Just set my first eggs! Follow my progress here!

[matlock585]

I'll be doing my 7 day candling shortly. I'm hopeful for good results. I've done some preliminary peeks and know some are good. The welsummers are really dark brown. It's really difficult to see in them. Guess if i'm not able to make anything out I will keep them till they smell funny.

 

[Arielle]

Matlock, you should be able to see the air cell. That is the important part. You can control how well the air cell is developing. Do you have a chart to compare your eggs to? If the air cells are not developing adequately, you will need to increase ventilation or reduce the humidity or both. THis may help you. When the page opens, scroll down to find the diagram. I keep a copy on hand while candling.

Diagrams of air cells, duck and chicken:

http://www.poultryconnection.com/quackers/aircell.html

 

[matlock585]

Matlock, you should be able to see the air cell. That is the important part. You can control how well the air cell is developing. Do you have a chart to compare your eggs to? If the air cells are not developing adequately, you will need to increase ventilation or reduce the humidity or both. THis may help you. When the page opens, scroll down to find the diagram. I keep a copy on hand while candling. Diagrams of air cells, duck and chicken:

http://www.poultryconnection.com/quackers/aircell.html

Yea on my first hatch this year i sat some greens from my hens and i could only determine there was a cell developing. It worked out well for me. I incubate dry and get great results. This is my biggest setting ever... 4 doz. I'm anxious to see how it goes. We are watching our 6 month old neice tonight, and we just got her to bed so i'm getting ready to go see what i have.

 

[matlock585]

So in this set i have 46 left of the chicken eggs. 2 had blood rings, and 14 are question marks. No infertiles for the first time ever for me. All 3 of the turkeys look good. Most of the ones I question are closest to the heat, so I see a need to rotate differently.
Overall, I'm happy with this set.


Looking forward to see what ya'll have developing.

 

[Arielle]

Sunny,

How are you liking the turning method? Looks easy to turn.

I bet temps are still holding well with the combination of foil and insulation. Is it?

 

[Arielle]

How are the eggs? Are they developing? How is the homemade incubator working??

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Sorry for such the delay in a response.
The eggs are doing great. I candled them on day 7, I have to crop the pictures out of a 40 minute long video of my candling and I haven't got to it yet. On day 7 all but 3 were developing. I candled one of those 3 yesterday and it looked right on track! So it is possible that they are all developing. The turner works great and today is lockdown. I transferred all the eggs to egg cartons and I am fooling with the humidity right now trying to get it up to 50%-60%. Only 3 more days until day 21. The incubator is working great. The foam insulation really made a world of a difference.

All set up for hatching:

 

[Arielle]

 

[Arielle]

How is hatching going????????????????????????????

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Day 22! And we have 3 pips! Unfortunatley one pipped at the wrong end of the shell and I am hatching in cartons. I moved him onto a sponge and placed him on his side. He has some blood around his pip hole. Is this normal? His beak is sticking out of the pip hole and he is chirping every once in a while. Pictures to come!