Adventures in Incubating Shipped Eggs

[Cerise1924]

Since I'm opting not to candle from Day 11-14, I've returned to my favourite incubation website. There is such great info on the day-by-day development of chicks:
https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/incubation-day-13.html
@Morrigan , this is where we are today.

 

[adtillma1]

So here is my first bielefelder chick from the shipped eggs. At least one success! (Sorry for the horrible picture...it is hard to see through the incubator window)

 

[Cerise1924]

So here is my first bielefelder chick from the shipped eggs. At least one success! (Sorry for the horrible picture...it is hard to see through the incubator window)

Congratulations!!

 

[Morrigan]

Day 13.

I did a quick candling and 7 out of the 8 eggs look pretty good, much larger dark areas than on Day 10. The 8th egg was one of the orpington's with the big saddled air sac. It still had a sizable dark area and veining, but didn't look as far along as the others. I didn't see movement, but I wasn't looking at them for more than a second or two. Smelled ok, so I left it in the bater. Will check everything again when I lock down in a few days.

I can't believe lockdown is only a FEW days away.

In a little over week I will know how this adventures ends.

 

[Morrigan]

So here is my first bielefelder chick from the shipped eggs. At least one success! (Sorry for the horrible picture...it is hard to see through the incubator window)

It's so exciting to see a egg become a chick. Congrats!

 

[The Farmers' Daughter]

I am 97% positive those plugs need to stay out the entire incubation period.
You should take them out and watch the bator for an hour.
It should stay stable.

From everything I've been told you should just toss the plugs.

 

[Kiki]

From everything I've been told you should just toss the plugs.

I just couldn't throw them away but I did hide them in the box.
What I can't understand it why the heck they include plugs if they are worthless to begin with.
Waste.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Improving by the day.
#1 (Yellow): Still 20g
#2 (Tiny): 14g (Up one gram!)
#3 (White): Still 21g

 

[Colly1470]

Day 30. My soul hurts lol.

Last I checked, the baby in egg 6 was still pushing against the membrane. The air cell in egg 5 is dipping down further than yesterday. The baby is egg 4 is still wiggling, but the air cell hasn't shifted yet.

These little brats are driving me insane.

 

[le_bwah]

I want to share my success and offer some encouragement.

I was so nervous going into lockdown, I almost didn't want to be there for the hatch. My quail eggs had a rough time getting to me: five of fifteen were cracked (but three of the cracked ones survived), half the air cells were wonky (but everyone pipped in the right spot) and it took three days for the non-cracked eggs to hatch (but they ALL hatched).

There are a lot of things that can go wrong with incubating, and shipped eggs only add to that list. BUT there is always the chance that things will go right. It's so important to remember that it works most of the time. For everyone facing losses and setbacks, please don't give up on hatching and raising your birds, however you're doing it. To everyone with new fluffy chicks, congratulations!