First incubation coming soon, I am nervous! :D

[peepdaddy]

Some people have success "dry hatching" so a brief low humidity should be ok.

 

[VlkStinu]

I agree, it does seem a bit strange. Do you feel confident that the eggs were fertile?
My understanding is that you should not candle the eggs prior to day 7 since the embryo is still very fragile and can be damaged easily. Maybe someone else here has more knowledge of this and will be able to give you a better answer.

I made a thread where I posted pictures of the yolks from both of my hens and several members confirmed them to be fertile, so that made me confident to start collecting the eggs for incubation. The rooster was brought to the flock by the end of March so that's why I was making sure if the eggs are already fertile or not.

I will candle the eggs on the 7th day then. The wait will be long, damn... I really hope it will not turn out the same way...

 

[VlkStinu]

Have you broken any of you first batch to double check for any progress?

I still have the eggs, but I haven't opened any. I just saw the eggs through the candling LED and they were completely void of any sign of development. I could only see the intact yolk and the air cell with no change in size at all. Seeing pictures on the internet from the 9th day of incubation, it looked nothing like it. And they were all the same way, pretty much identical.

 

[VlkStinu]

Some people have success "dry hatching" so a brief low humidity should be ok.

That's great to hear, thank you.

 

[VlkStinu]

Here are pictures of the eggs I've candled - it's not all of them, just some of them, but they were pretty much all the same. Is it possible to tell if there was some development that later ceased or none at all?

 

[junior67]

Hi there, so I've done the candling on Sunday evening, which was essentially the 9th day. I managed to collect all the eggs by that day and decided to set them after the candling. It was the 8th day for the oldest eggs, so they are all very fresh and in the incubator at the moment.

What caught me by an unpleasant surprise though was the fact that all the eggs from the first batch, all of them, were absolutely void of any development. I think the eggs were just the way they were after being laid. There wasn't a single vein, just nothing. Only egg yolk and pure egg white from what I could see. Which on the 9th day of incubation is pretty clear. So I removed them from the incubator, feeling really bummed out. 12 beautiful eggs completely wasted (I suppose I have to throw them out). I don't know what happened - if it was all those things at the beginning that went wrong in the old incubator which killed the cells inside, so they couldn't even start developing. I am kinda hoping that is the case... I was posting pictures of the egg yolk in another thread before I started collecting eggs and many people confirmed they are fertile and that I can start collecting for incubation.

This time, I definitely want to do the candling sooner, just in case... I am really hoping this will not repeat, but just in case, I don't want the incubator to run for several days unnecessarily as it did with the first batch. What soonest candling day would you recommend? 7th day or can I do it sooner?

Everything went smoothly this time, the eggs are fresh, and the incubator is of high quality, the conditions inside stable and well regulated. The only thing that freaked me out yesterday was a drop in humidity while I was gone to visit my mom - I made sure there is enough water, leaving the incubator at 56% stable humidity in the noon and when I got back in the evening, couple minutes after arriving home, the low humidity alarm kicked in, which happens when the humidity reaches 33%. But I made a deduction that I got home just in time as the humidity was dropping rapidly (dropped by 7% further in just 3 minutes after I washed my hands right before I refilled the water), so it couldn't have been below 40% for more than 15 minutes and from the previous observations (once, during the first batch incubation, it dropped from 51% to 41% in just an hour when the water reserve was drying out), I am sure it was around 45%-50% in the last hour and most probably well above 50% for most of the day. I know I am being way too anxious about this and that this is nothing to worry about as it was a very brief drop and I was there just in time to remedy it right away, but seeing the first batch ruined, I got really jumpy about anything slightly off... Jumpier than I was before.

I just really hope the reason why the first batch didn't work out was because of the old incubator... It seems a bit strange that ALL the eggs were that way, but I guess it could happen?

I had the same thing with my first batch a bit ago... got rid of those (I started collecting more just in case since I candled at day 3 and saw nothing). started the next ones. I had also shown pics of my eggs and many said fertilized...... I did have 1 that said a "false positive" and not really fertilized. figured that couldn't be it as so many said fertilized. Set the 2nd set and same thing nothing........


I have Cochins so some said their fluffy butts may be getting in the way of fertilization. decided to try ONE more time before I had to take 4-5 weeks off since I had chicks coming in and they would be too old to put the babies with so had to wait till they were out of the brooder. started to collect eggs from the one girl I wanted to hatch eggs from (after I trimmed my roos butt and her butt). Well 3 days into collecting she went broody!!!!!!! So I ordered eggs from ebay. I just set them yesterday. some in the incubator and some under the broody. fingers crossed the shipped ones are really fertilized and do ok despite the shipping and that the feather trimming worked and the 3 I got from her are fertilized!!!!!!

Wish I could help you on what happened but I still can't figure out mine unless it was the "false positive" and butt fluff got in the way of them completely connecting. Just wanted you to know that you are not alone!

Good luck with your next hatch!

 

[VlkStinu]

I had the same thing with my first batch a bit ago... got rid of those (I started collecting more just in case since I candled at day 3 and saw nothing). started the next ones. I had also shown pics of my eggs and many said fertilized...... I did have 1 that said a "false positive" and not really fertilized. figured that couldn't be it as so many said fertilized. Set the 2nd set and same thing nothing........


I have Cochins so some said their fluffy butts may be getting in the way of fertilization. decided to try ONE more time before I had to take 4-5 weeks off since I had chicks coming in and they would be too old to put the babies with so had to wait till they were out of the brooder. started to collect eggs from the one girl I wanted to hatch eggs from (after I trimmed my roos butt and her butt). Well 3 days into collecting she went broody!!!!!!! So I ordered eggs from ebay. I just set them yesterday. some in the incubator and some under the broody. fingers crossed the shipped ones are really fertilized and do ok despite the shipping and that the feather trimming worked and the 3 I got from her are fertilized!!!!!!

Wish I could help you on what happened but I still can't figure out mine unless it was the "false positive" and butt fluff got in the way of them completely connecting. Just wanted you to know that you are not alone!

Good luck with your next hatch!

Thank you, I appreciate your message! And wishing you all the best with your eggs, both the ones under the broody hen and the ones in the incubator. I will see how mines are doing on Sunday, won't know anything until then...

 

[junior67]

Thank you, I appreciate your message! And wishing you all the best with your eggs, both the ones under the broody hen and the ones in the incubator. I will see how mines are doing on Sunday, won't know anything until then...

I am impatient so check on day 3. Lol. Hopefully will see veining then. Will give the ones under the broody an extra day so I will check the incubator ones Fri and Broody Sat.

Most people say days 3-5 to check some say day 7. I can't wait till day 5 even. You are strong to make it till day 7!!!

 

[VlkStinu]

I am impatient so check on day 3. Lol. Hopefully will see veining then. Will give the ones under the broody an extra day so I will check the incubator ones Fri and Broody Sat.

Most people say days 3-5 to check some say day 7. I can't wait till day 5 even. You are strong to make it till day 7!!!

Yeah, totally understand that, the waiting is killing me honestly. But I want to give them the best possible chance if they are developing and not disturb the conditions inside the incubator. And everything will be much clearer on the 7th day. But damn, I wish I could check them sooner.

 

[junior67]

Yeah, totally understand that, the waiting is killing me honestly. But I want to give them the best possible chance if they are developing and not disturb the conditions inside the incubator. And everything will be much clearer on the 7th day. But damn, I wish I could check them sooner.

From what I have read the eggs don't cool that quick and broody hens get off the nest once a day so opening the incubator and candling them won't harm anything. But everyone has their own way to do it.