Adventures in Incubating Shipped Eggs

[Zinjifrah]

I read something about eggs occasionally developing veins with no viable embryo somewhere... but I can't remember where, and I can't find it. It was when I was looking into something else, months ago.

 

[Morrigan]

I had one egg where the veins were coming from the air sac. It then stopped developing and when I eggtopsied it, there was a tiny (dead) embryo that appears to have been stuck to the membrane separating the air sac.

 

[Zinjifrah]

I had one egg where the veins were coming from the air sac. It then stopped developing and when I eggtopsied it, there was a tiny (dead) embryo that appears to have been stuck to the membrane separating the air sac.

These... literally had nothing. Not even a little shapeless pinhead that I've seen in eggs before.

 

[Morrigan]

@Cerise1924 . How is your lonely chick doing?

 

[Cerise1924]

@Cerise1924 . How is your lonely chick doing?

Lone, but lonely, I hope! Thanks for asking. She's getting a lot of attention, and can hang out in the garden or run, since it's 96 degrees outside - brooder temp.

 

[Cerise1924]

I threw them all out, all the Olandsk-Legbar cross eggs. It's Day 9, none the eggs showed any development, two more were seeping, and the incubator was starting to smell bad. Not worth it.

As a test, I had two shipped Belgian D'Uccles eggs in with them. Those are both showing beautiful development on Day 4, so it's not my incubation that's the problem. Once again, I got a bad lot of eggs. Glad I tossed them before one exploded.

 

[Cerise1924]

Here's the great news! I have beautiful development in 10 of the 14 Belgian D'Uccles eggs, at just Day 4. This restores my faith in shipped eggs. They look outstandingly good. I can see big, strong vein networks, good sized embryos, and even some movement. Because they look this developed at Day 4, because they are bantams, and because there has been a heatwave, I am guessing they will hatch before Day 21.

Thoughts?

 

[Morrigan]

Sorry about getting a load of bad eggs. That literally stinks!

Your chick is adorable. I love the picture of it in an apron pocket.

I caught one of my 6 1/2 week roosters crowing this morning. It was screechy and pitiful, but most definitely a crow. He looked pretty pleased with himself about it.

I'm coming in at at least 5 of 7 being roosters, and potentially 6 out of 7. They are beautiful; its going to be so hard to decide which one to keep. Hopefully enough of their personalities reveal themselves for me to choose a sweet, gentle one.

 

[Cerise1924]

Sorry about getting a load of bad eggs. That literally stinks!

Your chick is adorable. I love the picture of it in an apron pocket.

I caught one of my 6 1/2 week roosters crowing this morning. It was screechy and pitiful, but most definitely a crow. He looked pretty pleased with himself about it.

I'm coming in at at least 5 of 7 being roosters, and potentially 6 out of 7. They are beautiful; its going to be so hard to decide which one to keep. Hopefully enough of their personalities reveal themselves for me to choose a sweet, gentle one.

I still can't believe the preponderance of roos! Well, the bright side is that you can have the pick of the clutch.

 

[Cerise1924]

Nooo! I finally had a wonderful batch of eggs developing beautifully - and a dog must have jumped up to the dresser last night and knocked the cover off the incubator.
I have no idea how long it was off, but the temp had dropped to 78 degrees.

I normally have to door to my egg room closed, but the boxer has been going in to check on the lone chick (who is in a well fastened, lidded brooder), and the chick has been happy with the company.

I popped the cover back on, and I'll hope for the best. I do have two eggs in a second incubator that were unmolested, but a dozen suffered the temperature drop.

Have you had a loss of power/loss of cover for a number of hours and still had a successful hatch? I guess I'll know more when I candle again in a few days.