First Time Egg Candler Scared!

Ok guys, I'm kinda freaking out. Today is almost day 20, I set them at night, so technically that's tonight. But I can candle through the brinsea mini and 2 of them look like the air cells have gotten huge! I could still see a little movement in one. Does this mean they shrink wrapped???
 
I'm new to this too so I'm not much help. I marked my air cells on day 7&14 and there was quote a not of change. From day 14 to 18 (early this morning) it had changed more. Did you check them before you put them on lockdown? Maybe it gets bigger after they internally pip? Hopefully someone with more experience will help answer your question. We go in lockdown today after lunch:) Good luck with your hatch. We have 19 EE eggs.
 
Ok guys, I'm kinda freaking out. Today is almost day 20, I set them at night, so technically that's tonight. But I can candle through the brinsea mini and 2 of them look like the air cells have gotten huge! I could still see a little movement in one. Does this mean they shrink wrapped???

Are you saying you could see into the egg without removing it from the incubator? The air cell will draw down a lot more in lockdown, and look different as the chick gets into final position. It is possible that they have pipped internally. Can you hear any chirping?
 
Are you saying you could see into the egg without removing it from the incubator? The air cell will draw down a lot more in lockdown, and look different as the chick gets into final position. It is possible that they have pipped internally. Can you hear any chirping?
Some people are lucky to be able to do this. Usually it's the small brinseas that they can manage that feat...lol

Yes, as WV said, the air cell draws down before the internal pip. Sometimes it looks like a massive amount, usually it is normal. It doesn not mean that they are shrink wrapped. (Doesn't mean they are not either.) But overall, that is what you expect to see. If there is movement, that is good. Once they shrinkwrap, you really aren't going to see movement.
 
Some people are lucky to be able to do this. Usually it's the small brinseas that they can manage that feat...lol

Yes, as WV said, the air cell draws down before the internal pip. Sometimes it looks like a massive amount, usually it is normal. It doesn not mean that they are shrink wrapped. (Doesn't mean they are not either.) But overall, that is what you expect to see. If there is movement, that is good. Once they shrinkwrap, you really aren't going to see movement.
Ok, thank god! I have NOT opened the incubator! But, like you said, with the brinsea you can shine the light through the plastic and see into the egg. My father-in-law used to be a police man and I use one of his little flashlights. 100 times better then the candler I bought, that I plan on returning. No internal pips yet that I can see. Every hour I sit back down in front of the incubator and shine the light in. I can't help myself. I'm dying to know whats going on in those little eggs. I was shocked when I saw how much the air cell grew on one last night. Then it happened to another one this morning. I hope they are just getting ready for their grand entrance. I also think I am loosing my mind. The smoke detector in the basement needs a new battery and it beeps intermittently and I keep thinking it's peeps coming from the incubator. Longest few days of my life....besides when I went 2 weeks late with my last pregnancy!!!
 
Ok, thank god! I have NOT opened the incubator! But, like you said, with the brinsea you can shine the light through the plastic and see into the egg. My father-in-law used to be a police man and I use one of his little flashlights. 100 times better then the candler I bought, that I plan on returning. No internal pips yet that I can see. Every hour I sit back down in front of the incubator and shine the light in. I can't help myself. I'm dying to know whats going on in those little eggs. I was shocked when I saw how much the air cell grew on one last night. Then it happened to another one this morning. I hope they are just getting ready for their grand entrance. I also think I am loosing my mind. The smoke detector in the basement needs a new battery and it beeps intermittently and I keep thinking it's peeps coming from the incubator. Longest few days of my life....besides when I went 2 weeks late with my last pregnancy!!!
LOL. Love it when the batteries die. At least it's not one of the wired ones and repeats: low battery over and over. It SHOULD signify (if everything is going right) time is near for internal pips. My chicks are usually early and my son was early, so I just must be an early arriver with everything...lol
 
Ok, thank god! I have NOT opened the incubator! But, like you said, with the brinsea you can shine the light through the plastic and see into the egg. My father-in-law used to be a police man and I use one of his little flashlights. 100 times better then the candler I bought, that I plan on returning. No internal pips yet that I can see. Every hour I sit back down in front of the incubator and shine the light in. I can't help myself. I'm dying to know whats going on in those little eggs. I was shocked when I saw how much the air cell grew on one last night. Then it happened to another one this morning. I hope they are just getting ready for their grand entrance. I also think I am loosing my mind. The smoke detector in the basement needs a new battery and it beeps intermittently and I keep thinking it's peeps coming from the incubator. Longest few days of my life....besides when I went 2 weeks late with my last pregnancy!!!
My eggs that got shrink wrapped did not have huge air cells at day 21 they were big, but not huge. The air cells were almost 50% of the egg by day 24 on the shrink wrapped eggs. They were probably 30% of the egg on day 21, but so were the healthy ones. I don't think the shrink wrapping killed them. I think they failed before day 21 and the egg just lost a lot more humidity after demise shrink wrapping the chick. I'm of course making a huge guess on this. I know what you mean by loosing your mind. I was dreaming about chicks hatching half way and stressing myself out like crazy. Strange, my stressing about it didn't change the outcome.
smile.png
I can't wait to do it again.
 
My eggs that got shrink wrapped did not have huge air cells at day 21 they were big, but not huge. The air cells were almost 50% of the egg by day 24 on the shrink wrapped eggs. They were probably 30% of the egg on day 21, but so were the healthy ones. I don't think the shrink wrapping killed them. I think they failed before day 21 and the egg just lost a lot more humidity after demise shrink wrapping the chick. I'm of course making a huge guess on this. I know what you mean by loosing your mind. I was dreaming about chicks hatching half way and stressing myself out like crazy. Strange, my stressing about it didn't change the outcome.
smile.png
I can't wait to do it again.
That's very possible. How are your chicks doing??
 
That's very possible. How are your chicks doing??
5 out of the 6 are doing perfectly. Unfortunately the one guy with the bum leg would not eat or drink. I tried to dropper feed him but he just wouldn't have it. I just don't think he had the mental capacity. It was a real reminder that if you are going to keep a meaningful amount of birds and if your going to hatch eggs you are going to see some cute little fuzzy chicks die. It's a harsh view, but it's farm life and it made me realize how far removed we really are from farm like family's and good old real life lessons. We tried everything we could, but at the end of the day you are going to loose chicks and chickens if you hatch and keep them.

3 of them are in this pic!
 
I found an automatic egg turner locally so I'm building a new incubator for it this week. It looks like a Frankenstein Model 001 incubator. I hope to be setting eggs again this weekend, but they will be free eggs from a RIR over Red Sexlinks.
 
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