Hatch-A-Long (May-June)

[mamachick96101]

The only way I've been able to candle my maran eggs is to go into a very dark room, use a very bright flashlight and put the egg on top of a toilet paper roll and shine the light up underneath it. Ive never been able to see the veins, but you can check the progress of the shading every four days or so. Good luck!

 

[mamachick96101]

I started 7 maran eggs (from my coop) on May 1st so they are just about ready to hatch. They are starting to swell they are ready to pip any time. I started six maran eggs on May 16th and I havent candled them yet. I intend on doing that tonight. Im so excited! I had a mama hen brood and hatch 2 out of six eggs and one came out a Wheaten Maran and one came out some sort of Maran I am not sure lol (roo is blue wheaten and hens are copper). Not much happening yet in the 'bator except swelling going on. I will come back here and post photos of my candling tonight. Hope you dont mind me jumping in.

This is one of the marans from the first batch. She was accidently rolled under the back gate, had a compound fracture and now only has one leg (took her to the vet because I work at one) and we amputated her leg. She's done VERY well and was out hopping with mama and sibling 3 days later!!!


She's a cute little thing!!!

This little guy we are unsure of....




She is VERY shy and very fast, unlike the Wheaten who hops over to us when we come outside

 

[AvianEgo]

Thought Id share on this thread too. I am a first time incubator and trying my darnest!
My fiance's parents gave me some chicken eggs and one call duck egg. Actually they gave me 9 freshies and two dozen eggs for eating. I grabbed some that had been in the fridge for eating and plopped them in the incubator (let them warm to room temp first) thinking not all would develop. Here I am with all of the developing! Only 7 days left till hatch day for the chickens. The lone call duck egg has been in with the chickens thus far, I will switch it to a different incubator when I lock down the chickens. BUT I must say that sucker is going to be a fighter! Every time I candled him he is flipping and kicking the shell etc, he is one active duckling compared to the movement in the chicken eggs (which still give pretty good movement).
Anyways, I also ordered some Saxony duck eggs from ebay. 12 came, 2 were broken from shipping. Candled on day 7 and had one blood ring and one infertile so they were thrown out. The remaining 8 seem to be doing well although I am worried about hatch day due to their wonky air cells.
And to top things off a co-worker came to me on Friday and handed me 2 quinea eggs. Sure, why not.
Crossing my fingers for some success but all is going well so far.

A few pictures. Here is a Saxony egg next to a chicken egg.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...10151441281501943_126021452_n_zpsfce8b163.jpg

Here is one of the Roo's that fertilized some of the eggs I have. They are all mutts, but make for pretty colors!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...10151435024726943_801397169_n_zps481fb8bd.jpg

Here is the Drake I raised last year who fertilized my call egg.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...4_10150232217221943_3616178_n_zps344398d7.jpg

Finally, The duck that I think layed my call egg with her offspring from last spring. She also hatched a chick that is now a grown rooster who thinks he is a duck and will only breed the ducks, none of the hens

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/MN_...002855693566_572540542_n_zps2174dfa3.jpg.html

 

[AmandaGrace]

I love to hear about all the chicks and incubating ones! They sound so cute! I'm sorry about the one who hurt its foot but I'm glad its alive and hopping around for the candling of the Maran eggs I don't know much about it but will learn because I have some now. When they came in I candled them and they didnt seem terribly hard to see through I was using a big mag light and could see the air cells.

 

[chickenpooplady]

Yesterday was day 7 and I candled! 12 out of 14 were developing!!! I even saw movement in a few!!!

I removed the two clears and cracked them open. One was scrambled from shipping and the other was a very early death. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures.

 

[mamachick96101]

I bought 8 Black Copper Marans eggs and lost one. I still have 7 inside, one is peeping. I was wondering how you candle an egg that dark? I have been told to leave them alone. I only lift the lid to add more water when it gets low

I always do it when it is absolutely pitch black out, then I take my brightest, yet smallest flashlight and I put the egg on a toilet paper roll. Then I shine the light right up underneath the egg. You have to look soooo closely for the line. You can't tell by the vessels because the shell is too thick and too dark to see. My babies are about 4 days long and the other ones are ready to hatch so I will try to show you a photo tonight of what a fertilized maran egg looks like or you can search the site for info as well

 

[mamachick96101]

Tick...tock...tick...tock...tick...tock. That's what my mind is doing waiting for these babies to pip!!! Day 20 Marans and waiting and waiting and waiting. I though surely by today.

 

[chickenpooplady]

Tick...tock...tick...tock...tick...tock. That's what my mind is doing waiting for these babies to pip!!! Day 20 Marans and waiting and waiting and waiting. I though surely by today.

Come on babies!!!

 

[AmandaGrace]

It's so exciting to here about your chicks! I hope they come out happy and healthy! I just put my eggs in yesterday so the scheduled hatch date is on June 8. Now the waiting begins....

 

[AvianEgo]

Bah! Got another quiter . I think it too is due to a scrambled yolk.