eggs are getting gray spots

[melramsey]

Day 21 the eggs were rocking with no sounds but now on day 23 ive noticed light gray spots are popping up. I took the advice to place the eggs in a large container with hot tap water to check if there was movement and there was(I think). This is more stressful then when I went to give birth to my own children!!!! This is my second attempt. My first one I only had 3 eggs and they all died at differant stages so I thought I fixed the problems. This time I did 3 again and they were all doing well until the 21st day. I went out and got a new thermometer to made sure the other one was correct and it was. Does anyone know what the light gray spots are?

 

[bobbi-j]

I have not experienced that particular problem. I would go more by whether or not your eggs are showing any signs of life (rocking, peeping, pips, etc.) By day 23, there should be something there - especially if they were rocking on Day 21. If there is nothing, I'm guessing that they are no longer alive.

 

[melramsey]

ive read that I can poke a tiny hole where the air sack is to check if it is still alive. If it is then to place it back. should I try that?

 

[bobbi-j]

That's a choice that only you can make. I wouldn't, but I'm more of a hands-off-let-Nature-take-its-course kind of hatcher. If the chick is alive and healthy, it will hatch. If it's not, it won't. I firmly believe that chicks that aren't strong enough to hatch on their own will not thrive on their own, either. Yes, I know that lots of people have assisted and their chicks are just fine, with care and time. That's just not how I do it. If this were my situation, I would take the eggs out of the incubator, dispose of them, think about what time of year it is and probably wait until spring before trying again. That's just me. I would be interested in knowing how this turns out for you, though, so please keep posting updates!

 

[melramsey]

The egg that had the light gray spots was a bad egg, Its development stopped a while ago. The other 2 must have died 2 days ago. I checked them and it seems as though the membrane was very tight. Im not sure what causes that. Its sad to have lost the 2 at such a later stage but Im so thankful I did not do a large batch as many do(I would be balling my eyes out for a week). I think Im going to try one more time with just 3 eggs that I have already from today.