Failed first clutch?

[Snecklifter]

Hello all.

I'm no stranger to keeping chickens, my fiancee has a fair amount on her family's farm but this is the first time we've attempted to hatch our own chicks!

I bought a Brinsea Mini Advanced (Useless trivia: I used to make and test the circuit boards that go into Brinsea's incubators, so it's a fair chance if you've got a Brinsea I helped make it..) and I got 6 Rhode Island Red eggs off eBay.

I've completely followed the instructions given to the letter. The display now reads "Day 0" and has done for the last couple of days so I'm guessing I'm on about Day 23/24.

I'm seeing NO activity from the eggs. Well, one of them seems to wiggle ever so slightly if I keep watching it but I honestly can't tell if it's just my eyes and the heat inside the incubator playing tricks on them. I've tried shouting to see if I can hear any cheeping but that doesn't work.

How long do I wait before I just bin the eggs and try again? I will admit I haven't candled them at all as I just figured if they hatch they hatch. I'm scared to take them out to try now because I know you're not supposed to mess with them while they're in "lockdown."

Am I just throwing the towel in a little too early? Maybe I just got 6 infertile eggs in the post. It's very disheartening!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Shipped eggs can be rough. I’ve had a 100% successful hatch with shipped eggs but I’ve had some really bad ones too. There is a lot that can go wrong.

Don’t get too hung up abut not opening it during lockdown. If an egg has not pipped you are not going to do any damage at all. Even if the egg has pipped, there is a pretty good chance you won’t hurt it. It’s possible that they can dry out if they have pipped, not that they absolutely will.

Eggs can easily be two or three days early or late, under a broody or in an incubator. There are a lot of different reasons for that. If the eggs have not pipped, I suggest you try the float test. Put the eggs in a bowl of still water. They will float after that many days. If the eggs wiggle on their own, something is alive inside. Put those back in the incubator. If the eggs do not move on their own after a minute or so, toss them. They are no good.

 

[Snecklifter]

Thanks for the reply. I will try the water test, is there a certain temperature it has to be?

 

[Snecklifter]

Well, I just tried float testing a couple. One sank, one bobbed but didn't move. Candled them, 3 I can see straight through like this one

The others I can see an air sac at the bottom and a shadow above it.