First Time Incubating. *Pics*

[Colourful]

I candled all 28 eggs tonight and only had 2 that I'm not sure about, but even if I only have 2 not kick off that's still good! I will check again in another 7 days.

Congratulations! 18/20 fertile is fantastic!

I'm candling mine tonight, can't wait to see what I've got going!

 

[NestingHillsSC]

I have LIFE!!!

Candled 3 of the 20 eggs this morning. Day 4. All 3 had the dot and the spider veins.

Duck eggs day 4 nothing I can see. Air cell and yoke only still. Don't want to mess with the others too much.

 

[Colourful]

Congratulations udovichtony. I love seeing that little blob of life, and I'm glad it's there. Maybe the duck eggs won't show for a little while longer since they take 4 weeks to hatch?

Yays! I just candled, but no photos right now because I didn't want the eggs to cool down too much since I was looking at so many.

Out of 38, I have 26 officially fertile and another 4 maybe so. All 14 Australorp eggs showed little moving blobs with a good smattering of veins. I have two definitely fertile Sebrights and and another couple maybe so. I did drop one Sebright egg (made me gasp in horror) but it was just after I candled it and said to myself "Clear. Not a fertile" And as luck would have it I was right. So 38 is down to 37 eggs still in, but there have been no loss of life yet. I'm tossing the bad eggs on day 14 (16th February).

Wow, this is so much fun! I can't wait to meet my little chicks. Actually, the wait was so hard on me I went and bought some day old Sebright and Silkie chicks. In my defence, they are from the same breeder I got the eggs from and we were going to be in the vicinity of her place on the day anyway. I also didn't think I would get many fertile Sebrights at all, turns out the Sebright rooster that fathered my chicks, died the week before my eggs were sent to me. I know that some should be fertile, but to have all of them so would have been a stretch.

On another note, I didn't think that Sebrights could be sexed by their wings within the first few days of hatching, but I have two with short pin-feathers and two with long ones. I wonder if that means I have two boys and two girls? Here's a couple photos, tell me know what you think;




I met the hen that bore the eggs from which hatched these darlings, and they were quite docile. They had such lovely temperaments, and I look forward to handling these chicks everyday.

I'll post a photo of my brooder set up in the morning, I have two (But my big one for the main lot of chickens isn't quite finished yet). What does everyone else use for brooders?

 

[NestingHillsSC]

LOL. I was thinking of getting a few chicks to hold me to the 26th. HAHAHAHA. But bought a Dellie yesterday. Can't come home with nothing.

 

[Dirty_South_Chickens]

I think the wing sexing isn't supposed to work on all breeds and even less barn yard mix but only within the first 3 days. I believe your right 2 pullets and 2 cockerels, the staggered should be pullets and the flush cockerels. I use this method on my chicks with some success but I wish I knew how to vent sex them. Try to mark the 2 you think are cockerels so you can keep track of them and see if it works on sebrights and silkies. Good luck!

 

[Colourful]

I'm keeping an eye on each chicks, but it's still easy to see which is which. The chicks with the longer pin feathers are growing feathers much faster than the two without. Can't wait to find out!

 

[Lacey1988]

do you count incubation days as soon as you put the egg in or the next day afterwards?

 

[NestingHillsSC]

From what I read I think it is a 24hr period is one day.

 

[Lacey1988]

From what I read I think it is a 24hr period is one day.

That's what I figured soo mine have been incubating for seven days

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Mine day 5. Days r going by soooo slow!!!