Need hatching buddy! Setting 5 duck and 5 hen eggs Sat 1/16

[ladeefire]

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So technically for me, this is day 3 and i should see something if i candle them later? like veins? I will let you guys know. I AM EXCITED about this can you tell?

 

[heritagebirds]

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Welcome! I set the eggs from you on the 16th!

 

[seminolewind]

2 eggs out of 24 is close to 8%, not 1%, so you're better at it already

I would not candle before day 7. There will be nothing to see.

My temp today is 99.5-100, depending on the thermometer. The humidity is 40 43% and only have 1 tablespoon of water in there! I guess the growing embryos are helping with the humidity. But hopefully I can get it under 40% soon.

If your humidity is too high, the chicks don't lose enough , and bigger chicks have trouble getting in position to pip.

 

[topeka]

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This is only my second hatch but I saw definite veins at 60 hours (last time). Nothing mind blowing but still exciting for a novice

 

[seminolewind]

I've never candled before day 7, it's just what I've heard. So if you do it, it will be exciting to find out what you see!

 

[topeka]

Candled all 10 eggs after 62 hours.

Obvious veins on 2 hen eggs and 4 duck eggs!

The duck eggs (even though they have thicker shells) are easier to see through than the chicken eggs.

60% fertility at this point

 

[Jimmiaandboys]

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That is exciting! Maybe I'll try tonight.

Day 3: Suro 99.5/44% and LG 101.1/29% (still tweaking)

 

[ladeefire]

I am a huge novice. I candled all 14 eggs... 12 of them had blobs in there but i didnt see any veins or anything. 2 of them just looked like regular eggs so maybe they werent fertile? I put them all back in the bator and will wait until thursday/friday to candle again.
I saw a post on here with pics of the veins at 72 hours, I didnt have that. I hope that just means i am not good at candling and nothing else

today they are still at 101 and 50% humidity.

 

[Jimmiaandboys]

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If you're candling brown eggs, esp. med/dk brown it's very difficult to see beyond the air sac. My last (1st) time I didn't see much but most progressed (I cracked them open after Day 25) a few were fully developed but humidity was too high and they drowned.
Don't get discouraged, I could actually feel some embryos moving w/in the eggs while I held them (it was like a mild pulsating sensation while they were in my palm), I'm sure you will too when they get further along. I'll use that as encouragement while trying to candle chocolate, green and blue eggs. I don't know if I'll see anything but I may feel something.

Have you opened any vents on your Hova? Do you use a humidifier in your home? NH/VT weather is making the humidity a challenge. I'm probably going to add h2o because I can't raise the interior of my home enough. Dry incubation probably wouldn't work here until spring/summer.

 

[ladeefire]

there are the air holes they are open but I have not yet opened the vents for any reason. I have been able to keep the humidity between 40-50% mostly but again, I cannot find a clear answer on what that percentage should be! I agree, the humidity is actually a bigger challenge then I thought with the NH weather. It is DRY right now. The bator is in my laundry room which is more humid than the other rooms due to the dryer. When i first fired it up (without eggs) i filled the tray in the bottom thinking that was what I was supposed to do. I then had 85% humidity lol. Learning curve.

As for candling, I hope that you are right. Here is the thing, I hoped on a 50% hatch due to my newness to incubating... of that 50% i hoped on 50% of those being hens and rehoming all but one of the roo's. That makes about 4 hens and a roo (give or take). Now I am not quite sure what I will do if all 14 hatch lol
will have to rethink my plan! hehe

i love fuzzy butts. Last year we had 20 from a hatchery, i think this year I will be even more in love if i hatch ANY myself.

Truth be told, I would be happy with any hatch.