6th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2015 Hatch-A-Long

[bantambury]

@Roan haha
I sorta have one...my roo indie lives in it. I think ill use mY big pen as one too.

 

[Amberjem]

Turning is one of the things that are done or not done. There is an adequate level that gets you nearly all of the benefits. More can help but will not make that much of a difference.

3 to 4 times a day is fine.

 

[bantambury]

@Book

had to laugh while thrift shopping....forever remember the singing incubator from hell.

 

[Kaylish]

I know that one the hard way! Several years after having a tubal, I had to be rushed to the ER and very nearly died because I had an ectopic pregnancy (in the fallopian tubes) and it burst the tube. Almost bled to death by the time they discovered the problem and stopped the bleeding. Not fun.

Not fun at all! My experience ended much better; DH had a vacectomy before we met but after 5 years together and 1 year married it failed...I now have a beautiful 3 year old daughter as well as a 22 year old (step)son. Life will find a way.

ok so I should wait to toss my suspected unfertile eggs on ten days or if they smell yucky?

If you're not sure and they don't smell; leave them in for a few more days.

So I candled again and all 29 are still going strong!

I know first time hatches tend to not go so well so now I'm starting to get all paranoid that they will develop well until lockdown and then all die before hatching somehow

.

Hope they all hatch for you!

I still havent gone to TSC...havent candled in 3 days and lockdown is he 23rd. Still havent taken my clear out...and i still havent finished my brooder...JOY! hahaha but i got some pretty cool pics with one of my NYd boys from last year!


Crossing my fingers my eggies are still well. I feel pretty accomplished....ive only candled my eggs about 5 times for this hatch!

Pretty boy!

Well, I'm out. None of my broody's eggs were fertile. Oh well. I did slip her a few of today's eggs from the main coop after I got rid of the others. I'm sure they will be fertile... But they sure won't be hatching on NYD...

I'm so sorry to hear that...stick around anyway.

I love that analyzer...lots of useful information.

Sorry to hear about the infertile eggs and sad chick news.

I candled my darker Welsummer and Black Copper Maran eggs tonight but am having a hard time seeing anything, even by now. I'm hoping that there's development taking place.

I spent a little time with a few bantam chicks today and took some pictures that might cheer y'all up.

Happy Holidays, BYC!

Awww! Thanks for the chick fix!

Too many days left to wait. Where is the fast forward button??! We still have Christmas, then my Birthday! Then finally, CHICKS!

But I'm telling myself, next week this time, they will be in lock down. So, yay!

And I gave up on breaking my 2 broody hens in the barn. So I have them a bunch of bantam eggs

I can blame it on 4-H and the kids this time.

Nice to have a good excuse!!! (I"m have a countdown marked on my calender so I feel the impatience)

 

[Amberjem]

If you're not sure and they don't smell; leave them in for a few more days.

pretty sure they are clear/unfertile I just dont want them to be lol

 

[blackgoat]

So I candled again and all 29 are still going strong!

I know first time hatches tend to not go so well so now I'm starting to get all paranoid that they will develop well until lockdown and then all die before hatching somehow

.

That's great!

1st time hatches often go not so well is because of lack of information, just jumping right in, so to speak. If you have read up on as much information as you can before starting your first hatch, there's probably a good chance your chicks will make it. I learned a lot from my first hatch, even though I only had 6 out 28 hatch. Now that I'm more knowledgeable, mostly thanks to BYC, I think my second time is going much better. Just be sure nothing stupid happens, like attempting to move the incubator when it is full of eggs, and they all roll and bang into each other (yep, I did that), or accidentally leaving the incubator unplugged all night, (did that, too).
I hope all of yours make it! With 29 going strong, I'm sure your're doing things right!

 

[blackgoat]

pretty sure they are clear/unfertile I just dont want them to be lol

Lol! Me too! I have 3 that are clear, I'm just talking myself into thinking that the veiny bits are hiding in there somewhere!

 

[MisfitMarie]

I can share in the frustration. I ordered 12 Welsummer and 12 Black Copper Maran eggs. I could only see development in about five of the Welsummer eggs... and NONE in the Black Copper Maran eggs. I'm REALLY hoping its just because the shells are darker. I'm going to be seriously bummed out if they end up being clears. The other eggs in my incubator are all going strong, through.

 

[Roan]

In my ancient still air LG 9200 when I wasn't moving eggs around I've had as much as 5 days between 1st hatcher(early) & last hatcher (way late, difficulty hatching) on the same set batch of eggs. So it is _possible_. It is also possible as you say, a dead egg w/ movement caused by your sloshing the egg contents while candling. Generally when I'm trying to guess between those I hold the egg as still as possible & wait to see the direction of movement, ie if something moved UP it must be alive, also if it moved BACK AND FORTH after holding still (so not possibly caused by my hand) again alive. IF you see those happy answer. if not, still _might maybe be alive, but hope begins to fade after re-checking in a day or 2. I have had bad eggs stay in the bator until after the hatch then I opened them & found they died early on. Not great but if no smell & no weeping sometimes you just can't be totally sure...

Sometimes the egg shell color and egg is too thick for you to see the veins. If you see darkness and movement, There is a chick growing in there, you just do not see the veins.

It is not likely a temperature variant.

Thanks to both of you. The problem is that the dark mass is taking up most of the egg space. That's what's got me concerned, if it were a dark speck (by comparison) I could easily say it is a more developed embryo but we're talking about a mass that is probably the size of an embryo at day 12 or 13 vs an embryo that's probably at day 8 or 9. So there's a huge difference in the mass size.

But I guess it's in the 5 day early range that @FeyRaine explained. So I should still be good right? It's day 11 today. But then again, I noticed the difference the day before yesterday...so that would actually make the darker massed eggs at about day 12 or 13 on day 9. That seems very early to me. I wish I could get pictures to show you what I mean.

 

[ronott1]

Thanks to both of you. The problem is that the dark mass is taking up most of the egg space. That's what's got me concerned, if it were a dark speck (by comparison) I could easily say it is a more developed embryo but we're talking about a mass that is probably the size of an embryo at day 12 or 13 vs an embryo that's probably at day 8 or 9. So there's a huge difference in the mass size.

But I guess it's in the 5 day early range that @FeyRaine explained. So I should still be good right? It's day 11 today. But then again, I noticed the difference the day before yesterday...so that would actually make the darker massed eggs at about day 12 or 13 on day 9. That seems very early to me. I wish I could get pictures to show you what I mean.

As the egg gets further into incubation, you will no longer see the veins and sometimes will not see the chick move inside. It is all normal and expected.

Good stuff!