I set 85 eggs on January 1st, so today is day 18!
I candled last night WITHOUT lifting the eggs, I have never done that before, but in a dark room it worked great! I just put the candler on top of each egg and did not bother any that had veins showing. Several had no veins so they got a closer inspection, so 7 more got removed.
I am down to 16 eggs out of 85! I have bad luck, especially with shipped eggs! Not like I needed 85 chicks, but...
1 Mottled Houdan egg
1 Black Breasted Red Phoenix egg (I hope its a boy!)
2 Silkie/ serama mix eggs (Not sure why, oh, yeah, because they were only 99 cents [+$16 shipping lol])
9 Lavender Ameraucana over E.E./Silkie mixes (Local eggs, this is 9 out 15)
3 E.E. eggs from my own pen
I hope some hatch!
I think I am going to use wrapping ribbon to tie the hovabator closed with a large sign that says "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL JANUARY 23RD!".
I have 7 eggs (4 E.E. & 3 Barred Rock) that go into lockdown on the 23rd, I know that's cutting it kinda close, but my plan is to pull the 7 eggs out of the setting incubator and quickly put them in the hovabator whilst (hopefully) pulling out the hatchees that are ready to go!
I just set another 6 dozen eggs last night, I figure volume is the way to increase my hatches lol! I am learning lots and having fun, so I guess there could be worse things to be doing!