Set eggs 3/5. Looking for others to hatch with!

[bobbi-j]

The only time I open them up is when I'm positive they're dead. I've never even "helped" one hatch. I've always figured if it wasn't strong enough to hatch, it wouldn't survive anyway.

 

[gatorridgechics]

What kind of lights are y'all using when you candle? I have heard an LED with lots of lumens is ideal or a slide projector. The led will be easier to come by for me.

 

[CALI CHICK]

What kind of lights are y'all using when you candle? I have heard an LED with lots of lumens is ideal or a slide projector. The led will be easier to come by for me.

I use a MegLite flashlight in a tube -at one end- and a flourescent bulb in a small box with holes -at the other side of the egg. These are both cooler burning lights and using 2 has allowed me to see into darker eggs like my Easter Eggers. It has the added bonus of holding the egg gently between the 2 candlers. Here are 2 pictures:

 

[gatorridgechics]

Thanks CaliChick. That is quite magnificent.

I got home today to nothing. No change at all. I had stopped at the farm store today and spoke with the "Chicken Guy" and told him everything I was doing. He asked me about my temps and I told him they have stayed steady at 99.5-100. Then he asked what kind of temp gague I was using. Well of course I am using the one that came with the incubator...duh! He grabbed one that is digital that also monitors humidity. When I got home and I still had no change, I quickly set it up and stuck it in the incubator. My humidity is holding between 50-55% however my temp says 97 on the digital and 100 on the red line gauge that came with the incubator. When I went into lockdown I pulled a vent plug and when I did I raised the temp just a hair to make up for any lost heat. So I took out two different eggs and candeled them. They had not changed since lock down. I went ahead even though i knew i shouldn't and opened them. I didn't see any movement when I candeled them so I wasn't expecting to find a fully formed chick. I wasn't expecting to fing only yoke! It looks like the yoke possibly broke inside the egg? Is that possible? Do I trust the digital gauge? Was my heat just not warm enough? Now what do I do?

I have one bantam that is only at a week along and I can see veining in it and a dark spot which should be an eye. I don't want to loose her for sure. I feel sick. Someone please help. When my DH first came home with our chickens I wasn'tinterested at all. I just didn't get it. Now.....I love my girls, and my feather challenged Clyde. I feel like I let them down. 4 out of 33 eggs are from my girls. I killed thier babies. Yes infact I do wear my heart on my sleeve.

 

[Frost Homestead]

Alrighty! I can finally relax, the 10th egg finally hatched, another EE! So out of 26 eggs I got 8 Ameraucanas and 2 EE from my favorite hen "Bill".

Turns out great because those were the only ones in there I really cared about.

I went ahead and turned off the bator and eggtopsied the remaining eggs, none of them had any development. Next time I hatch I'm going to get a good light and candle them. I can't complain thought because every eggs that developed hatched.

 

[wholewheatchicken]

Thanks CaliChick. That is quite magnificent.

I got home today to nothing. No change at all. I had stopped at the farm store today and spoke with the "Chicken Guy" and told him everything I was doing. He asked me about my temps and I told him they have stayed steady at 99.5-100. Then he asked what kind of temp gague I was using. Well of course I am using the one that came with the incubator...duh! He grabbed one that is digital that also monitors humidity. When I got home and I still had no change, I quickly set it up and stuck it in the incubator. My humidity is holding between 50-55% however my temp says 97 on the digital and 100 on the red line gauge that came with the incubator. When I went into lockdown I pulled a vent plug and when I did I raised the temp just a hair to make up for any lost heat. So I took out two different eggs and candeled them. They had not changed since lock down. I went ahead even though i knew i shouldn't and opened them. I didn't see any movement when I candeled them so I wasn't expecting to find a fully formed chick. I wasn't expecting to fing only yoke! It looks like the yoke possibly broke inside the egg? Is that possible? Do I trust the digital gauge? Was my heat just not warm enough? Now what do I do?

I have one bantam that is only at a week along and I can see veining in it and a dark spot which should be an eye. I don't want to loose her for sure. I feel sick. Someone please help. When my DH first came home with our chickens I wasn'tinterested at all. I just didn't get it. Now.....I love my girls, and my feather challenged Clyde. I feel like I let them down. 4 out of 33 eggs are from my girls. I killed thier babies. Yes infact I do wear my heart on my sleeve.

Maybe I'm not getting it....had a rough day....but when you opened the egg there was just yolk floating around? If so, it wasn't developing. I would guess it wasn't fertile. You didn't kill them if that's the case.

 

[wholewheatchicken]

What an awful experience....I just had to throw away 6 BCM eggs because they were not fertile. I took one EE eggs and thinking it wasnt fertile either I cracked it open and there was a baby chick inside. OMG, I killed it. I feel so sick about it. I have 3 other EE eggs under her so Im done messing with them. Oh god Im so upset with myself......

Things are going to happen. Upsetting things have happened to a lot of us that are on this thread. Here is my own personal philosophy and maybe it can help you get through today. When I'm really sad I give myself one day to feel everything I feel about it....maybe eat a Twinkie, which is on the no list of foods....and then tomorrow is a new day and I put it behind me. Failure is only true failure if you fail to learn from it. There can be great success at the end of mistakes. Learn from this experience. Ask yourself what went wrong. Were the eggs too dark and you couldn't see in and you didn't really know what to look for? Next time you will be able to interpret what you see so much better and each time will be better than the last. Dark eggs are hard and sometimes you can't see in and you just have to wait until well past the time of hatch to give up on them. You learned not to open an egg if you're not sure if there is a baby. You are going to learn to trust your hen. She has instincts that we aren't equipped with. Your broodies will mess up sometimes too. They do their best and they try their hardest, just like you have done. It's going to be okay and there will be a new time to try again and you are going to get the hang of it. You didn't mean to harm it. Don't beat yourself up too much.

 

[gatorridgechics]

I would think that was the case as well. One of them had the donut ring when I opened it..... All of them infertile though? I get eggs from a family friend and I usually check them for fertility (when cooking) most always have that "ring". The other thing is the bantam i previously mentioned is going along fine and it has been in the same incubator...so will a bantam incubate at a lower temp than a larger egg. The others were Rhode Island Reds.

 

[wholewheatchicken]

Alrighty! I can finally relax, the 10th egg finally hatched, another EE! So out of 26 eggs I got 8 Ameraucanas and 2 EE from my favorite hen "Bill".

Turns out great because those were the only ones in there I really cared about.

I went ahead and turned off the bator and eggtopsied the remaining eggs, none of them had any development. Next time I hatch I'm going to get a good light and candle them. I can't complain thought because every eggs that developed hatched.

What an awesome hatch rate. Congragulations!

 

[JulieNKC]

Both of my pipped eggs have hatched. Another under the broody has pipped. Nothing from the other incubator eggs yet.

Today is only day 20, so I'm not that worried yet.