Learn from my many mistakes this go around!

I only had 2 hens laying. I kept eggs for 2 weeks before putting into incubator. My bielefelders I wasn't expect to lay for another month. 1 started laying at 6 months old. Bielefelder rooster was only in 3 days with 26 hens.

I originally had too many roosters in with my hens. They killed 2 of my hens.

I've read you keep eggs on their side at around 50 degrees and turn atleast once a day. Meat freezes in my refigerator, so I kept eggs at room temperature and didn't turn them.

I have a styrofoam hovabator incubator with turner. Last time I kept the hygrometer on edge at bottom. This time I left a few eggs out of way and put it on top of automatic turner. I could hear egg turner clicking and paid it no attention. I candled eggs at day 10. I noticed eggs were in same position. I moved hygrometer back to the bottom.

Half of bielfelder eggs( 5 of 10) weren't fertilized. Cream legbar eggs , I have no idea due to being solid color all the way through.

This is only my 2nd hatching of eggs. 1st time I could see movement when I shined flashlight on eggs that were good. This time I saw none.

Today is day 17. Instead of waiting another day and removing egg turner and moving eggs to the bottom, I was going to throw eggs away. I checked 1 egg and there was a well formed chick. I saw no movement or breathing. I cracked open another egg and saw it breath a few breaths. Then 1st chick finally took a few breaths.

Even after all my screw ups, chicks were still doing ok. If only I had a little more patience. Why not wait 4 more days?

Lessons learned:

1. make sure rooster is with hens long enough for fertilazation.
2. lay eggs on side and turn daily until putting in incubator.
3. have patience with eggs that you can't tell about development.
4. REMEMBER MISTAKES YOU HAVE MADE AND DON'T REPEAT THEM!!

Edited to correct a couple miss spellings.

 

Started out with 22 eggs. 12 ended up not fertilized. 2 I killed by opening before time. 6 hatched. I think 4 females and 2 males. 1quit developing around 10 to 12 day mark. 1 fully developed, it's lower beak split into. I'm thinking that's why it didn't pip and hatch.

After all the mistakes I made, I'll take 6 out of 10 good eggs hatching. I definitely seen a lot worse horror stories than mine. Should of been 8 out of time but, stupidity jumped in.