Candling Question

[Cavendish Chickens]

Okay, today is day 11 (or I believe so). We placed the eggs 4 pm on Saturday May 1st. Didn't start turning them until the next day, as advised. So tonight we candled for the first time since setting them and some look promising, some don't, and 2... well... they... we can't tell. We can't tell if we're seeing the veins or not, and we see these dark spots (small) to one side of each of them. They are Mille Fluer eggs. So very small and hard to tell. We can see an air pocket, but we don't really think we're seeing any veins, and those spots... we don't know what they are. We marked them with question marks so we know they are questionable. What do you guys think it is? Could it be possible the spots are the baby chicks? But if so, shouldn't they be bigger? And why are they to the side? They are about the size of the top of a pinkie, if that... maybe smaller. And the rest of the area is kind of cloudy looking, with one tip of the egg having the air pocket. We are also questioning the air pockets. Aren't they supposed to be at the larger end? We have them sitting in an egg carton and tilt them every day 3 times per day. All of them seem to have the air pockets at the smaller end... well, all but one. One looks right. It's an Orpington egg, and we can definitely see the veins VERY well. Also, the temperature has unfortunately been fluctuating. Between 98 - 102, averaging 100 most of the time. So, our questions again are:

1) Is today definitely day 11?
2) What do you think those spots are in the Mille Fluer eggs?
3) Is it okay for the air pockets to be in the smaller end?
4) With the air pocket at the smaller end, should we be prepared to help the babies hatch so they don't drown?
5) How off will the hatching be with the temperature fluctuating from 98 - 102 (averaging 100)?

Thank you to all who respond!

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

The little black dots are good

And most will move around like crazy. YOu should be seeing veining with them though as well. Mille's should be pretty easy to see if you have a good light. What sort of light are you using. The little black dot is the embryo (some call it the eye) Soon you will see that little black dot fill the whole egg

And the air sac should get bigger as they get closer to hatch.

I have two with the air sac on the smaller end right now in my incubator...sometimes they h atch and sometimes they don't. I do give them an extra day though.

I would not help those babies out...let nature take it's course.
About the temp..it could add/minus a day or two from your hatch so I would wait at least 2 days after hatch date before you toss any unhatched ones for sure.

OH and good luck and Happy Hatching

Mine should be hatching now but I'm at work

 

[Cavendish Chickens]

We made a home made candler. We took a small box and stuck a utility light through the side. We sealed the surrounding area around the light with a cloth. Then we made a small hole in the top of the box. (It's a Tupperware box with one of those lids that comes off and can be set back on, not the kind you fold to close.) We turned off all of the lights and made the room dark. This caused the light to shine right through the eggs. It works great! So, if that is the baby, why is it to the side instead of in the middle or something? We never candled when I was growing up. My mom tried this before and failed. (When I was little.) She didn't candle. She used a small 2 gallon aquarium with a wet towel for humidity and the aquarium light for heat. She opened one to see if they were developing, and that one was. So she left the other two, and they never hatched.

I have my eggs in an LG 9200 series. Heard it's not the best, but it's what I was able to afford.

 

[panner123]

At this stage I wouldn't hold to much to candling. Sure it is nice to know what is going on, but you stand the chance of throwing out a good egg. Get a few good hatch under your belt then go for the candling. You have an incubator that will take some time to learn. I was them in many class rooms and have great hatch rates with them. I keep 15 going with 36 eggs in each for 6 months of the school year. My hatch rate is about 90% every year. I do use a turner with each of these and I have installed a fan on 1. Never fell bad about what you can afford, learn to use it the best you can. If everyone could afford a Rolls Royce, would we want one?