I am relatively new to chickens, candling, and hatching eggs. I started with 10 fertilized eggs under a broody (mail order).
Day 10, I candled them (first time to ever candle eggs). To my dismay one was missing and one had exploded - covering all eggs with nasty-smelling dried goo. I removed the eggs and replaced the nest with a fresh one. I realize the explosion alone may have compromised the rest of the eggs.
When I candled, there were 6 viable, one yolker and one dark blob. I discarded the yolker and the blob (it was rotten since it nearly exploded when I opened it). I replaced the remaining six eggs under the broody. When I checked on her today just two days later, there was another missing egg and bits of eggshell in the nest.
She is locked in a large dog house by herself with food and water. Her food was empty this afternoon when I went to check on her. I let her out to stretch her legs and dust bathe for the first time. Maybe I should be doing this daily? And not letting her food bowl go empty of course.
I am concerned about the remaining 5 eggs. I don't have an incubator, but am wondering whether or not I should try to track one down to incubate them before they all get eaten. Could she have known this one was a bad embryo? I just know the 6 that were left had begun developing, but don't know if one or more of them had stopped. However, I don't really want to deal with raising chicks and was hoping mama would do it - it's just such a pain keeping them separate and reintegrating later. I don't' really need more chickens, just thought it would be fun to watch mama hatch some chicks when the broody presented herself.
Day 10, I candled them (first time to ever candle eggs). To my dismay one was missing and one had exploded - covering all eggs with nasty-smelling dried goo. I removed the eggs and replaced the nest with a fresh one. I realize the explosion alone may have compromised the rest of the eggs.
When I candled, there were 6 viable, one yolker and one dark blob. I discarded the yolker and the blob (it was rotten since it nearly exploded when I opened it). I replaced the remaining six eggs under the broody. When I checked on her today just two days later, there was another missing egg and bits of eggshell in the nest.
She is locked in a large dog house by herself with food and water. Her food was empty this afternoon when I went to check on her. I let her out to stretch her legs and dust bathe for the first time. Maybe I should be doing this daily? And not letting her food bowl go empty of course.
I am concerned about the remaining 5 eggs. I don't have an incubator, but am wondering whether or not I should try to track one down to incubate them before they all get eaten. Could she have known this one was a bad embryo? I just know the 6 that were left had begun developing, but don't know if one or more of them had stopped. However, I don't really want to deal with raising chicks and was hoping mama would do it - it's just such a pain keeping them separate and reintegrating later. I don't' really need more chickens, just thought it would be fun to watch mama hatch some chicks when the broody presented herself.
