Adventures in Incubating Shipped Eggs

[Morrigan]

I'm not staring at eggs, but I am obsessing on Day 18. The UC Davis Veterinary School says:
"An 18-day egg should be entirely dark except for the air cell. Blood vessels may still be apparently in some areas or may not be visible due to the embryo filling the egg and blocking the light. The growing chick may even move in response to your light!"

Well all the eggs have visible blood vessels and every chick moved when I candled the eggs. However, few of the eggs are entirely dark. I guess many of the eggs look more like Day 15 eggs. Now I'm wondering if I have small chicks who will be too weak to hatch... or if I'll get feeble chicks that do hatch and don't make it (boo hoo!) or if maybe they will hatch on Day 22 or 23 or later? Or if I'll just get bantams!

I need to stop thinking about this, because there isn't anything I can do.

Some of mine are not completely dark, but mainly because there is this giant, saddled air sac taking up real estate. I'm not sure what to expect at this point. Only 96 hours or so to go before I'll know for sure!

 

[Cerise1924]

Netflix.

Lol, yes.

 

[Colly1470]

Eggs 4 and 5 have externally pipped! Hopefully there will be 2 new healthy babies tomorrow.

 

[Morrigan]

I love success stories.

 

[Josefina]

I'm not staring at eggs, but I am obsessing on Day 18. The UC Davis Veterinary School says:
"An 18-day egg should be entirely dark except for the air cell. Blood vessels may still be apparently in some areas or may not be visible due to the embryo filling the egg and blocking the light. The growing chick may even move in response to your light!"

Well all the eggs have visible blood vessels and every chick moved when I candled the eggs. However, few of the eggs are entirely dark. I guess many of the eggs look more like Day 15 eggs. Now I'm wondering if I have small chicks who will be too weak to hatch... or if I'll get feeble chicks that do hatch and don't make it (boo hoo!) or if maybe they will hatch on Day 22 or 23 or later? Or if I'll just get bantams!

I need to stop thinking about this, because there isn't anything I can do.

When I candled my eggs (bantam Cochin and D'uccle) on day 17/18, they were mostly dark but there was still enough clear area around the base of the air cell that I could clearly see veins. I think my eggs looked more filled up than day 15 eggs, but they were by no means totally dark except for the air cell itself. My babies are doing wonderful and didn't have any hatching issues. Hopefully yours will also be perfect and healthy!

 

[BlueShadow]

Still deciding if I should keep the incubators where they are (kitchen), or move them to the back room where the brooder will be, to keep them safer from nosy cats/dogs should they start hatching when I'm not home. I think I'll move them.

Does anyone else move incubators at lockdown?

I have done it before, and didn't have any trouble. I figure, the way the eggs get rattled around when hatching starts, its fine if they get some gentle shaking while I move the incubator. If you decide to move the incubator though, pay close attention to the temperature after move, especially if you have a styrofoam incubator. They are very sensitive to temperature and humidity changes, and it is likely the room you move them to will be slightly different, so you will have to adjust the temperature setting.

 

[Morrigan]

Good morning!

I started my day by crouching down and pressing my ear up against the incubator because, well, who doesn't?

No peeps, although I'm pretty sure I could hear something. Like a crinkling, scratching sound.

How is hatch mania going for everyone else?

 

[chantels1]

I live near Panama City Florida. Today we are experiencing a tropical storm. It's due to make landfall somewhat West of my location. But I am experiencing heavy rain falls off and on and occasional fairly strong gusting winds. I posted a week or so ago about the seven shipped English game fowl eggs I placed in an incubator. One of those eggs develop a blood ring and I removed it. One of them is showing very good veining patterns. The other five... it's difficult to tell yet. Anyhow, today because of the storm there was a power failure. The outage lasted close to two hours. And during that time the temperature slowly dropped 10° lower that the usual lowest to 86°. Naturally, this has me concerned. Can anyone tell me how detrimental this can be? The temperature had been averaging 100.5° with some fluctuation never below 95° or higher than 101° for very long. But, this power outage slowly brought the temperature down to 86° and there was nothing that I could do about it. The power then came back on, and the temperature fairly quickly returned to the previous 100.5°. I'm hoping for the best. Has anyone had a similar experience without fatal results?

Normally I would say they should be fine. But with shipped eggs, ya never know. They are delicate.

 

[Lidiapac730]

Hello, First time incubating eggs. I have heard that when turning eggs you should never turn them the same direction. Can I turn them longways?

 

[chantels1]

Day 5 update. 17 eggs from Florida. Rough late shipping. Yesterday had some sort of veining in 11. Today, 6 clear eggs are still clear. 5 with obvious embryos, 6 look more like developing blood rings. :-(

2nd set from Mississippi. Yesterday the only egg which showed any development was an extra egg she sent. It's not my requested color. Today, it's a happy little embryo, but all 8 of the black silkies are still clear.

So 26 shipped eggs & 6 are developing. I only expect 3 to hatch (cuz that seems to be how it works with shipped eggs) I am so mad at the post office over the 1st shipment!! Late & every single aircell was detached!

2nd one looked great. I think their may be an issue in the breeding pens of 2nd shipper. She has offered extra eggs if all blacks are clear in the next few days. Which I think is great!