New to BYC from Northern California

They sound like new layers then. June chicks will sometimes take longer to start laying because they are heading into winter. If there are no other symptoms, she's probably just adjusting. Are you getting green eggs?
 
Brown eggs! I just candled them!! I have 5 & the oldest is only 4 days old, but they all look good so far. the 2 that are 4 days look great! I can see vessels & a little baby growing!!!! It's so exciting! I have one that is spotted on he shell, but I can see vessels. Is that fine? I' a nurse & it all fascinates me .
 
Wow, that's really neat! I haven't incubated eggs, but from what I've read blood vessels are a good sign that the chick is developing. If you keep adding eggs to the incubator, they will hatch at different times, which might not be good because there are different requirements toward the end of the hatch. Most people just leave the eggs out on the counter until they have enough to hatch and put them all into the incubator at the same time.

Do you have a rooster for these girls? They must have been with a rooster in the last couple of weeks. Apparently they store sperm. Are both of your girls laying now?
 
Brown eggs! I just candled them!! I have 5 & the oldest is only 4 days old, but they all look good so far. the 2 that are 4 days look great! I can see vessels & a little baby growing!!!! It's so exciting! I have one that is spotted on he shell, but I can see vessels. Is that fine? I' a nurse & it all fascinates me .
Look in the hatching section. Yes viening is good, but watch for blood rings. I have eggs in all the time and do staggered hatches, so there's always something going in and out of there. Back when I had to hand turn I did 3 to 5 turns and don't panic if you miss some. I know broodies move eggs, but I really think we move them more, so don't worry. If you stagger a hatch, just remember to lockdown and bring the humidity up while the eggs that are due are hatching and then bring it down until the next eggs need to lock down. Unless they are really bumping eggs around the chicks can stay in the incubator for 3 days. They absorb the yolk and survive off that which is why you can ship day old chicks. After that you have to wait till they're grown some. Using egg cartons to hatch helps wit the chicks not being able to knock the other eggs around. I usually have a lot of eggs in there, so if my hatch lasts a few days I'll grab out anyone that's dry and still them in the brooder with starter and water. But read up on things like Pasty Butt and what to look out for in the Raising Chicks section. Or just come in and ask or do a search. It's cool to see those tiny embryos bouncing around in the eggs. I need get tired of that. That is when I have an egg I can see through. Most of mine are very dark brown or colored and it can be hard to see through them when you don't have a really good light or are like me and can't see anyway. LOL You girls can stay fertile up to 3 weeks after being with a rooster. Umm I've never had to wait for them to be with one for 2 weeks. I've hatched eggs from a bird that was bred once and all of the eggs are good for a while. I have to AI 3 of my girls once, because I didn't own the roo and they were fertile for a long time. I rarely eat our egg, cause I'm always putting them in one of the incubators to see what I get. LOL Remember that Chicken Math can take over and once you start hatching, it's hard to stop. And chicks are like any other baby. They hatch when they're ready. I've had them hatch at 17 days and not until 25 - 28 days, so don't worry if they aren't hatching fast enough. So many people start opening or tossing out eggs and some have even found hatched chicks in their trash and compost and most don't make it if that happens.

You can always visit the California thread that I left a link to and join in and there are a lot of us that can help with questions.

Oh and the weather lately has a lot to do with laying as well as the breeds. You have EEs and they are pretty good layers. My Silkies are my worst layers but they are great broodies.
 
They just left the rooster when I bought them :) I'm still only getting one egg/day. I'm making another incubator for the higher humidity needs. They are small. I think I'm going to just get a dozen fertile eggs to hatch all of them at once, but haven't decided yet.
 
You can do both. Cut the bottoms out of the sections in the carton, so heat and air and humidity can get through. It's easier to turn them that way too. Just tilt the cartoon on one side then the other. Simple!
 
Scare of the day! The power went out at 6am & the 1st thing I thought of was the EGGS!!!! I sprang into action & got 2 hand warmers, activated them stuck them into the bator & closed it up. Luckily it was back on it about 2 hours. They didn't lose any humidity & the temp stayed above 90 degrees. I hope they are ok!! My friend & I clipped the hens' wings today too; no noises, no blood---I say it went well!! !! I feel like the chicken whisperer!! LOL
 
Power failures!
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They always happen at the worst times, don't they? LOL Your eggs should be O.K. but the lower temperature may cause them to hatch a bit later than expected. So don't worry if day 21 comes and goes and nothing happens. Good luck with your hatch!
 

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