I set 41 eggs 3 weeks ago Monday at 4:30 pm in a still air incubator. Had a party yesterday and wanted some chick action for entertainment. Being its my first time and all I was a little worried that it wouldn't work out. I definitely saw 6 or 7 live embryos when I candled at one week. Unfortunately I had a bunch of eggs I couldn't see through, they just looked see through at the bottom and farther from the light an opaque mass. They are a variety of shell colors, so that might be why some were harder to see. I wasn't sure what the cloudy eggs meant but I left them be.
I first heard chicks chirping Sunday night, so I knew I had at least one chick that should make it. By midday Monday I had 4 pipping. 5 had hatched by 11pm and another 3 hatched overnight. This morning I quickly took out the dry chicks and spent eggs. At least 3 or 4 more are pipping now.
Here's the curious part. I had 7 numbered broken egg shells and 8 chicks. I counted and recounted the chicks and counted and recounted the remaining eggs and I still have 34 unhatched eggs. That means one that hatched must be twins, but I'm not noticing any smaller/weaker chicks and I didn't place any unusually shaped/sized eggs in the incubator, so I'm a little surprised. I know twins have a higher mortality rate, so I'll keep an eye out. Never expected to get twins!!!
The chicks are a barnyard assortment with EE and Marans roos over mostly Welsummer, Marans, and EE chicks. I'm going for dark brown, green, and olive eggs. Threw in a few eggs from the Speckled Sussex, Australorp, Barred Rocks, and Dominiques just for fun.
I'm curious to see how the rest of the hatch finishes up too. I can see how incubating/hatching could become addictive!
I first heard chicks chirping Sunday night, so I knew I had at least one chick that should make it. By midday Monday I had 4 pipping. 5 had hatched by 11pm and another 3 hatched overnight. This morning I quickly took out the dry chicks and spent eggs. At least 3 or 4 more are pipping now.
Here's the curious part. I had 7 numbered broken egg shells and 8 chicks. I counted and recounted the chicks and counted and recounted the remaining eggs and I still have 34 unhatched eggs. That means one that hatched must be twins, but I'm not noticing any smaller/weaker chicks and I didn't place any unusually shaped/sized eggs in the incubator, so I'm a little surprised. I know twins have a higher mortality rate, so I'll keep an eye out. Never expected to get twins!!!
The chicks are a barnyard assortment with EE and Marans roos over mostly Welsummer, Marans, and EE chicks. I'm going for dark brown, green, and olive eggs. Threw in a few eggs from the Speckled Sussex, Australorp, Barred Rocks, and Dominiques just for fun.
I'm curious to see how the rest of the hatch finishes up too. I can see how incubating/hatching could become addictive!
