February Hatch-A-Long

[RrooKk]

I’ve never had an egg explode. When you candled at lock down if the eggs smell or are seeping you should remove them.

Right, that's my normal routine too! But the actual act of an egg exploding in an incubator is it like BOOM guts all over the other eggs or is it more anticlimactic than that?

I check my eggs fairly frequently. Like last night I had a suspicion that one of my more porous eggs wasn't doing well. Embryo seemed very small and lethargic and I could see a really rapid heartbeat. The egg itself just seemed thin. (I have an older hen who I knew laid this one but I wanted some chicks from her because she was one of my original chickens EVER) But there was movement with the embryo so I left it. But when I woke up this morning it had died through the night. *sadness*

 

[WallyG74]

At Day 7 you can often see a bit (in blue/green/chocolate eggs), but if you don't have a high power candler then it is sometimes tricky. By Day 14 you will be able to tell 100% whether they have developed as you can see where the dark membrane meets the air cell in a living embryo. You can candle Day 7, but I would hold off making any decisions until the second candle at Day 14 when eggs aren't easy to see into. It becomes very clear what you infertile or early quitters are as you get well into incubation.

I was using the candler that came with the 4250 incubator. I have my own NR360 now. The light on it is super blinding and I plan to have a really good flashlight as a backup also.

 

[shaila]

I'm very curious...when people say it explodes is it like... BOOM junk everywhere? or? Did it get on other eggs? I'm very curious as I'm terrified of this exact thing happening to me
Getting down to the wire though!!

I haven't had an egg explode in the incubator yet, but I've had quail eggs pop outside the incubator (being missed in quality checks on counter stash). The sound and funky smell are worse than the actual mess. That said, I'd recommend doing a generous range of sanitizing if you experience it.

 

[BuckeyeFoodie]

So, my 2.5 egg hatched right on schedule, another stripy little grey silkie! But has anyone heard anything about low temperature affecting Roo fertility? My girls are laying sporadically, but so far nothing else I've put in the incubator is fertile (including from crosses that I have been AI'ing). It's in the teens/single digits F here, but my coop has heat lamps and heated seed mats under the waterers (and one of my hens is laying on top of the heat mat now, right in the middle of the floor, I'm laughing about it!), so it's a bit warmer in there...

 

[-Kiwi-]

Right, that's my normal routine too! But the actual act of an egg exploding in an incubator is it like BOOM guts all over the other eggs or is it more anticlimactic than that?

I check my eggs fairly frequently. Like last night I had a suspicion that one of my more porous eggs wasn't doing well. Embryo seemed very small and lethargic and I could see a really rapid heartbeat. The egg itself just seemed thin. (I have an older hen who I knew laid this one but I wanted some chicks from her because she was one of my original chickens EVER) But there was movement with the embryo so I left it. But when I woke up this morning it had died through the night. *sadness*

I couldn't really tell and its really hard to candle quail eggs due to the spots so i hadn't really been checking. I think this one just popped and leaked a little and none got on the other eggs.

 

[LilyD]

Had to expand the brooder already for these guys to 41X82 they are already getting big next batch of 42 eggs in the incubator cooking since Thursday night hatch date will just squeak in under the Feb Hatch times lol. Due the 26th evening.

 

[EJn]

Lockdown day today!! Hopefully soon we will see little eyes looking back at us.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Haven't posted here in a bit, but I thought I would update.

First group of 7 eggs went in January 26. Two duds, five developed. Four of those were early embryo deaths, so just one is still going.

Next group, 3 eggs. I was going to do another batch of 6 or 7 once I had that many, but after I realized I had a lone egg developing, I went ahead and put these in on the second so that first baby isn't alone for long should it hatch. 3 for 3 are developing on those

Third group of four eggs went in today. One is very porous so I'm not sure it'll do well, but I'm hopeful for the other three! My OEGBs tend to hatch a bit early, so these ones might hatch right at the end of February, or they might end up being early March babies.

This is my first time really staggering a hatch like this, but I have two incubators so I'm not terribly nervous as the second one can be my hatcher. I'm more nervous about having a lone chick for a week, honestly!



Love all the pictures and videos! It's so hard to wait for mine to hatch!!

 

[The Cave]

Woo! A little late to this thread, glad I found it though. But I currently have 33 Silkie eggs and 2 D'uccle/silkie cross eggs (for funzies) in my incubator and today is day 14! So excited. It's been years since I've hatched eggs from my own hens. But I got a handsome cuckoo roo last year and I couldn't help but hatch some out! About 16 of them are unrelated to my flock from a local silkie breeder. The remainder are from my own ladies.

Will be following this thread

Can't wait for photos!!!


@LilyD That is so cute, love the snooze fest haha!

 

[LilyD]

Can't wait for photos!!!


@LilyD That is so cute, love the snooze fest haha!

Lol you missed it right after I set it up earlier today they were using the length of the brooder as a runway and practicing running and flapping their wings it was adorable. All 18 are healthy and happy. We almost lost Pokey the last to hatch because she was low on energy after taking so long to get out of the egg. Hubby gave her honey water a few times while I was at work and she was better by the next day thank goodness. Going to end up keeping that one lol. He is attached.