First, Second, Third and on and on Incubator hatch help appreciated

[WVduckchick]

I've tried to egg carton thing...you've got to cut away a lot of the carton to preserve air flow...and you're correct, you can miss low pips. I found it to be too restrictive, thinks they need to be able to roll the egg a bit to get out sometimes.

I have to agree with laying them down. For those reasons, plus i think laying down is more like under a broody (although i do prefer upright thru incubation)


Scott, those silkies are gorgeous! Hope yours grow out like them!

 

[aart]

(although i do prefer upright thru incubation)

Yes, in a turner.
Had a low pipper last incubation, was 'early'.... discovered on lock down day.
It must have thought the edge of rack cup was the air cell?
Oozed onto the rack and dried like glue, had to take turner apart to chip it off, then assist later. That was a hairy day!

 

[ScottandSam]

Day 7 will fall on Thursday night. We also have our 1st parent teacher conference for our daughter on Thursday.
So our first candling has been moved to day 8 on Friday.

This time around were changing things up a little. Lots of pics of all eggs (32 to start) and pics of all egg autopsy performed. We appreciate all the feedback from all of you. Our thoughts were that maybe we would show everything and that could help someone else in the byc community. The wait is killing us.lol
Scott

 

[ScottandSam]

Well were here at day 7 and I am sick to my stomach. If I had to make a decision today I think I'd sell the incubator and only buy day old from breeders. We know its not the incubators issue because of the 2 different shipped eggs. I am waiting to see if the seller will help out cause at day 7 we should have way more than 2 good silkie eggs. the pom pom are doing acceptable progress at this point. 4 dead of the 18 and 2 no progress. so 12/ 18. silkies are 2/14, 12 no progress. We left in the no progress eggs and hopefully we are wrong but I don't think so.
Anyways on a happier note lets start out with the bad egg pics................................................................

first egg autopsy from above pictured egg.Rotten .....

Scott

 

[ScottandSam]

Here are what I mentioned as no progress at this point or at least no clear signs. 1 may have the beginning of a blood ring In one but these were put back in and hopefully I have no idea what I am talking about.........

well I think I upload those right. 16 in all .

Scott

 

[WVduckchick]

Wow. Bummer.
Clearly blood rings in those first ones. I'm on mobile, so can't tell in the last set, so I'd say leave them and look again at day 10, but they sure don't look hopeful. But....some shells are deceiving. I breed lavender Orpingtons and as light as their shell color is, you'd think they would be easy, but they are very hard to see into! I always leave them till day 10 minimum.
You can also candle from the bottom and look at where the yolk floats. Can't remember off the top of my head, but i can almost always compare a known good one to an iffy one and see where the dark yellow is, and make an educated guess, even before i see any veining.

Fingers crossed!

 

[ScottandSam]

So that leaves us the known good ones.........................

Scott

 

[aart]

If I had to make a decision today I think I'd sell the incubator and only buy day old from breeders.

Incubation is hard-lots of variables, especially with shipped eggs, but it can be good too.
I like being able to hatch from my own flock, and being able to (pretty much) decide when to 'get new chicks'. But my goals are only to have a 'perpetual' and closed laying flock.

 

[ScottandSam]

Well after thinking all day about this. We have decided no more shipped eggs. We will simple go after eggs that we can drive to get in a 5 hour or less. This really limits what we can get our hands on but we are not by any means rich enough to throw 50 or 100 dollars bills away on shipped eggs. I have seen our incubator do 80% hatch out on local eggs and I know we can do even better. After enough hatches we then will have the roos needed to make our own fertile eggs with the breeds we want for laying, showing and selling from time to time. I also am thinking we wont ship fertile eggs either. All is subject to change as is everything in life but this loss had hit us when we were low anyways, and will be felt for some time.
Scott

 

[WVduckchick]

I understand Scott, but keep a watch on the 24-hour auction thread here this spring. Sometimes extra eggs come up that folks let go cheaper, just to save from tossing them. And byc folks seem to pack and ship better than ebay, FB, etc. I won't do shipped eggs from anyone outside of byc. Just a thought.