dark stripe on egg when candling day 10

[chickenmeadow]

Yey! You have viable eggs! Here are some interesting sites that may be helpful. I will be thinking of you on the 9th & will have my fingers crossed for your hatches. My last hatch on Christmas was from eggs mailed to me in freezing weather, eggs can be pretty tough. Be sure to candle the eggs laying longways, if not already doing so; then you can see the growth stages of the air cell, chick & diminishing egg white. Have fun!

REGARDING INCUBATION (websites)

“Dry incubation” method
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=113681&p=3

Egg progression
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261876&p=1

Air cell
http://www.poultryclub.org/VHIncubation.htm

My Christmas 09 - Incubation of 6 eggs (“save the favs”)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=270500&p=70

My Christmas 09 - Hatched eggs, 6 chicks (“save the favs”)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=270500&p=80

MY "DRY INCUBATION" METHOD THAT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL
Days 1 thru 17: Temperature was 99.5 degrees F (this temp is for forced air incubators, measured at the level of the egg using a small thermometer that lays on top of the eggs), Humidity was 40% (with occasional drop to no lower than 25% for air cell growth). Eggs were propped up at an angle with wide end at top & turned 3 times a day (on my work days) & 5 times a day (on my days off).
Day 18: "Lockdown" starts. Stop turning eggs, put eggs into cardboard egg carton (sizzor away the empty egg carton parts, the carton keeps the air cell at the top & stops the hatched chicks from knocking around other eggs), keep temp at 99.5 F, bring humidity up to 55% for the durration, & do not open the incubator again until all chicks have hatched (opening it would drop the humidity too much for the chicks). Be patient, as the last hatch took 20 hrs from 1st pip to the last one hatched.

 

[rosco]

rosco:
that is almost exactly what mine was like, only mine might have been thinner in the middle.

mtnkid - i candled them today, day 20. still same band around middle and top 1/4 and bottom 1/3 clear. i broke open the eggs and no apparent development was noted. nothing. maybe that is just the yolk i'm seeing. i candle from the side. top down does nothing for me.

-r

 

[chickenmeadow]

At about day 10 it is easier to tell if it's egg yoke or a small dark mass that light does not shine thru, then see the dark mass get larger at next candling. My best candling flashlight is a 9 led that I can grasp entirely in my hand, it was under $10. Before getting it I was unable to see the things that I've was being told about; I even saw wiggling in one of the 6 viable eggs, with that light.

Sorry your eggs were not fertile. Try, try, again. That's what most of us have done & have learned by. Some people like to try to incubate local, less expensive eggs to practice on. You can always rehome the chicks if they are not the breed you're wanting to keep.

Best wishes to everyone on your next incubations.