Hands on hatching and help

[Revan]

Sadly, it's dead. We buried it in the flowerbed.

All in all though, I think this hatch went pretty good. Started with 9 eggs, one was infertile, one died very early on (blood ring, very little embryo development), and this one, for whatever reason. I do have 6 healthy looking, though tired, baby chicks now in the brooder curled up under the heating lamp. All mixed breed. It will be fun to watch them grow up, not really knowing what they will look like.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Sadly, it's dead. We buried it in the flowerbed.

All in all though, I think this hatch went pretty good. Started with 9 eggs, one was infertile, one died very early on (blood ring, very little embryo development), and this one, for whatever reason. I do have 6 healthy looking, though tired, baby chicks now in the brooder curled up under the heating lamp. All mixed breed. It will be fun to watch them grow up, not really knowing what they will look like.

Sorry for the last one, but dang good hatch!!

 

[ronott1]

Sadly, it's dead. We buried it in the flowerbed.

All in all though, I think this hatch went pretty good. Started with 9 eggs, one was infertile, one died very early on (blood ring, very little embryo development), and this one, for whatever reason. I do have 6 healthy looking, though tired, baby chicks now in the brooder curled up under the heating lamp. All mixed breed. It will be fun to watch them grow up, not really knowing what they will look like.

Sometimes they die like that. It is great that you are not discouraged by it.
Enjoy the babies!

 

[Revan]

Sometimes they die like that. It is great that you are not discouraged by it.
Enjoy the babies!

Well, I plan to buy other breeds and raise chickens, have a bit of a hatchery here where I live, so I suspect I may be seeing this again.

And thank you! I spoil my chickens, especially the babies. My mother has actually nicknamed me the 'chicken lady' as a result.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Day 20 here once again. I hear pecking a day early. getting my brooder prepped.

 

[KaylorFarms]

Is hatching eggs in a still air incubator taking a risk? Could A lot of them not hatch?

 

[ronott1]

Is hatching eggs in a still air incubator taking a risk? Could A lot of them not hatch?

Not necessarily but there is a bigger learning curve. If you are hatching locally sourced eggs it does not matter. If you are hatching expensive shipped eggs then it is best to have a better incubator.
It is sad to see someone not buy a better incubator and then spend hundreds of dollars on hatching eggs. The better more stable incubators hatch shipped eggs with higher hatch rates.

 

[Georgina Fritznoodle]

Depends on how large they are... loosing too much moisture can cause the embryo as much issue as not enough... though different sized eggs may look different and /or lose more or less than the rest... can you get pics of the different air cells?

Okay, I candled today and found that the air cells were not too large in the smaller eggs. The air cells had just drawn down when I candled on day 20. I wasn't expecting draw down so early. Those six eggs have now internally pipped and it's only day 23. So I guess I should see external pips very soon. Do you think hatching this early could have an effect on the ducklings? The two larger eggs have drawn down now, but are not internally pipped yet. The air cell on one of the two larger eggs has drawn down a lot (more than half the egg). Is that okay? Also, four of the smaller eggs have yellow splotches in the air cell. Any idea what those might be?

Internal pip:

The larger egg with significant draw down:

The egg with the most yellow splotches in the air cell:

 

[Ravynscroft]

Okay, I candled today and found that the air cells were not too large in the smaller eggs. The air cells had just drawn down when I candled on day 20. I wasn't expecting draw down so early. Those six eggs have now internally pipped and it's only day 23. So I guess I should see external pips very soon. Do you think hatching this early could have an effect on the ducklings? The two larger eggs have drawn down now, but are not internally pipped yet. The air cell on one of the two larger eggs has drawn down a lot (more than half the egg). Is that okay? Also, four of the smaller eggs have yellow splotches in the air cell. Any idea what those might be?

Internal pip:
View attachment 1078134

The larger egg with significant draw down:
View attachment 1078140

The egg with the most yellow splotches in the air cell:
View attachment 1078144

The ones with yellow splotches are internally pipped, correct? The yellow is either a blood speck from internal pipping or goo that struck the shell when it internal pipped, no worries...

The one that is drawn down a lot, watch for malpo/wrong end pipping... or a circular/oval bruise spot anywhere on the small end... bruise spot indicates attempt to pip wrong end and not breaking through all the way...

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Okay, I candled today and found that the air cells were not too large in the smaller eggs. The air cells had just drawn down when I candled on day 20. I wasn't expecting draw down so early. Those six eggs have now internally pipped and it's only day 23. So I guess I should see external pips very soon. Do you think hatching this early could have an effect on the ducklings? The two larger eggs have drawn down now, but are not internally pipped yet. The air cell on one of the two larger eggs has drawn down a lot (more than half the egg). Is that okay? Also, four of the smaller eggs have yellow splotches in the air cell. Any idea what those might be?

Internal pip:
View attachment 1078134

The larger egg with significant draw down:
View attachment 1078140

The egg with the most yellow splotches in the air cell:
View attachment 1078144

Those are good candling pics!