chicks

[chittyn]

hi,


I bought a brinsea mini eco incubator and also bought some fertilized Rhode island red chicken eggs from ebay .they came within two days of posting and were well packaged I did not however leave them to settle for 24 hours only around 6, will this effect my hatch rate and if so how many chicks can i expect from half a dozen eggs in these circumstances?

Thanks

 

[BairleaFarm]

with shipped eggs you can have anywhere from a 0% - 100% hatch regardless of what/how you do things. I usually put eggs straight to the bator this time of year if they have been shipped. I dont know what temps they have been in but incubation could have started. I wouldnt to worry about your settling time. There is no way for anyone to guess the hatch rate of any eggs. I set 97 my first hatch and was hoping for 5 live chicks. I ended up with something like 23. Just remember dont count your chicks til they hatch.

 

[chittyn]

thanks the eggs are at a constatnt temp of 37degrees and humidty levels 50-60% i do hope some hatch !
another quick thing one of the eggs has the slightest of dents in it but it hasnt gone through the shell should it be ok ?

 

[peepblessed]

I just hatched my first shipped ebay eggs, a week ago and got 14 out of 20. I surely understand the stress you are going thru. I use 99.5 F for bottom of egg temp. Not sure the equivalent in C. Hope you have an awesome hatch! Remember to take lots of deep breaths!

And welcome to BYC!

 

[chittyn]

thanks a lot as a first time hatcher it is quite streseful ! i think the most annoying thing is the thought they might not hatch

.

 

[Bantam Username]

I'm a first time incubator too, I've already been through a lot of stresses as I'm on my last 3 days now, you can follow my thread if you like as it might help if you have similar queries.

Link to my thread is .... https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=554283

Good luck

 

[chittyn]

appreciate all the help when i candle the eggs in 4 days time can i use any light ? Could the light damage the embryo what signs should i expect in the egg?

 

[chittyn]

 

[Bantam Username]

I just use a small pocket LED torch, LED gives off less heat than normal bulbs but candling with any torch won't damage the embryo as you are holding it against the egg for such a short time. Some people put the torch in one end of a toilet roll tube and rest the egg on the other end but I just wrap my hand around the end of the torch and the egg.
At 4 days, its still hard to see but you should just see a small red or dark spot with a few veins radiating out from it all around it.

 

[chittyn]

thanks really helpful im too impatient im sure you will understand

!