Friday the 13th Hatch a Long

[armyPatti]

Is anyone else setting eggs today?

setting 7 French Black & Blue Copper Marans from Canadain Stock
(they are completely un-related to the Bev Davis / Wade Jeane lines we are used to in the US.

 

[myfivegirls]

Yes, I set a batch of eggs 2/13 early in the morning. They're a "test hatch" from my Catskill Homesteader breeding project.
It's the first time I've incubated eggs this early in the year, usually I wait until it's warmer.
Thankfully, we have a few days in the upper 20's and low 30's.
But, it's back down to below zero at night and single digit highs, so no eggs laid during these next few days would be able to be hatched!

 

[armyPatti]

I can't wait to see what hatches. The waiting is the hardest part

 

[armyPatti]

so tomorrow is day 5 ~ are we candling?

Patti R

 

[feedman77]

I set a dozen Narragansett eggs on the 13th. My 1st attempt at eggs off ebay.

 

[myfivegirls]

so tomorrow is day 5 ~ are we candling?

Patti R

I only checked a few of the eggs quickly, but I'll wait until day 7 or 8 to candle them all.
I forgot that I had lowered the Genesis 1588's thermostat last hatch, so I had to reset it to 99.5*.
Since the room it's in isn't that warm (mid 60's), I have the incubator covered with towels to help hold in the heat.

Yes, waiting is the hardest part, but I'm in the process of building a "coolerbater" for hatching the eggs.

 

[armyPatti]

mine are off ebay as well. I always worry more with shipped eggs

 

[myfivegirls]

Well, you may have more success with your shipped eggs than mine.
I couldn't wait any longer & candled Friday morning.
I lost count of how many were clear. Out of 47 eggs set, there's only about 7 that are veining, with a few more ?-able ones.
And I've incubated eggs before, so I know what they should look like on day 7.
I'm pretty sure they were just infertile, as those eggs were from before I had separated the hens and roosters into breeding groups.
So, while I've rotated roosters throughout the winter, the ratio was around 1 roo to 35+ hens (have 40 currently, but some are younger or not laying).
Now, I've separated them, so there's a better ratio of roosters to hens, but with this cold weather I'm not sure if the roosters feel "springy" enough to do their job.
I was able to get one egg yesterday morning that was still warm in the nest, so I brought it inside, and put it in the incubator last night.
I wasn't home during the day yesterday, so the rest of the eggs froze solid.
I'm hoping to collect a few more today and replace the ones that are clear.

 

[armyPatti]

well I candled 3 of the 7 in the bator. 2 not looking so good - one had potential.
these dark brown eggs it's really hard to see. so I am going to wait another week on all of them.

the last batch of shipped eggs I got 3 chicks out of the 7 hatched. I am hoping for a few more roo's for my girls from this Canadian FBCM stock - they are amazing birds! never seen a marans hatch so fast.

 

[feedman77]

Candled my narri eggs. Had 2 that were clear out of the dozen I set. The restvwere showing spider web veins.

Foe eggs off ebay so far couldn't be happier.