How to tell the stage of incubation

[member 655102]

This chart might help you determine what stage of development they’re in:

 

[Tretinker]

We are a bit rubbish at this picture taking but I'm nervous with it being cold having them out from under her too long.

They all about 16-20 days going by that chart but I don't think that's quite right!

 

[Tonyroo]

We are a bit rubbish at this picture taking but I'm nervous with it being cold having them out from under her too long.

They all about 16-20 days going by that chart but I don't think that's quite right!

That's looks like day 17.

 

[Tretinker]

That's looks like day 17.

Thanks!

The photos below are yesterday's photos I forgot to post. I haven't done any today because I read that doing it daily was bad for the eggs. I'm not sure why but I have no experience so took heed.

Annoyingly my outdoor camera isn't work as this would have been ideal to watch what was happening.

 

[Tonyroo]

Don't mess with the eggs when there close to hatching, this is an important phase of hatching.

 

[Kiraeh]

The hen will usually stay on the nest for a day or two after chicks start to hatch- sometimes longer but it'll depend on her at that point. None of them are that close yet imo- you're looking for a drawdown on one side of the air cell, then the next day shadowing inside the air cell from where the chick is pressing against it, then approx 24hr after that you'll have an internal pip, then 24hr after that is when I usually see the first chick.
Here's a link to an album of an incubation that I documented pretty extensively, haha, that may be useful for anyone trying to guess progress.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qC9F411JKpNyVv2dA
The first photos, on the second, the eggs are about three days in, and I have photos all the way up to internal pips.

 

[Tretinker]

Don't mess with the eggs when there close to hatching, this is an important phase of hatching.

Thanks, that's why I didn't touch last night as well. Because we aren't sure when she started sitting I think it could be anytime from today-sunday that they start.

 

[Tretinker]

The hen will usually stay on the nest for a day or two after chicks start to hatch- sometimes longer but it'll depend on her at that point. None of them are that close yet imo- you're looking for a drawdown on one side of the air cell, then the next day shadowing inside the air cell from where the chick is pressing against it, then approx 24hr after that you'll have an internal pip, then 24hr after that is when I usually see the first chick.
Here's a link to an album of an incubation that I documented pretty extensively, haha, that may be useful for anyone trying to guess progress.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qC9F411JKpNyVv2dA
The first photos, on the second, the eggs are about three days in, and I have photos all the way up to internal pips.

Wow these pictures are amazing! It's mind blowing you can see the video with the one moving.

Would you hazard a guess on how long to go?

 

[Kiraeh]

It's very hard to say! I find the air cell is a bit unreliable on its own, sometimes it starts out uneven and can look further along than it is from the wrong angle, or if the egg sits for a while before incubating, but there's one in your pictures that looks a bit big, day 17 maybe. The others don't seem so far along. I usually judge based on the contents as much as the air cell- they're swishy beans until day ten or so, then if you can see a foot(some of my photos have feet!) It's probably day 14/15, after that they're hard to spot, then you're looking for a big change in the air cell from one day to the next. Even late in incubation until drawdown you can usually find an angle without a lot of chick in it(like yours show), but if you can't find an angle that looks full of chick then you're probably not past day 16-17.
Do you have the nest blocked off from other hens? I have found that the biggest danger to hatching chicks is if there's non-broody hens kicking the sitter off the nest to lay their eggs, they aren't careful enough with hatching/fresh hatched chicks. Depends on the hen, some can stop them.

 

[Tretinker]

It's very hard to say! I find the air cell is a bit unreliable on its own, sometimes it starts out uneven and can look further along than it is from the wrong angle, or if the egg sits for a while before incubating, but there's one in your pictures that looks a bit big, day 17 maybe. The others don't seem so far along. I usually judge based on the contents as much as the air cell- they're swishy beans until day ten or so, then if you can see a foot(some of my photos have feet!) It's probably day 14/15, after that they're hard to spot, then you're looking for a big change in the air cell from one day to the next. Even late in incubation until drawdown you can usually find an angle without a lot of chick in it(like yours show), but if you can't find an angle that looks full of chick then you're probably not past day 16-17.
Do you have the nest blocked off from other hens? I have found that the biggest danger to hatching chicks is if there's non-broody hens kicking the sitter off the nest to lay their eggs, they aren't careful enough with hatching/fresh hatched chicks. Depends on the hen, some can stop them.

This is my worry that someone is going to come in an squash a chick!

The box isn't blocked off, three girls are still laying in there. I don't think marshmallow is strong enough to stop them. They've all been good so far, looking after the eggs while she went to eat and stretch. If we block it off marshmallow won't be able to get out if she needs too.

We have got a couple of options to move her either indoors or to the garage but we were worried about putting her off the eggs altogether if we did that.

I'm so worried!