I candle to see veins between Day 4-7. The presence of veins shows the development of the embryo. It should look like a big red spider. A dark spot is the eye. On days 8-10 you should see a little blob with the dark spot (the eye). Up to about Day 13 or 15 movement will be obvious. While candling, also make sure the aircell is growing bigger (but not too big) so the chicks have space to internally pip. I've candle as late as Day 18 (before lockdown) and have seen movement in almost every egg.
There are some great pictures and examples of embryo development on the Learning Center tab of the Home Page. You can also get great ideas for a brooder when they hatch.
If you've never seen movement (???) perhaps you should do a float test to see if anything is alive. Put several inches of warm water (about 100*) in a deep container. Then carefully lower the egg(s) into the water. Wait for the water to settle and then watch to see if any of the eggs are moving or wiggling on their own. They should float, first of all. Little rings of water will radiate around a live egg or it will literally move across the surface. If an egg is moving, dry it off and put it back in the bator. If nothing is movingthey probably aren't alive. But, I hope you have some chicks hatch.
Oh, keep in mind that by Day 16/17 blood rings and rotten eggs will start to smell pretty bad so be careful not to crack them open in the house (if you want to do eggtopsies).
Yes, the rocking movement is GOOD! Dry them with a paper towel and get those babies back in the bator.
Yes, the rocking movement is GOOD! Dry them with a paper towel and get those babies back in the bator.You just have to be patient until they start pipping in a few days. And make sure your son doesn't open the door during lockdown..........maybe tape the side shut to remind yourselves they are in lockdown-LOL!
High humidity really can't hurt them the last few days as long as it's been good Days 1-18. Best thing to do is to candle and check the size of the aircells. Check a couple randomly rather than all of them. (There isn't an exact size because eggs are different sizes and chicks can hatch under different conditions.) At this stage -close to lockdown- the aircell should be about 1/4 of the egg (at the fat end). Here is a picture of aircells that I marked with pencils. The rings get bigger and lower on the egg showing how the aircell should be growing as they near hatchday. If you decide to candle and check aircells just make sure the aircell isn't small. Small would be a circle the size of a nickle or quarter (which would mean the humidity was TOO high at the beginning and the egg couldn't evaporate the water into the surrounding air.)
High humidity really can't hurt them the last few days as long as it's been good Days 1-18. Best thing to do is to candle and check the size of the aircells. Check a couple randomly rather than all of them. (There isn't an exact size because eggs are different sizes and chicks can hatch under different conditions.) At this stage -close to lockdown- the aircell should be about 1/4 of the egg (at the fat end). Here is a picture of aircells that I marked with pencils. The rings get bigger and lower on the egg showing how the aircell should be growing as they near hatchday. If you decide to candle and check aircells just make sure the aircell isn't small. Small would be a circle the size of a nickle or quarter (which would mean the humidity was TOO high at the beginning and the egg couldn't evaporate the water into the surrounding air.)
I love marking aircells because I can determine almost exactly where they will pip. -At the lowest part -see pip on left of egg?
Have you been consistantly turning the eggs 2x a day? Hope so, because the chick shouldn't be developing on just one side. Turning them or using an egg turner is just copying what the hen does as she moves them around under her. She seems to know better than to move the last 3 days before hatch, which is why we stop turning too. Her body gives off humidity and heat. If we don't add extra humidity for hatching the chick can get shrink wrapped in the membrane.
