Dreams of hatching... and THEY ARE!!!! page 7 pic heavy

[wegotchickens]

I'm new to incubating, and feeling stressed since we're on day 21 for a mutt egg of our own, and day 18 for the shipped eggs (Blue Orps, Ameracaunas, Silkies, White Banty Cochins, and Silver Spangled Hamburgs).
A lot of people are anxious to see how things go, and it sounds like we'll have an open house this weekend as folks want to come over to see the miracle of hatching.

BUT...I think the mutt egg died very recently

Haven't seen any movement inside or anything. Candling pics have confused me, since good & bad at day 18 look VERY similar!!

But I'm trying not to worry or get too stressed...

Then last night I dreamed the one egg melted all over my hands as I candled it, and I had to watch the baby die as goop dripped from my fingers. After I got the mess cleaned up, the only egg to hatch was a duckling. I woke up thinking, "You're not supposed to be in there! You're not supposed to be in there!"

DH was a little worried about me waking up at 4:30am saying, "I didn't incubate any DUCK EGGS!!!"
Apparently I'm not as calm as I thought I was...

And if I'm this bad over ONE egg on day 21, what's it gonna be like on day 21 for EIGHTEEN eggs??

 

[happyhens]

Just calm down and take deep breaths... it will be ok! LOL Good luck with them, keep us updated!

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Your temps could have been down alittle... chicks don't all hatch on day 21... so have patience....the mutt egg growth could have been brought down by the other eggs in the bator if you have them all there together....

 

[BikerBabeRules]

I threw a barnyard mutt in with my last batch and thought I lost it after week 2. Fortunetly, I left it in there and it hatched right on schedule, perfect pip, unzip, perfect birth. Beautiful little one. His name is Festus and he has hairy legs. So, that means that little blue silkie roo has been after my big fat Rhode Island Reds. He hatched out of a huge brown egg. Not to worry, don't give up hope.

 

[wegotchickens]

I sure hope that little mutt hatches. My DD picked that egg as her 'favorite' when she gathered it, and REALLY wants to see the chick.
It'll be a cross between a blue splash silkie roo and my favorite EE, Ms P.

Thanks for the input.

Tuffold, they are all in there together. Do you mean that even being in there 4 days earlier, the drop in temps when the others were added may've slowed it's growth? So it may hatch with everyone else, and not early?
I worry because it was bigger than the other embryos, as best as I could tell (green shell), but now they seem to have caught up and I don't see changes in the mutt any more...

I really want the mutt to hatch, and I REALLY don't want to kill any potential babies.
Calm & scientific has been thrown out the window and now I'm a nervous wreck!!!
And I'd better not hatch any DUCKS!

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

Ducks are worse. Think you can bear the 28 days of wait till hatch. I had to wait more then 28 for my fluffy duck

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
Have had ducks and geese in the past. Definitely don't want any right now. No water source, and they are just too messy.
But you have my deepest sympathies over the length of the wait, and for your losses. I know you wanted more than one fluffy ducky!!

That's kinda why I'm getting so torn up right now...

 

[Smitty's Farm]

Keep us posted on dd mutt egg. Maybe it will hatch out w/ the rest of them. OOOh, you are going to have so many cute little chicks very soon.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

The mutt egg certainly won't be 4 days off but in my opinion it could hatch out alittle late....

 

[wegotchickens]

I thought my temps were a little low, but I must have 2 bum thermometers.

The mutt is still and unmoving.
But a silkie has pipped, and I hear peeps from some of the other eggs.

I was planning to candle tonight and remove the bum eggs to make room for sponges!!

So now what?
I'm trying to keep the humidity up because the silkie's membrane is looking awfully dry. I'm using papertowels because I can wad them up some so they fit between eggs.

I had some eggs I thought were bum, but I don't want to keep messing in the bator and don't want to remove someone who's still viable.

YIKES!
Guess who's not dreaming tonight, because I WON'T BE SLEEPING!!!!