A couple questions about a run

[The Good Grumble]

Hi there, I purchased 6 silkie eggs to incubate. I have a new incubator Brinsea Ovation EX, so far so good. I love not turning the eggs!

Anyway, have 6 eggs and I’m on day 9, candled yesterday with two popping beautiful veins. But four look like clear albumen and yolk. Not a lot of pores in the shells either. Which I think I would see.

Anyway - wondering, if I should give them a couple more days? What is the probability that they aren’t fertile? Would I see a germinal disc if I cracked them open? I expected 50-75% hatch on these. So this will be tough. Kicking myself for not getting a dozen but I only wanted 4-6….

I asked on another forum and got berated for handling the eggs at day 8. People are mean. I was so excited for these birds.

Brinsea Ovation EX 99.5 / 45% humidity and I have an additional temp hygrometer I use in the incubator which graphs all temp humidity changes, and other than my candle yesterday it’s been steady!

 

[DemeterAD9]

I've only incubated twice and both times I candled at least a few eggs every day, I just couldn't help myself. I see no harm is candling if done quickly so as not to interrupt the humidity and heat inside the bator.

As for your eggs, if they were shipped to you then it isn't surprising to see poor development. It is quite possible they weren't fertile but IMO it is more likely being shipped (if they were) is to blame. A lot of shipped eggs either don't develop at all or die early on. I'm not sure if you'd still be able to see the germinal disk if you cracked them open, I feel like they would of become hazy/dissolved after 8 days in the incubator.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I generally don't hatch (did once, may again some day!) but I just wanted to say I'm sorry people were mean to you. Everybody has to start somewhere and if you don't ask and experiment, how do you learn? You'll get help here, not judgment or criticism. Good luck!

 

[Altairsky]

Candling after day 7 is well tolerated so what you did was the right thing to do. If by day 9 there is no visible veins, then I'm fairly confident that the eggs are unfertilized or early quitters.
Hatching eggs can be satisfying and beautiful, but it always came with the dark side.
1- it is preferred to hatch more eggs than you need because sometimes the hatch rate is so bad that you might end up with a very sad lone chick to raise.
2- however if you hatch more and all eggs hatch, be prepared to rehome or cull the excess.
3- be always prepared to cull extra males. Nobody wants them, and most of those who take them, it's for soup.
4- be ready to deal with deformed or sick chicks that won't make it.
If you're not prepared for the dark sides of hatching, it is better to buy sexed chicks.

 

[The Good Grumble]

Candling after day 7 is well tolerated so what you did was the right thing to do. If by day 9 there is no visible veins, then I'm fairly confident that the eggs are unfertilized or early quitters.
Hatching eggs can be satisfying and beautiful, but it always came with the dark side.
1- it is preferred to hatch more eggs than you need because sometimes the hatch rate is so bad that you might end up with a very sad lone chick to raise.
2- however if you hatch more and all eggs hatch, be prepared to rehome or cull the excess.
3- be always prepared to cull extra males. Nobody wants them, and most of those who take them, it's for soup.
4- be ready to deal with deformed or sick chicks that won't make it.
If you're not prepared for the dark sides of hatching, it is better to buy sexed chicks.

Thank you! All good advice. I’m cool with all of the above. I was raised on a farm, we harvested, hunted & grew the majority of what we ate because we were very poor, and as an adult I keep chickens…trying not to get a goat. lol

I love roosters though!. I love my hens too…but the boys have me wrapped. They are just all personality. Growing up my Mom would cull the boys after I fell in love with them, so I am a big old softie for wattles. I’m a bit of a Roo whisperer. Probably my only real talent.

I’m afraid I may get a loner out of this hatch between the two. I hope not. But if my orp goes broody I may have to sneak the babe under, and deal with it.

thank you for the advice! I will over do the eggs next time.