I've read lots of stuff on this, I have to try this because "Dogs" got in my coop and joy killed every chicken and guinea I had . I raised Dominque's and they got all 28 of them. It was very sad to walk out and see this. I had 16 eggs in the refridgerator and 2 out of the nest to try to incabate. I hope to get a few out of this experment. If not back to the zero and start all over....I will keep everyone updated. I tried to candle theming after 7 days but being brown eggs I could'nt tell...so keep fingers crossed for me ....A Claytor Chatham Virginia
and so sorry this had to be your first post Many people have done this and had chicks hatch. Lots of good hatching vibes your way!
and sorry for your loss. I lost a couple to the neighbor's dogs late last year and it is a horrible feeling. On the candling, have you looked at the sticky on candling eggs? (I think it is the first one in the incubating eggs section). It is a great set of photos, showing what they should look like at each day of incubation. I just went into lockdown on my first hatch ever so I am far from an expert on incubating. The first time I candled, I saw a dark blob but wasn't sure if it was the yolk or a fetus. However when I compared to those photos, I realized what I was seeing was a fetus - and then it moved! You should be able to see into brown eggs unless they are really dark like a Marans egg (although some say with a bright enough light you can even candle Marans eggs). If you are not seeing anything, you might try a brighter light. I invested in a little Maglight from Walmart that I'm really happy with.
