I THINK I might want to try this. Any advice on hatching?

[Sylviaanne]

I have some really pretty splash birds that have come from my Crested Polish rooster and I don't know which mom. They all seem to have bushy cheeks so I think they are from one of my EE hens. Could have been from my Salmon Favorolle but she's gone now. I had 2 that were approximately 20 -21 weeks, the female disappeared but now have 3 younger birds just like them, 1 cockerel and 2 pullets, so I have two of each. I plan on breeding them to see what I get.

I took 8 eggs out of the fridge and put them in the incubator hoping to get more like them but I only took the eggs that were blue/green, I took the oldest ones I had so that incase my SF laid some of them I would hopefully get some of hers. I am not sure what color of eggs my SF laid but I know my EE hens laid blue/green eggs. I put them in water to make sure they didn't float and then since some of them were dirty, I used hot water to clean them, I didn't wash them with soap or bleach water, just hot water. I dried them and then put them in the incubator on the 8th, candled them on the 10th and didn't see much change in them from what you would expect to see when they were put in for only 2 days. I saw no veining yet but a couple of them looked murky through the middle.

I don't have know if they will hatch or not, I have read that some people have put eggs that have been refrigerated in an incubator and had chicks hatch so I am hoping, even one would be a pleasant surprise.

I'm just saying, don't give up hope yet. I would say that by the time the egg is 2 weeks old (it would only have one week to go) if there is no veining, it probably didn't work for this egg.

 

[Aphrael]

The eggs are brown. Except a new one that's green. The egg that's green is from a farm and we know that they have a rooster.
The two brown eggs are from my own hen, but I got rid of my rooster 2 weeks ago so the only option is getting eggs that were in the fridge.
I DID put aside a egg yesterday from my girl, but yesterday was the 2 week mark of not having a rooster so I don't know if it's fertile. I have it sitting in a cool place. I put it aside because I'm really doubting that I'll get anything at all, but we'll see......

I've been doing a LOT of research on how long a chicken can stay fertile after her last mating with a male. (Because I wanted to know how long I needed to wait after separating to make certain the eggs would be from the roo I want.) They are often no longer fertile from that male within two to three weeks, especially if another rooster is covering them afterward. However, there have been cases where a hen can still still be fertile from a particular pairing up to four weeks afterward. So I'd say gather whatever eggs you're wanting to hatch and give it a shot. If they don't work, you haven't lost anything except a bit of time and maybe a breakfast or two.

I have some really pretty splash birds that have come from my Crested Polish rooster and I don't know which mom. They all seem to have bushy cheeks so I think they are from one of my EE hens. Could have been from my Salmon Favorolle but she's gone now. I had 2 that were approximately 20 -21 weeks, the female disappeared but now have 3 younger birds just like them, 1 cockerel and 2 pullets, so I have two of each. I plan on breeding them to see what I get.

I took 8 eggs out of the fridge and put them in the incubator hoping to get more like them but I only took the eggs that were blue/green, I took the oldest ones I had so that incase my SF laid some of them I would hopefully get some of hers. I am not sure what color of eggs my SF laid but I know my EE hens laid blue/green eggs. I put them in water to make sure they didn't float and then since some of them were dirty, I used hot water to clean them, I didn't wash them with soap or bleach water, just hot water. I dried them and then put them in the incubator on the 8th, candled them on the 10th and didn't see much change in them from what you would expect to see when they were put in for only 2 days. I saw no veining yet but a couple of them looked murky through the middle.

I don't have know if they will hatch or not, I have read that some people have put eggs that have been refrigerated in an incubator and had chicks hatch so I am hoping, even one would be a pleasant surprise.

I'm just saying, don't give up hope yet. I would say that by the time the egg is 2 weeks old (it would only have one week to go) if there is no veining, it probably didn't work for this egg.

I have hatched quite a lot of "fridge eggs" at this point. I myself haven't noticed any larger mortality rate in them than in my freshly laid eggs. And I have hatched eggs that had been sitting in my fridge for around 2-3 weeks. Of course, I always make sure to store my eggs pointy end down whether I intend to hatch or not, and my fridge isn't kept like polar ice caps cold. We occasionally store live mealworms in there to hibernate if we get too many, and it doesn't hurt them either. It is cold enough to keep my cold goods fresh, including milk products, but not on the edge of freezing. So I'd say go for it. Just be sure you don't take eggs directly from the fridge and put them right in the incubator. They need to warm to room temp slowly before going in. Good luck!!

ETA: I believe Salmon Faverolles eggs are supposed to be a light soft cream color to almost white.

 

[lightchick]

 

[lightchick]

OK. Those pics did not turn out very well! Any way you may be able to see the darker spot in the middle? That spot always is on the top of the egg.
If I turn it it moves to the top of the egg again. I don't think it's alive anymore because that egg is 11 days old.

 

[Aphrael]

OK. Those pics did not turn out very well! Any way you may be able to see the darker spot in the middle? That spot always is on the top of the egg.
If I turn it it moves to the top of the egg again. I don't think it's alive anymore because that egg is 11 days old.

At 11 days, if it were alive and growing, you would be able to see very clear veining and a small, dark spot that is the embryo. When you say dark spot, do you mean like a blob? I can't really tell anything from the pics. But if it is a kind of shadowy blob, then that is probably the yolk you are seeing.

 

[lightchick]

OK. I cracked open the 11 day old egg and it was dead. I didn't even see the beginnings of a chick. The white spot was different looking......but that's it.
Something had to have happened though because when I candle a egg that was just sitting in the fridge it was totally clear, but this egg had a dark "blob".

 

[Xiao Casa]

Oh well... hopefully a different egg will be your lucky one. How long have the others been incubating?

 

[lightchick]

Almost a week. They look just like the one I threw away looked when I candled. I don't think they are any good. I put the other egg in and I guess if that one doesn't work I'll just have to wait until my Silkie (she's 23 weeks) starts laying eggs and goes broody.

 

[Aphrael]

OK. I cracked open the 11 day old egg and it was dead. I didn't even see the beginnings of a chick. The white spot was different looking......but that's it.
Something had to have happened though because when I candle a egg that was just sitting in the fridge it was totally clear, but this egg had a dark "blob".

I have noticed that if I candle a fresh egg that it is super bright and clear like a lightbulb, but if I candle one that has been incubating but didn't develop, I can see the yolk inside as a dark shadow on most of them. Not sure what causes it.