embryo development-help, newbie

[clothdiaperingmom]

I had 2 oozing eggs in my incubator the other day. They really stunk.

I broke them open, and awwwww there were chicks with feathers, but dead. =-(

Question: What day of development do they get feathers? (I think I read 12th day?)

Another question: Is it possible that eggs from same person, shipped together, set in incubator on same day, could develop at different rates? I ask because the chicks in the eggs I broke open are of the same batch that some of the others dont look as big when I candle them. They had only been in the bator for 8 days at that point.
Some of the other eggs, I cant see anything but the air cell when I candle. I can see a little through the membrane the end the air cell is on. I cant even see to tell if anything is moving.
Yet in the other eggs, I can see the eye moving and see a little bit through the egg.

If they are at different development stages, Im not going to know to up the humidity and stop opening the bator and turning them. Yikes!

Any knowledge from anyone here? THis is my 1st hatch..... so I dont know very much!
Thanks

 

[tamelroy]

all I can give you is this, I am still new too.

http://chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/explore/embryology/

 

[clothdiaperingmom]

Nobody else has any 1st hand knowledge on this??

 

[Katy]

I think whoever you got the eggs from sent you some eggs that had been partially incubated before they ever got to you. There would not be that much difference in development. The fact that they were weeping and stunk is a pretty sure sign that they were old eggs before they ever were sent.