DAY 7: Throwing out "duds"????

[BayCityBabe]

DD & I are attempting to hatch 14 silkies and 10 Showgirls. Seven of the eggs are ours; seven shipped; and ten picked up from a nearby town. I calibrated my incubator for three days before setting the eggs. Got steady temps. All went really well for the first 3 days. Then, I began to see fluctuations in the temps, from 97 to 102. (This, with a water wiggler). I really tried to keep on top of it, probably dinked with the gauge too much, but I was afraid of frying the poor things.
Today we candled. We only have a flashlight. DD is sooooo bummed out. It only appears that 4 or 5 of the embryos are developing. A few have a faint yolk look, but nothing dark. We have a few with the distinct "Bacterial Ring of Doom." When I suggested we crack a couple of these to check them out, DD got upset.
Should we hang in there for a few more days? Any experience with such patience paying off? Or, are we gonna end up with a 'bator full of steaming rot?

 

[swtangel321]

I would wait till day 10 - 11ish, you will know 100% by then what eggs are duds and what are good.... sometimes its hard to tell early !!!! You should be ok till then....

 

[LocoPollo]

I had a similar experience at day 6. I decided to open all the eggs that looked clear to me. Sure enough, they were all duds, one even being scrambled. Apparently it doesnt hurt to wait, but I just wanted the bad eggs out of the bator.

 

[klf73]

If they don't stink leave them in until at least day 10

Krista

 

[BayCityBabe]

Alright, the vote is for patience.
I will report back when I have clear results - or steaming egg rot!

 

[Cuban Longtails]

I always wait until day 14 (or there is a funny smell) to remove "duds".