33 Eggs Due to Hatch Oct 25 (Hatch Complete)

[Laney]

Ok, I'll admit tonight was just the night of day 6 on my eggs, but I've got to candle them with my daughter tomorrow night and I wanted a heads up on what we will see. I just needed to be prepared because she is VERY sensitive.

What I saw so far is that out of 11 eggs all but 3 had very obvious veining. #1 the cochin egg I couldn't really see thru very well, it's only a light/medium brown but these eggs are tough. Cracking them is very difficult as they have a very thick inner membrane. It is either clear, or just difficult to see.

#3 is a Silver Phoenix and is clear. One of the higher numbers, I think #7 but I was trying to hurry at that point and forgot to note the number has no real noticeable veining and a dark blob near the air sack. I'm thinking not viable? So, I'm thinking with my daughter tomorrow, we'll pull #3 as a clear, #7? as a potential stinker? and leave #1 as a question until day 14 while keeping an eye on it just in case.

Will also take pics of the candling and try to post pics of the questionable ones.

Laney

 

[speckledhen]

Never remove an egg on Day 7 unless you are 100% sure of what you're seeing, like a completely clear egg, and even veteran candlers can be fooled at that point. Sometimes, in a perfectly developing egg, the vein network will filter down from the aircell to end in the middle of the egg (it rather looks like a jellyfish or other similar sea creature), with a thicker vein that seems to go around the egg at that point. Some may mistake that with a blood ring, which is why it's best not to toss an egg out till at least Day 10-12, when it will be very obvious if there is a chick inside.

ETA: Tonight, I recandled the one BBS Orp egg and seemed clear. When I opened it, it apparently was fertile, but had not developed to the veining stage yet. You can tell because the yolk looks sort of like storm clouds, all swirly. It must have quit at Day 2.

 

[speckledhen]

Got my Spot-Check (also called Egg-Temp) thermometer in the mail, the one made for incubating that is accurate to within +/- .1 (that's point-one degree). Love it so far. Here it is.

 

[longranger]

Yay saved by distance. Your delawares are beautiful.

 

[gumpsgirl]

Interesting! Now you are making me want one to go in with my Marans eggs that were shipped today Cyn!

 

[kathyinmo]

OK, I want one of those! How far off was your other thermometer, in comparison?

Time is ticking >>>> it's getting closer!

 

[speckledhen]

My little rectangular silver Springfield (the kind with big numerals and a suction cup for sticking to a window) that used to be so accurate, is a degree or two low all the time now, but I already knew that so I only use the hygrometer part.
The AcuRite's probe is in the weasel and it's fairly accurate on the probe, if not the actual unit, which is fairly bulky to put inside the bator anyway and not made for an enclosed humid environment.

I just removed the Springfield and put the Fluker's in its place and I'll see how that one compares to the Spot-Check. The Fluker's is a digital temp/hygro and very small and thin so I had to velcro it to a stiff piece of plastic to keep it from falling between the rows of the turner. It can hum along fine for ages, then suddenly, it will read way too high, higher than I know is correct and I have to remove the battery and put it back in, reset the hi/low readings, etc. In other words, I'm not completely sure of it or when it will go nuts on me. Will let you know when it's stabilized and I can compare readings between the Spot-Check and the Flukers.

 

[JamesA]

OK Cythia I want these chicks.I guess I will make the trip to NE Georgia after all.If they are not sold just PM me with the price and I will get them.My 7 little babies from the eggs I hatched from you are doing great.I need to take new pictures and they are getting to the age where I am starting to guess the sex of them.I will be keeping an eye on this post to see how the hatch goes.

 

[speckledhen]

I was pretty sure you'd want them, James. I've had several folks, including one man from Florida today, who wants them, but I told him that they are very much in demand right now. Let's just hope they all hatch and nothing unforseen happens!

 

[speckledhen]

Ok, Flukers and the Spot-Check were reading fairly closely, then, suddenly, the Fluker's jumped to 101.1 and stayed, whereas the much more sensitive Spot-Check was at 100.5 and was coming down steadily since the heater had cycled off. If I was depending on the Fluker's, I would think that my temp is too high and adjusted downward, probably making it too cool. I think that's what happened in the last hatch, that didn't go as well as mine normally do.
So with the accuracy rating of +/- . 1 degree of the Spot-Check, I would say the Flukers is making me think the temp is a good bit higher than it is. During the last hatch, the Fluker's was going up to 102 in my circulated air Hovabator and it was not at all that high, I bet.