*** AUGUST HATCH-A-LONG come join in ***

[Kedreeva]

I got my BCM eggs yesterday afternoon!!!! The guy warned me the eggs were lighter because of where the hens are in the laying cycle... I say holy cow, this is LIGHTER?

The bottom right hand one is covered in feather dust so it looks lighter than it is here. STILL

Oh I am so excited. I let them settle in the basement until this morning and just set them in the incubator a couple minutes ago. They look AMAZING next to the white eggs

 

[Cattitude]

Those are beautiful eggs; hope you have a terrific hatch!

 

[Rozzie]

Those "are" nice looking eggs!

 

[abqferreira]

We just got our first chicks this past spring, and a week or so ago, one of our Banties went broody. I felt sorry for her sitting in there on the plastic dummy egg, so I found 7 eggs on Freecycle for her. She has been a trooper, and it's been amazing to watch her instincts tell her exactly what to do. Eggs are due to hatch 8/12. I don't know how I ever made it through 3 pregnancies, we're only finishing day 2 here and I have to control myself from checking on her hourly!

 

[silkieowner]

i got a broody silkie sitting on 8 eggs due to hatch on the 11th of august shes only on day 4. I candled them last night 5 eggs had a red ring and red spot in the middle so i think i have 5 out of 8 fertile.

 

[gryeyes]

I am still afraid to candle eggs, never having done it before. (I think I'll busy myself with building a home made candler "just in case" I get up enough courage to try it.) You see, if I don't candle 'em, I won't be disappointed earlier than hatch date.

Does that sound as crazy and timid as I think it sounds???

Oh, and I finally got to see the Brinsea Mini Advance turn the eggs... it doesn't really TURN them, it just moves 'em and they sorta roll a little bit. Huh. If I had the thing out where I could see it all the time, I might never take the time to post anything or read any e-mail or wash dishes or make dinner or feed the chickens.....

 

[sewchick]

I have 8 black copper marans and 3 sebastopol eggs. The chicken eggs should hatch out around august 3rd and the sebastopol eggs around the 21st or 22nd. I am so excited about the goose eggs. Gosh they are huge and do not fit in the turner. I have to turn them by hand. I hope this does not effect the chicken eggs.

 

[Tigerjane]

Quote:
Well, I just did my first candling. It's day 9 for my BLRW bantams, and day 8 for the EE, BCM, and BA. I'm no expert and I've never candled before, but after comparing what I saw to pictures here on BYC, I don't think it's looking good. There's only ONE I can for sure see vein development on, but even that has me thinking it may have quit days ago, because I think it should look more opaque at this stage. Most of the BLRW are clear and porous, a few seem to have a blood ring. Most of the others are too dark to see through well, but I think a *few* just may be developing. I need to get one of the little flashlights recommended on here for candling - I wasin a darkened room at night using a 100W light bulb with an oatmeal canister over it with a small hole cut in the bottom. Like I said, I've never done this before, and I don't know what to look for beyond what I've read online. But I'm feeling very disheartened right now

 

[Kedreeva]

Quote:
You can be afraid to candle them all you want, but after the first bomb in your incubator you didn't remove.... you may be afraid NOT to candle! Besides.... it's a totally awesome experience the first time, to see the egg light up and see that little heartbeat dancing under the shell.

 

[txmel]

well i candled my eggs yesterday and ended up tossing out 15 out of the 31 eggs in the incubator. i didn't candle the 2 under my broody but when i put them under her i knew that one was developing and wasn't sure about the other. i'm having trouble catching her off the nest long enough for me to candle the eggs. i have 1 other i'm not sure of and then the marans eggs are too dark for me to see well enough to judge. so heres fingers crossed that none of them are bombs! any one know how low is too low for the humidity to get? i'm trying to keep it at around 30 to 40 but it stays more in the low 30's most of the time.