first incubation

[kimismurf]

hey guys, this is my first incubation. I have 12 eggs in the incubator that I put in there Tuesday night. I don't know how to tell if they are fertile, but I got them From somebody locally on Craigslist. From what I read I should be able to see a dark spot called a bullseye in the center of the yolk but when I can candle them I don't know what I'm looking for and I don't see anything but yoke. One of the eggs that is white I did think that I saw a dark spot in the middle but I wasn't real sure. I know that I shouldn't be candling them until at least day 5 but should someone as inexperienced as myself be able to tell for sure if it's even a little. Can you really tell if an egg is fertile or not or is it really just a guessing game. I guess I'm just worried that she just gave me an egg that she thinks is fertile.

 

[kuchchicks]

If you are talking about the bull's eye on the yolk to check fertility that is seen by cracking open the egg. Once your eggs are in the bator wait until about day 7 and candle them. You should be able to see blood vessels (veins). This is pretty easy with white or light brown eggs. The dark shells (dark brown, blue, green, etc) are difficult to candle. At this point I would probably just leave your eggs in the bator and treat them like they are fertile (ie keeping your temp and humidity set at the right levels). Wait a few more days and then you should have your answer. Good luck!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

If you are talking about the bull's eye on the yolk to check fertility that is seen by cracking open the egg. Once your eggs are in the bator wait until about day 7 and candle them. You should be able to see blood vessels (veins). This is pretty easy with white or light brown eggs. The dark shells (dark brown, blue, green, etc) are difficult to candle. At this point I would probably just leave your eggs in the bator and treat them like they are fertile (ie keeping your temp and humidity set at the right levels). Wait a few more days and then you should have your answer. Good luck!

xs 2
The only way you can see the bullseye is by cracking open an egg before incubation. Then you would be looking for the bullseye which would look like this:



The only way you can tell if an egg is fertile during incubation is by seeing developement. I can usually start seeing veining by day 3, but that is not neccessarily when everyone sees them and it depends on the egg coloring as well to what you will or won't see when. Usually you can detect veining first around the edge of the air cell. If you'd like a good candling guide, check out this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-candling-pics-progression-though-incubation (keep in mind they are bantam eggs and easy to see into.)

If you put them in Tuesday night (May 5th) Day one will start Wednesday night (May 6th) So your lockdown date would be late Saturday May 23rd-24th with expected hatch day being late Tues May 26th-27.

If you'd like help or tips with incubating, let us know and we are happy to help. (FYI please do not follow incubator instructions-especially if you have a styrobator- for incubating eggs as their temp instructions for the still air and their humidity instructions are not good.) You will find a wealth of knowledge (and many different philosophies) here on BYC that can help you.

I wish you lots of luck on your hatch.

 

[kimismurf]

Thanks, I don't turn down help. I made the incubator myself. The humidity is at 55 and the temp is 100. I have been turning them 3 times a day. I picked a candling flash light on clearance yesterday and was going to use it Saturday night. I'm just stressed that the lady sold me eggs that aren't fertilized.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Thanks, I don't turn down help. I made the incubator myself. The humidity is at 55 and the temp is 100. I have been turning them 3 times a day. I picked a candling flash light on clearance yesterday and was going to use it Saturday night. I'm just stressed that the lady sold me eggs that aren't fertilized.

Can I make a suggestion? Don't run humidity that high during the first 17 days. I believe anything higher than 45% is pushing it. IMO low humidity incubation is the way to go, but definitely monitor the air cells for confirmation no matter what humidity you run at. I use this method (http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity ) and if you have a tested accurate thermometer/hygrometer and a fairly steady incubator I swear by it. If you don't have a fan, 101-102F (taken near the top of the eggs) is recommended. I hope you find they are well fertilized and see some growth here soon.

Oh, and kuddos on the DIY incubator.

I'm too scared to try to make one myself....lol

 

[WVduckchick]

You will know pretty soon if they are fertile or not. Don't stress too much over it. If this person sells good fertile eggs, its still a possibility that you might have a clear or two, but that's not unusual.

And I was typing out stuff about 55% humidity too, but Amy sums it up. I agree 55% is too high for NC.

(( Amy - you should put your blog link in your signature! ))

 

[scflock]

Can I make a suggestion? Don't run humidity that high during the first 17 days. I believe anything higher than 45% is pushing it. IMO low humidity incubation is the way to go, but definitely monitor the air cells for confirmation no matter what humidity you run at. I use this method (http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity ) and if you have a tested accurate thermometer/hygrometer and a fairly steady incubator I swear by it. If you don't have a fan, 101-102F (taken near the top of the eggs) is recommended. I hope you find they are well fertilized and see some growth here soon.

Oh, and kuddos on the DIY incubator.

I'm too scared to try to make one myself....lol

+1 on everything Amy said

3 days is early to see development, but by 7 days the veining will be obvious. I strongly agree with Amy on humidity. 45% is the highest I would run for the first 18 days

 

[kimismurf]

Okay, thank you so much. I will lower the humidity as soon as I get home. Here is a picture of my incubator that I made. The bowl now has a small sponge in it to prevent anyone from drowning. The levels on the monitor in this pic aren't accurate as this was during the build.

[/IMG]

 

[kimismurf]

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Okay, thank you so much. I will lower the humidity as soon as I get home. Here is a picture of my incubator that I made. The bowl now has a small sponge in it to prevent anyone from drowning. The levels on the monitor in this pic aren't accurate as this was during the build.

[/URL]