I'm confused with my water candling. Help would be appreciated.

[Thogersen Farm]

Ok so I have a handful of eggs that are in my home made incubator and are on day 23? Almost 24. (It's hard to stabilize the temperature as we are solely wood heat and the temp of the house goes up and down, so I have a dimmer that I'm constantly going back and forth with.) I fully anticipated my hatch coming a couple days behind schedule because my temperature drops every night as the fire dies while we sleep.

Anyhoo to my primary question. I water candled my eggs and most of them are viable wiggling floating lovely sights to see, however I had three that sank. I started to egg-topsy one because why not, it's a dud, all my research has shown that sinking eggs are dead. I started to carefully open one and I didn't perforate the inner skin and my baby chick was still alive and thrashing, and well I killed him on accident. (Slightly feel terrible right about now) does anyone have any experience with sinking eggs still being viable? I'm at a loss right now. I put back all my sinkers lol because I don't know what else to do.

Please help my very inexperienced self.

 

[AustralorpsAU]

Hi and welcome to BYC! I have heard that water heating is not very reliable! It is better to candle the eggs with a very bright torch/light and if they are moving then they are still alive. When you do this, if you can see black shapes in the air cell they have internally pipped and you should not open the incubator again!

 

[Thogersen Farm]

I did it tonight :/ i light candles everything and they appeared viable, after the multiple day delay, I figured I would water candle to see if they where still alive. My sinking ones didn't have movement after a minute or so, and I didn't wait any longer as I figured it would be pointless.

The bator is closed and will remain that way until everything has hatched.

 

[Thogersen Farm]

Side note, my eggs are really dark already so it's hard to see inside of them with a torch light.

 

[AustralorpsAU]

Side note, my eggs are really dark already so it's hard to see inside of them with a torch light.

Have you tried a phone LED light. Or multiple torches? What breed. Maran? Barnevelder? Welsummer?

 

[Thogersen Farm]

I have no idea what type they, the chicken kind hahahaha. I went to a family members funeral a few weeks ago and was given a dozen eggs by my sisters mother in law, I know it's odd just try to follow my craziness. I have a herd of 60 ish fowl and have just started the incubator process as I've had little to no interest in it until now... anyway I put the whole dozen into the bator not even knowing if they were fertilized and have been sitting on my hands waiting to find or what I get.

 

[AustralorpsAU]

I have no idea what type they, the chicken kind hahahaha. I went to a family members funeral a few weeks ago and was given a dozen eggs by my sisters mother in law, I know it's odd just try to follow my craziness. I have a herd of 60 ish fowl and have just started the incubator process as I've had little to no interest in it until now... anyway I put the whole dozen into the bator not even knowing if they were fertilized and have been sitting on my hands waiting to find or what I get.

Its going to be a surprise!! They could be any of the breeds i mentioned... if you mean they are dark brown eggs!

 

[Thogersen Farm]

Yes Brown eggs

 

[Thogersen Farm]

 

[caw555]

Reading this you are probably groaning

but what is water candling?