Simulated Natural Nest Incubation~Experiment #1 So it begins....

[ozexpat]

That's what mine look like. Except mine are on day 17.

Mine are probably duds though.

thats a glow in the dark dud at day 17

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Yep. That is what a dud looks like.

Bee, you should glance at the pic I posted and this one... Both late development eggs. You can see how the difference in the light going through is. A late developed egg is just Dark. It looks dead and black inside if it is working. That egg is all clear and glowing and if your eggs look like that day 15/16ish they are duds.

 

[aart]

I've only done one hatch so far, just started my second.
What I learned about candling is that you learn more each time and you won't know what to look for until you've seen it.

Day 7...couldn't see much.
Day 10...saw much more and defined what I saw at day 7, larger blobs, some veining, movement, some maybe clears.
Day 14...now I could see more shape and more movement..and the more apparent the clears were.
Day 18...Obvious which were 'full' darks and glowing clears.

Some eggs are easier to see into, some you can kind see mass and movement, some I never saw anything (blue egg that hatched)....that's where the wait and see or faith comes in.

 

[Beekissed]

I've only done one hatch so far, just started my second.
What I learned about candling is that you learn more each time and you won't know what to look for until you've seen it.

Day 7...couldn't see much.
Day 10...saw much more and defined what I saw at day 7, larger blobs, some veining, movement, some maybe clears.
Day 14...now I could see more shape and more movement..and the more apparent the clears were.
Day 18...Obvious which were 'full' darks and glowing clears.

Some eggs are easier to see into, some you can kind see mass and movement, some I never saw anything (blue egg that hatched)....that's where the wait and see or faith comes in.

That's helpful! That "couldn't see much" part....I've concluded that all the eggs candled looked exactly the same, the yolks are darker than a fresh egg and the air cells are increasing in size just since the first candling and they are congruent with how large the air cells should be at this stage of the game. I'm content with that.

Whatever is happening in there seems to be happening to all of them, so they are either all duds or all have chicks in them....I'll lean towards the "all have chicks" theory.

 

[ocap]

seems that I am learning more on this thread than a lot of the other incubation threads, thanks to all for going back to the basics in all areas of incubation

 

[raisinemright]

Beekissed You really got something cool going on here. I dont know that I would go through all the trouble you are but I am glad to see someone experimenting and trying something along the more natural way. I do wish you all the best of luck and hope we see some cute little chicks running around soon. Can you post pics of the way you are handling them? Turning eggs, and spritzing the feathers for moisture. anything like that? It would help us feel like we are there with ya the whole way lol. GOOD LUCK!!

 

[Beekissed]

seems that I am learning more on this thread than a lot of the other incubation threads, thanks to all for going back to the basics in all areas of incubation

Me too!!

Beekissed You really got something cool going on here. I dont know that I would go through all the trouble you are but I am glad to see someone experimenting and trying something along the more natural way. I do wish you all the best of luck and hope we see some cute little chicks running around soon. Can you post pics of the way you are handling them? Turning eggs, and spritzing the feathers for moisture. anything like that? It would help us feel like we are there with ya the whole way lol. GOOD LUCK!!

I'll try to take a video of it if you all can stand to see the glorious fatness that is me on film.

I'm not really going to a lot of trouble..no more than someone using an incubator does...only cheaper and more naturally. It is kind of cool, isn't it? If this works it will be a new way to incubate but really the oldest way..sans hen.

 

[aart]

I found that the air cells increase in size whether the egg is fertile or not...it's just part of evaporation in a heated environment.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I don't have any way to mimic this part, so I'm going to continue to roll and shuffle eggs at random, hoping to get them all equally a time in the middle of the nest:

Quote:

Vocalization is even important during the brooding process.

Scientists have discovered (using tiny microphones connected to eggs and placed in the nest) that the hen hears vocal responses from the embryos to her vocalizations.

These responses give her clues as to how the embryos are developing compared to each other. Based on that communication, she turns the eggs at different rates—moving one that is maturing a little more quickly out to the edge of the pile to cool off and slow down, while moving one that is maturing more slowly to the center of the nest to speed development.

This is so interesting and explains the behaviors I saw in broody hens when I was a girl. Watched the hen touch an egg with her beak and start to move it, then stop and choose the next one over to move to the center of the clutch. To me it seemed random, or that one egg was just in a better position to be moved more easily. Ha! Think again. (I wonder if it helps her hear to put her beak on the eggs?) It all makes sense, as it should, especially when I think back to how much I talked to my sons before they were born and could feel them startle at loud noises.

One question, though. Is your thermometer on top of the eggs or near the bottom? (Apologies if I missed this.) Have you have measured to see how great the temp difference is between top and bottom? Just curious.

Best of luck with your homemade broody. I'm rooting for those eggs to hatch!

 

[Spangled]

Bee, interesting thread. I love it when I read about people like you who think outside the box. Your can-do attitude is what makes this world go around and makes it a better place. Thanks for keeping us apprised of the situation; it's a great learning experience ... and I don't have to do all the work!

I can't imagine not having a broody available in the spring since I have always had broodies, well except that first year. Love them. I have one right now sitting on golf balls mostly and keeping eggs from freezing before I collect them. It's cool that it occurred to you to try this experiment.

Anyhoo. What confuses me: I saw someone mention that a hen's body temp is something like 107F. I can't remember for sure, but I was thinking it was 106F - 110F, depending.

So if the hen gets the broody bald spot on her chest, and not all of mine do, but if she did, then at least a few of the eggs would be warmed on the *top side* at 107F for X hours every day or two. The bottom of those eggs would be less warm. The middle of those eggs would be less than 107F. The eggs on the outside edge of the nest would be less warm also. At least this is what I'm thinking happens.

Since modern incubators that most of us use were refined in the ag depts. of universities, they came up with the about 100F average temp guidelines based on the average temp that all eggs are possibly being incubated at when under a hen. Obviously 100F is less than 107F. You know, in artificial incubation with a fan, the entire egg is surrounded by air that is about 100F, so even the middle of the egg gets to 100F. Right? That's what I'm thinking.

Question 1: Since you are trying to emulate a broody hen (at least I think that's what you mentioned at the beginning of the thread), why are you using temperatures for an artificial incubator? I don't know and I'm wondering what you think ... do you think that the tops of the eggs should be warmer than 100F if the bottom of the eggs are cooler than that? If they're sitting on stuff that is less than 100F, then they are losing heat out of the bottom side, right? I don't know much about heat transfer, so I may have my thinking all goofed up.

Question 2: How are you heating the bottom of the eggs? Do you think the middle of the eggs are getting to 100F (or whatever it needs to be)?

Question 3: I guess I'm not sure where you are measuring the temperature at. Are you measuring the temp of the air? The eggs? The nest? What do you think is the best idea? Or am I just complicating it too much?

I tell you what, having broodies is like livin' the dream. I can't imagine chickenkeeping without them. They make incubating look effortless, and that surely simplifies my life. I hope one of your hens switches over to broodiness soon.