Fertile, developing, scrambled, or dud? Chicken, quail & turkey eggs!

[Pennys Mama]

What about a normal pencil? It won't be as easy to see as your sharpie, but it would be pretty quick to grab an egg and test whether it shows up well enough.

Or maybe a crayon--all the ones I've seen are labeled non-toxic, because kids might eat them, so they're probably safe to put on the outside of an eggshell too.

I don't even own a "regular" pencil anymore.
I do however own multiple carpenters pencils!
I think I'll give one of those a try.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I took several CQ eggs out of the incubator today, cracked them open to check their fertility, they were pretty little duds. Looks like my "Silver" CQ is doing his job, it's exciting to see your own eggs in the bator!
Also I'm hoping at least 2 T's hatch.
Looks like I might have a few CQ & a couple chooks & gobblers hatch, maybe, hopefully.

We'll just have to wait, & see.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I have heard that a marker can cause ink to leach through to the embryo. I have been using a marker too, but I'm going to try using something else, like a pencil. Just be careful not to write too much information on the egg because it makes candling a lot more difficult to read. As long as you mark a letter for breed & a number

Ink from markers won't leak down to the embryo. It does leak to the outer membrane attached to the shell, most markers are non-toxic.

 

[DuckDuckGooseMum]

Ink from markers won't leak down to the embryo. It does leak to the outer membrane attached to the shell, most markers are non-toxic.

Thank you very much! It's one of those things I had read, then started to look into and found conflicting information...got sidetracked and hadn't gotten back to.

 

[DuckDuckGooseMum]

I thought about using the colored pencils. I have a pack for some sort of craft project I did...or possibly just nabbed for my stationary..ink pen..etc stash! Lol.
I figured that with an assortment of colors, it would be easier to choose one that would stand out on some of the patterned eggs. A bright yellow perhaps, might stand out against the darker Maran eggs & Sweedish duck eggs, etc..
Has anyone tried these?

 

[MysteryChicken]

Thank you very much! It's one of those things I had read, then started to look into and found conflicting information...got sidetracked and hadn't gotten back to.

You're welcome. I use fine tipped drawing sharpies from China, never had ink leakage beyond the outer membrane.

 

[DuckDuckGooseMum]

I need a fine tip. (Note to self!) Lol
I am anxiously awaiting to see how things go with a hatch due today. So far no pips.
Had to take my son to work and noticed my humidity was 54% and now I'm concerned that it might be too low and trying to hurry to get back home. I have tried 2 mail order clutches of eggs so far and only had 1 hatch. So I'm concerned these won't either.
This is my 3rd go and they got off to a bad start. The box was damaged and most eggs were broken. Of those that remained, several were not fertile and several more were slightly damaged.. hairlines mostly. I learned that these should almost always be discarded also, as all but 2 cracked in the incubator and made a mess & probably caused more damage. I won't be doing that again! A few more have leaked clear sticky material or syrup looking material or both and so I have no idea what to expect. I have seen definite movement from a couple of them rolling the eggs and seen movement..albeit very slight..via candling, so I have held out hope. I am trying hard not to be discouraged and to utilize this time to gain experience and knowledge about the process, but it is very intimidating and nerve wracking!
I welcome any advice or input from fellow incubator parents!

 

[Pennys Mama]

I need a fine tip. (Note to self!) Lol
I am anxiously awaiting to see how things go with a hatch due today. So far no pips.
Had to take my son to work and noticed my humidity was 54% and now I'm concerned that it might be too low and trying to hurry to get back home. I have tried 2 mail order clutches of eggs so far and only had 1 hatch. So I'm concerned these won't either.
This is my 3rd go and they got off to a bad start. The box was damaged and most eggs were broken. Of those that remained, several were not fertile and several more were slightly damaged.. hairlines mostly. I learned that these should almost always be discarded also, as all but 2 cracked in the incubator and made a mess & probably caused more damage. I won't be doing that again! A few more have leaked clear sticky material or syrup looking material or both and so I have no idea what to expect. I have seen definite movement from a couple of them rolling the eggs and seen movement..albeit very slight..via candling, so I have held out hope. I am trying hard not to be discouraged and to utilize this time to gain experience and knowledge about the process, but it is very intimidating and nerve wracking!
I welcome any advice or input from fellow incubator parents!

What Incubator are you using?