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I disagree. Especially with picture #1. If I had some at day 10 right now I would do a comparison photo. All mine are due to hatch Thursday & Friday though.
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Thanks for all the information! It helps to have another opinion. These are pics of only 5 of the eggs. I couldn't get good steady pics of the other 5. We'll just see what happens. My temps stayed pretty even, but the eggs could be a day or two late. We'll see.
As I said before I find candling difficult--rather the interpretation of the dark and light blobs! THe spidery veins only last a few days. THen I counted on the dark bob getting larger. THey now fill most of the egg with a little space at the small end. The air cells are growing but not at the level of the 3 sets of diagrams I've seen.
I still have 7 days to go. I 'm tired and stressed over the well being of the little things and Iii'm hating incubating but I'm building an incubator and saving more eggs. I must be nuts!
I candled the other day and took out a clear. Several others looked almost the same, but tobe sure, I left them in. When I broke open the egg, the yolk was broken and it had quit back around day 7. I looked at my records for days 6,7,8 and nothing glaring. I did open the incubator long enough to put in a fan. Really took less time than candling.
Arielle, the worst thing that you can do is worry to much! There is only a small portion of this that is in your hands. You can not control anything but to watch over them and provide them temp an humidity. It sounds as though they are developing perfectly. It should have a dark mass that takes over the egg. Some eill quit developing even in the best of situations, that's just the way that it goes. You stressing will change nothing except for the enjoyment that you could be having now!
Thanks for the advice. I really have enjoyed the incubating except for the last few days. THe air cells are not getting big enough and I only have a few days left to get it correct or else they are likey to drown. THat is the stress. I opted to open a door between a room with AC and the room with the incubator. THe RH came down a bit. IT's at 30% now and the temp is running a little lower. So now I'm calm again.
I had 4 quitters so far. THe one I broke open made it to day 7; the others i'm leaving in and will check at the end. THese are from the pullets and I don't think they even started. I had read pullets are not fertile compared to a year old hen. Maybe it is true.
OVerall, I don't interpret the blobs very well, YET!
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I don't do good with air cells. You do not want it too big. If the humidity is too low, the membrane may get to tight for the chick and start drying out.
There are a lot of variables. Most you can control...some you can't.
I don't even bother what I think are quitters until day 18. Then it is easier to tell that most of the egg is dark. The ones that aren't usually are no good - either not fertile or quitters.
It can be very hard to see what they are, I know. I think that the last egg is viable, but its hard to say on the others. Duck eggs taught me lots because the eggs were very easy to see development in, it was like night and day compared to dark brown eggs. Hang in there, and as long as things aren't stinky leave em in and see what happens!