Incubating help please

Fcarter

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I am a complete mess with my first incubating experience. First of all my rooster and 3 hens are approximately 10 months old. Mr Roo hasn't crowed yet and it seems he doesn't like the ladies. My hens started laying a week ago. In all I have 10 eggs in the incubator. Probably shouldn't have put them all in (rookie mistake). I have candled 7 eggs and they all look like the picture attached. I'm not giving up yet but neither am I sure Mr Roo is doing his part. Help. Advise.
 

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From what I can tell, that egg looks to have a thin shell or too porous. It also appears to be a “clear” or no development. It sounds too soon to try to incubate eggs if your girls only just started laying. They may still be getting their egg making mechanics up to full function.
A way to tell if you have fertile eggs is to look for the blastodisc when you crack an egg open to eat. There is a nice pic in this article:
https://www.fresheggsdaily.blog/2015/02/are-my-chicken-eggs-fertile.html?m=1
 
From what I can tell, that egg looks to have a thin shell or too porous. It also appears to be a “clear” or no development. It sounds too soon to try to incubate eggs if your girls only just started laying. They may still be getting their egg making mechanics up to full function.
A way to tell if you have fertile eggs is to look for the blastodisc when you crack an egg open to eat. There is a nice pic in this article:
https://www.fresheggsdaily.blog/2015/02/are-my-chicken-eggs-fertile.html?m=1
Thank you. Great info. Guess I should open todays egg and take a look.
 
I cracked open the last egg. Fertile or not? I'm not sure
 

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if all your eggs are like the pictures, well they were not fertile, best remove them before they stink up. Second, while I understand the eagerness to set your first eggs, you are really asking for genetic troubles down the line if you hatch first pullet eggs. I never set an egg from a hen if she has not been laying for at least 2 months, some breeds I don't incubate the eggs unless they have been laying for a year.

Some might chime in and say they have never had any problems, the eggs hatched, chicks lived and thrived. BUT long term, genetic issues like smaller than normal eggs becoming the norm, longevity issues, health issues as in being just a little more susceptible to illness, birds eventually becoming smaller than SOP calls for, all this and more can be attributed to pullet eggs. The above is one of the major causes of dissatisfaction with major hatcheries when people buy chicks and they just don't measure up to SOP, most hatcheries replace their breeding flocks yearly, so they can get the most eggs out of a hen, which means for the most part they set pullet eggs, as they are in the business of hatching the most chicks they can.

The best advice I can give to a new flock owner who wants to hatch their own eggs, is to wait. Wait at least 2 months if not longer before setting those eggs, you will do better in the long run.
 
if all your eggs are like the pictures, well they were not fertile, best remove them before they stink up. Second, while I understand the eagerness to set your first eggs, you are really asking for genetic troubles down the line if you hatch first pullet eggs. I never set an egg from a hen if she has not been laying for at least 2 months, some breeds I don't incubate the eggs unless they have been laying for a year.

Some might chime in and say they have never had any problems, the eggs hatched, chicks lived and thrived. BUT long term, genetic issues like smaller than normal eggs becoming the norm, longevity issues, health issues as in being just a little more susceptible to illness, birds eventually becoming smaller than SOP calls for, all this and more can be attributed to pullet eggs. The above is one of the major causes of dissatisfaction with major hatcheries when people buy chicks and they just don't measure up to SOP, most hatcheries replace their breeding flocks yearly, so they can get the most eggs out of a hen, which means for the most part they set pullet eggs, as they are in the business of hatching the most chicks they can.

The best advice I can give to a new flock owner who wants to hatch their own eggs, is to wait. Wait at least 2 months if not longer before setting those eggs, you will do better in the long run.
Will do. Thanks so much. Maybe Mr.Roo will be willing to help later on as well.
 

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