubator to hit day 21. When do you call it if there’s no embryo visible? No veins? The videos are uploading right now but I will link them when they’re done. Also, one was moving around.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

So I candles a couple days ago and candles tonight. The circle is where the embryo was. Is it normal for half to be empty? Also, these were under a hen *maybe* for 2 days. The rest weren’t under a momma. Will this effect lockdown? We have 15 days left in incubator to hit day 21. When do you call it if there’s no embryo visible? No veins? The videos are uploading right now but I will link them when they’re done. Also, one was moving around.

So are you saying you are on DAY 6 with these eggs? Probably a bit early to be certain. I would candle at DAY 10 and make your decision then.
I though usually see good veining by DAY 5.

 

[Chickie_Momma_91]

Yes? Day 6. I’m not understanding why only 3 out of 12 are developing. All came from batches that had eggs checked and were fertilized, I’ve had temp at 99.6, humidity about 45%, no dips, no shipping, no rough handling, all air sacs intact. Could I really have that bad of luck or am I doing something wrong?

 

[yakitori]

How long and in what way were the eggs stored before you set them? were they from your own chickens?

I believe i see veins on the egg, if it were not fertile, you will see the yolk moving around, and not the half light / half dark. It’s half light and half dark because a few days into incubation, the yolk breaks its round shape. So it definitely developed/is developing. Honestly, you might not see much on day 6, maybe a small moving embryo and veins. But sometimes eggs are hard to candle, especially porous and darker ones! Give it a few more days and see if there is any change. If anything, you should see the air cell growing and the inside getting darker.

Most embryonic death occurs in the first and last few days of incubation. are your thermometers and hygrometers calibrated? i would have another calibrated thermometer in the incubator you can check your readings against. Day 1 doesn’t start until 24 hours after you set the eggs, so if you set your eggs on Monday, that would day 0 and the following monday will be day 7.

The clear part is normal - it’s the albumen

 

[Chickie_Momma_91]

How long and in what way were the eggs stored before you set them? were they from your own chickens?

I believe i see veins on the egg, if it were not fertile, you will see the yolk moving around, and not the half light / half dark. It’s half light and half dark because a few days into incubation, the yolk breaks its round shape. So it definitely developed/is developing. Honestly, you might not see much on day 6, maybe a small moving embryo and veins. But sometimes eggs are hard to candle, especially porous and darker ones! Give it a few more days and see if there is any change. If anything, you should see the air cell growing and the inside getting darker.

Most embryonic death occurs in the first and last few days of incubation. are your thermometers and hygrometers calibrated? i would have another calibrated thermometer in the incubator you can check your readings against. Day 1 doesn’t start until 24 hours after you set the eggs, so if you set your eggs on Monday, that would day 0 and the following monday will be day 7.

The clear part is normal - it’s the albumen

They were put in Thursday night. Half a dozen were under a broody hen or in a nesting box for a couple days the other half were from my chickens and stored horizontally, turned twice a day, in a semi cool but not cold place. I think the 3 I see development on were under a hen.

 

[JaeG]

Do you have an independent thermometer? Incubator temperature readings are notorious for being incorrect.

Personally I'd put the 3 that are showing definite development under your broody hen. She'll keep them at the perfect temperature.

Are you seeing no development at all in the other eggs? Can you post a photo of one that doesn't seem to be developing?

Eggs that start to develop then die early on will show a blood ring. If they haven't started developing at all they will look the same as a freshly laid egg (though the air cell will have grown in the incubated egg).

 

[Chickie_Momma_91]

Do you have an independent thermometer? Incubator temperature readings are notorious for being incorrect.

Personally I'd put the 3 that are showing definite development under your broody hen. She'll keep them at the perfect temperature.

Are you seeing no development at all in the other eggs? Can you post a photo of one that doesn't seem to be developing?

Eggs that start to develop then die early on will show a blood ring. If they haven't started developing at all they will look the same as a freshly laid egg (though the air cell will have grown in the incubated egg).

Air cell has def grown, no blood ring, just like a normal egg but bigger air cell. I don’t have a broody I bought the eggs locally. I don’t have an independent thermometer to put inside but surface temp readings seem to point to the temp being fairly accurate.

 

[Chickie_Momma_91]

If I had a broody I wouldn’t be incubating lol. Easier to let momma do her thing.

 

[JaeG]

Air cell has def grown, no blood ring, just like a normal egg but bigger air cell. I don’t have a broody I bought the eggs locally. I don’t have an independent thermometer to put inside but surface temp readings seem to point to the temp being fairly accurate.

I think that moving them too much in the very early stages of incubation can dislodge the embryo, killing it, so it's a possible reason some of the ones from under the broody, having only been under a hen for 2 days, may not be showing development. In those very early stages you wouldn't even see a blood ring as the tiny collection of cells that turn into the embryo are just too tiny. Or you might see a tiny smudge of blood the next day which quickly breaks down and disappears.

As for the others I'm not sure what's going on. Has it been particularly hot in your area as that can affect fertility?

I was incubating some of our pullets eggs and the cockerel was only being put with them each night, separated other than that because he was being too rough to stay with them all the time. I was checking their eggs for fertility and just about every one that I cracked was fertile. But of the ones I collected (I think it was around 15) I only ended up hatching 2 chicks, and neither were from the pullets I really wanted chicks from. So sometimes these things do happen, as frustrating as that can be.