Hatch-ALong - Setting first eggs 4/5, hatch day 4/26. Anyone want to join me?

[foxflower]

It's neat that there are 3 of us at high altitude....almost like a little research experiment. I'm aiming for 40% humidity since I've had sticky chicks in the past. I didn't weigh eggs. I'll do that next time. Tonight I plan to mark the air cells though. I suppose I could weigh them as well and expect them to loose a 3rd less of the total expected percentage. These came from Indiana, so I'm guessing sea level. The one batch of six shipped eggs I got from California a couple years ago hatched 5/6, but I don't know the elevation of where they came from. Another batch I got from Georgia or something and I got a 50% hatch the same year. Those were my first hatches other than a practice hatch of eggs from by BIL that year. They came from 3 hours away in the car with him and I got about 80%. I think I got tricked by early success into thinking it was easier than it is. I do notice that my refrigorator/freezer groceries are all swollen when I buy them from the grocery store. I wonder if the same thing happens to the eggs?

 

[roostercluck]

I checked my eggs today, and the temp. was 110.

It was like that for about 5 hours. I dont know what to do. I dropped it back down, but I don't know if they are still alive. Should I abort them or wait for two weeks till their due date. Please help me!!!

 

[foxflower]

Here's and excerpt from the Brinsea temperature chart :

Zone of heat injury (above 40.5°C/104.9°F)

At continuous temperatures above 40.5°C (104.9°F) no embryos would be expected to hatch.
However the effect of short periods of high temperature are not necessarily lethal. Embryos
up to 6 days are particularly susceptible, older embryos are more tolerant. For example,
embryos up to 5 days may well be killed by a few hours exposure to 41°C (105.8°F) but
approaching hatching time they may survive temperatures as high as 43.5°C (110°F) for
several hours.

Here's a link to the whole article: http://www.brinsea.com/customerservice/poweroff.html Which I found reference, along with 2 others at this byc article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

I hope this helps you make your decision.

 

[dretd]

I checked my eggs today, and the temp. was 110.

It was like that for about 5 hours. I dont know what to do. I dropped it back down, but I don't know if they are still alive. Should I abort them or wait for two weeks till their due date. Please help me!!!

Oh, man how terrible! Do you know how it got so wonky so you can take measures to prevent a repeat?

It takes awhile for the eggs to heat up to a higher temp and would take some time fro them to go back down.If you have an infrared thermometer you can get a better idea of the egg's temperature (I have one I got for the kitchen).

I will tell you that 100 % of the eggs won't hatch if you don't give them a chance so I would continue along and candle in a few days to see if there is any signs of life.

 

[SmittenChicken]

Oh, man how terrible! Do you know how it got so wonky so you can take measures to prevent a repeat?

It takes awhile for the eggs to heat up to a higher temp and would take some time fro them to go back down.If you have an infrared thermometer you can get a better idea of the egg's temperature (I have one I got for the kitchen).

I will tell you that 100 % of the eggs won't hatch if you don't give them a chance so I would continue along and candle in a few days to see if there is any signs of life.

x2

Sorry this happened to you! Hope the eggs are ok -- please keep us posted when you candle.

 

[wabbit1964]

On 4/3 and 4/6 I set some of my eggs ( I have my daughters buff orp rooster and a buff orp hen, white rock hen and easter egger hens) I cant tell the orp eggs from the rocks..so it will be like a big surprise party to see what I have hatch..I am hatching in an LG still air incubator...

 

[DiamondDust]

I candled eggs tonight. I culled two of my Barnie eggs...one was weeping and the other looked clear. When I did an eggtopsy on them the clear one looked like it had been scrambled in the mail. The weeper just looked like a rotten egg. I also culled 5 of my silkie eggs. 3 porcelain and 2 partridge eggs. The eggtopsy on them showed them to be completely clear...infertile eggs. I tried to mark air cells on some of the eggs but it was hard to see many of them. A few of the eggs looked like they are developing wonderfully...but many of the eggs were just hard to tell what was going on inside. Today was day 8 for the silkie eggs and day 7 for the Barnies. 19 Barnie eggs still in the incubator and 13 Silkie eggs.

 

[dretd]

Candled last night-- just shined an LED flashlight with modified end on the up end of the eggs still in the turner. Out of 12 egg there are 2 blood rings and 2 more with less developed veining so they may be goners. I will wait a couple more days theen recheck. All 3 Lavendar Ameraucanas are happy.

The good news for the breeder who gave me the eggs is that they were 100% fertile so he'll be happy!

 

[SmittenChicken]

I candled last night too (day 8.)

I culled 3 eggs -- all from my own flock. 1 clear EE egg, and 2 with blood rings (1 from my Black Star, and another from my Light Brahma.) Still hoping I didn't see a ring of death forming in my other LB egg, but not feeling optimistic -- she lays weird eggs and there were only two with decent enough shells to set. Bummer, since she's the only hen I have that'll make sexlinks with my SS rooster. So I'm leaving that last one in, just in case.

I also had one more that I think is clear, but it's a dark brown egg so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt for now. So that makes 36 eggs that are looking good, plus 2 that are probably dead. I have those right under the window so I can keep an eye on them.

This is what I have developing, for now:
6 Black Star + Speckled Sussex
5 EE + Speckled Sussex
5 EE + RIR
9 EE
11 barnyard mutts (1 white egg, 8 brown, and 2 pale pink)

Some of the embryos were really active! Hard to capture, but so exciting to see. I'm importing photos and videos now, will post if I got anything cool.

 

[SmittenChicken]

On 4/3 and 4/6 I set some of my eggs ( I have my daughters buff orp rooster and a buff orp hen, white rock hen and easter egger hens) I cant tell the orp eggs from the rocks..so it will be like a big surprise party to see what I have hatch..I am hatching in an LG still air incubator...

Welcome! Can't wait to see what you hatch. I bet those white rock mixes will be lovely birds.
I'm doing a bunch of EE mixes also. Looks like we'll both have a single comb in the mix, which I *think* should give us an easy way to tell which offspring get the blue egg gene. I'd like to compare results on that in 6 months or so!