Our Journey into chicks

[Bukrub66]

Today is the beginning of day 5. I think I'm starting to get maintaining the incubator down. It takes very little water to increase the humidity dramatically. The temp is staying pretty well at 100.5 deg although at night it tends to drop to 99.5 when we turn the ac down. I am very excited to candle on day 8, although I'm really concerned about the lack of air cells the eggs had. The wife keeps telling me to stay positive, but I keep reading articles about how all the odds are against me. But its a waiting game now. If there are any signs of life after candle, I will get busy on a brooder.

 

[N F C]

Good luck to you. Let us know how the candleing goes.

 

[Bukrub66]

I couldn't stand it. Watching YouTube videos on candling at 5 days. Well it's 6 days for me and I just did it. I'm very disappointed. Looks like I have 13 eggs doing nothing and the 14th looks like its a blood ring. Gonna give em a few more days, but looks like the first attempt was a failure. Never again will I do shipped eggs. Will try and find some local in the spring or might try and find a laying pair.

 

[darkbluespace]

I couldn't stand it. Watching YouTube videos on candling at 5 days. Well it's 6 days for me and I just did it. I'm very disappointed. Looks like I have 13 eggs doing nothing and the 14th looks like its a blood ring. Gonna give em a few more days, but looks like the first attempt was a failure. Never again will I do shipped eggs. Will try and find some local in the spring or might try and find a laying pair.

I notice with shipped eggs sometimes it takes much longer to see anything at all. I didn't start turning my last batch till day 3 and wish I had waited till day 5... but I did have a couple start developing that I could see by day 7 or so. I hope some develop for you! I have mostly tried to stick with local eggs but sometimes I just can't get what I want!

 

[AmericanMom]

I couldn't stand it. Watching YouTube videos on candling at 5 days. Well it's 6 days for me and I just did it. I'm very disappointed. Looks like I have 13 eggs doing nothing and the 14th looks like its a blood ring. Gonna give em a few more days, but looks like the first attempt was a failure. Never again will I do shipped eggs. Will try and find some local in the spring or might try and find a laying pair.

Wish you were closer, If you don't want to wait put an ad on CL seeking fertile eggs... A local Barnyard mix shouldn't cost you more than 15 a dozen...

My first attempt was with my own and a dozen eggs off ebay.. After two days the shipped eggs started to seep and one broke open. I took no chances and tossed them all.. I said the same thing and have never attempted shipped eggs again.

 

[Bukrub66]

I'm not really concerned with spending the money on new chicks. We really want to find these flower hens if for nothing more than to call them something other than a chicken. This is really gonna be more of a pet thing than a chicken farm. There is a lady local that has 6 week old SFH Pullets. I'm gonna go ahead and start on my coop, and if nothing happens with the eggs, I will go get a few of those and maybe try to find a rooster later from someone else.

 

[patti17340]

I got my chickens as 2 day old peeps. 20 of them lost only one in shipping. Seems a lot less stressful that having eggs shipped. Hope the lady can set you up. My girls are the highlight of my day. I pull up in the drive from work and they are all sitting at the gate waiting for me to let them out to range.

 

[Bukrub66]

I candled too soon. That's what I get for being impatient. I have 6 live embryos. All moving around. I have been so disappointed but now I'm pumped......

 

[N F C]

I candled too soon. That's what I get for being impatient. I have 6 live embryos. All moving around. I have been so disappointed but now I'm pumped......

How exciting (or is that egg-citing?) to have the live embryos! Much better news to hear.

 

[Bukrub66]

Day 11. Went out of town to visit my Mom. Got home this evening and was anxious to candle. We are down to 4 active and moving fetuses, 3 that aborted and the rest are all clear with no signs of anything. The ones that are active are twice as big as they were on day 8. Will candle again in 5 days.