Candleing

[kbbcass]

On what days should I candle my eggs? I don't want to take them out too often. Just wondering when. Thank you

 

[lazy gardener]

I believe that a good start is day 7, then day 10 or 14, and when they go into lock down at day 18 (or is it 19?). What day are you on right now? I like to mark the air cells at least on day 7, 14, and at lock down, so I can do a chart comparison.

 

[kbbcass]

I just put them in today. Thank you for the info. I will mark the air cells as well!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I also mark mine on days 7/14/18 (lockdown). I candle more, and watch my air cells closely, but when asked I recommend those three dates as those are the dates that the egg chart shows for air cell growth. (I take my clears out at day 10.) Good luck on your hatch!

 

[chickenmapa]

So I have a question and I don't know how to start a new post... so I'm going to ask it here.
I candled today and found nothing!

I'm on day 7 I have kept humidity at 45-50% temps at around 100-102 I have the little giant still air 9300.
I have been turning on my own, about five times a day. I'm probably freaking out for nothing but I want my babies to live! I have found a few that are cracked a bit but they are probably the infertal ones, but they don't smell! I have tried to be very gentle with them when turning. This is my first time....

I just want babies! Please any advice?? Are my babies okay??!!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

So I have a question and I don't know how to start a new post... so I'm going to ask it here.
I candled today and found nothing!

I'm on day 7 I have kept humidity at 45-50% temps at around 100-102 I have the little giant still air 9300.
I have been turning on my own, about five times a day. I'm probably freaking out for nothing but I want my babies to live! I have found a few that are cracked a bit but they are probably the infertal ones, but they don't smell! I have tried to be very gentle with them when turning. This is my first time....

I just want babies! Please any advice?? Are my babies okay??!!

Your temp is good if it's accurate, your humidity good, turning good. Cracked eggs-not so good. They may not be fertile, but I'd give them a couple more days and check again. Are these your own eggs? Are you sure your rooster is doing his job if they are? You may want to get a fresh layed egg and crack it open and check for fertility. Also are you starting your count of days 24 hours after set?

 

[chickenmapa]

I am using my own eggs. I have a bantom roo and so I was worried about it, but every egg I have cracked has had the little white dot on the yoke. I may actually be on day 6 then... I've read ALOT about incubating but there is a lot of info and it's not all the same so I don't really know what I'm doing!

 

[chickenmapa]

Also when I ran my incubator before putting eggs in I found the therm to be about 2-4 degrees off so I have one inside the incubator as well. I've adjusted the temp to what it would need to be to have the correct temp.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Also when I ran my incubator before putting eggs in I found the therm to be about 2-4 degrees off so I have one inside the incubator as well. I've adjusted the temp to what it would need to be to have the correct temp.

My first hatch I bought a brand new thermometer but didn't chceck it had a failed hatch and found out the thermometer was 6 degrees off! After that I decided to use three! lol All yolks have a white spot on the yolk whether fertile or not. What you are looking for is the bullseye:





It's hard to know what to do because everyone has their own way of doing it and a good share of people insist their way is the "right way" to do it. lol So you get a lot of different methods and no one is wrong, it's just a matter of finding what the right way is for you and the only way you can do that is by trial and error. I was ready to give up after my first failed hatch (it was a project for my son's homeschool science class) but a couple weeks later we decieded to give it another try so we got more eggs, more thermometers (checked against a good one) and I had 13/16 hatch for the next hatch and here we are raising chickens.
There are things that are certain: temps (99.5 for forced air 101-102 for still air taken near the top of the eggs.) Humidity needs to allow for the proper amount of moisture to leave the egg. And needs to be highered at lockdown/hatch. However this number is not certain and varies for people. I use the air cell size to guide me, many people weigh their eggs. The eggs need to be turned, (and people will even argue about how many times.)
Outside of temps, most everything else is variables that differ from person to person. We can just tell you how we do it and what works for us and you just have to pick what sounds logically to you, try that and if it works, great, if not you change it next time. It's hard, because it's life that you are dealing with, but I have come to the conclusion that to hatch and raise chicks you have to be prepared for a lot of loss and a lot of trial and error situations.

 

[chickenmapa]

Thanks, I'm going to just keep doing what I'm doing at the moment. If it doesn't work I'll try agian...sigh
I'm going to go recheck some of the eggs in the fridge for that Bullseye though.