Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Chickin Fairy]

Who here has incubated eggs and how do you select which eggs you will do? Do you start your eggs and then check for veins after 5 days and take out ones that aren't developing or is there an earlier time you can determine which eggs are fertile? All these eggs are a few days old, what am I looking for??

 

[PhantomSlayer]

Who here has incubated eggs and how do you select which eggs you will do? Do you start your eggs and then check for veins after 5 days and take out ones that aren't developing or is there an earlier time you can determine which eggs are fertile? All these eggs are a few days old, what am I looking for??

I haven't done chicken eggs yet. But with everything I've looked up 7-10 days is usually when you can tell during incubation. Some people will do a pre-fertilization check by cracking an egg or two to check if the eggs have the fertilization dot before they start picking out their eggs to set in the incubator. There's a bunch of egg incubation charts to compare when candling.

With our goose eggs I'm doing a check on day 10 and then day 14 if theres still nothing I'm tossing them. I had a few last year that I couldn't really tell on day 10 so I always gave them a few days anyways. Goose eggs have a longer incubation time but I plan on candling atleast at lockdown and maybe once before so I can keep track of quitters.

Also remember factors can cause hatching to be delayed. While hatch day is usually 21 days for chickens its possible for hatch to be delayed by a few days.

 

[Chickin Fairy]

7-10 days is usually when you can tell during incubation. Some people will do a pre-fertilization check by cracking an egg or two to check if the eggs have the fertilization dot before they start picking out their eggs to set in the incubator. There's a bunch of egg incubation charts to compare when candling.

Thank you! It's what I'm leaning toward as well. Placing the eggs and to keep candling them every 5 days or so until about day 18 when I don't move them and let Mama continue her sitting. I've hatched 2 viable eggs before, so I know what to look for after they sit for a few days for development. I just didn't know if there was a way to check if they were fertilized before setting them under a broody hen.

 

[PhantomSlayer]

Thank you! It's what I'm leaning toward as well. Placing the eggs and to keep candling them every 5 days or so until about day 18 when I don't move them and let Mama continue her sitting. I've hatched 2 viable eggs before, so I know what to look for after they sit for a few days for development. I just didn't know if there was a way to check if they were fertilized before setting them under a broody hen.

I'm hoping to do some chicken eggs this year I can't time it right to give a broody less than 3 day old chicks from the store because of transportation issues so I brought in a new rooster this year. But alas its goose season for me right now and I can't afford a third incubator to do chicken eggs.

So my flock expansion is on hold until probably May-June. It'll atleast give our girls time to all be laying. Some of the girls still haven't come off break lol We had 2 girls go broody last year so I'm hoping they will go broody again this year. Specially the one who went broody 3 times last year lol. I bought fake eggs to try tricking them to go broody this year cause last year I was gone for 3 days leaving someone else to do for their care and it only took 8 eggs for one of them to go broody.

 

[Chickin Fairy]

it only took 8 eggs for one of them to go broody.

I have two that go broody sitting on a golf ball . When it hits them, it hits hard. I want my standard to hatch some eggs this year and she takes weeks to be off-broody.

 

[PhantomSlayer]

I have two that go broody sitting on a golf ball . When it hits them, it hits hard. I want my standard to hatch some eggs this year and she takes weeks to be off-broody.

XD I could probably trigger a broody now but I want to incubate eggs indoors and this year we have 2 female geese so depending on when girl #2 starts I'll be overloaded with goose eggs when she does because our incubator isnt that big lol. My luck she would start a week after I start chicken eggs lol

 

[Chickin Fairy]

I dunno, guys. Hubs just told me if I extend the run I could get more chickens. I think he's given into chicken math before I have

 

[1muttsfan]

There are several good guides on here on how and when check eggs. Candle them at day seven and day 18. Candling them earlier might miss some developing eggs. Try to restrain yourself from handling them otherwise very much. There's nothing more gruesome than dropping a developing egg, especially if you happen to drop it on the other eggs in the incubator. And it doesn't give you any additional information that you need for hatching if you candle them more often.
I would recommend opening the incubator daily and just gently checking each egg to make sure you don't have any stinkers or weepers.

 

[Chickin Fairy]

There are several good guides on here on how and when check eggs. Candle them at day seven and day 18. Candling them earlier might miss some developing eggs. Try to restrain yourself from handling them otherwise very much. There's nothing more gruesome than dropping a developing egg, especially if you happen to drop it on the other eggs in the incubator. And it doesn't give you any additional information that you need for hatching if you candle them more often.
I would recommend opening the incubator daily and just gently checking each egg to make sure you don't have any stinkers or weepers.

Thank you! I'm hatching them under a broody hen, so I'll let her do all the work of turning and warming. You're right, though, less handling is better. Last time I went out at night and my brooding coop is at waist level, so it makes it easy to candle them without dropping them.

 

[1muttsfan]

Nothing like feeling that egg slip in your hand