No development - what is wrong?

[krakata]

Dear all,

A week ago I started my very first incubation project. Yesterday (day 7) I candled the eggs and results are very disappointing: only 5 eggs out of 21 show signs of development. The other 16 were clear with a moving yolk, not one vessel or blood ring or anything else could be seen. I would like to know what the problem could be. Any help is appreciated.

Here the details:

I bought all the eggs from the same breeder: 13 araucana eggs (quite small), 5 brakel eggs (pretty large), 3 vorwerk eggs (average in size). I picked them up myself; they were transported in cardboard egg boxes placed under the seat in my car. As I arrived home, they were kept in the house at room temperature (20-22 °C) for about 20 hours.
After that I cleaned, sanitized and marked them with crayons. I put them in the cold incubator and than I turned it on. They lay on their sides. I started turning on the evening of the second day and turn them every 12 hours in alternating direction.
I have a home made incubator equipped with a fan and automatic temperature control. I checked it very often and temperature and humidity values were ok every time.

As already said, I candled them on day 7. All 3 vorwerk eggs are developing, but only 2 of the 13 araucana eggs and none of the 5 brakel eggs. The developing eggs lay scattered in the incubator, so I think their place in the incubator did not effect the growth.

What do you think? Did I something wrong? It is problem due to shipping damage? Or maybe I just got wrong eggs and its not my fault at all?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Dear all,

A week ago I started my very first incubation project. Yesterday (day 7) I candled the eggs and results are very disappointing: only 5 eggs out of 21 show signs of development. The other 16 were clear with a moving yolk, not one vessel or blood ring or anything else could be seen. I would like to know what the problem could be. Any help is appreciated.


Here the details:

I bought all the eggs from the same breeder: 13 araucana eggs (quite small), 5 brakel eggs (pretty large), 3 vorwerk eggs (average in size). I picked them up myself; they were transported in cardboard egg boxes placed under the seat in my car. As I arrived home, they were kept in the house at room temperature (20-22 °C) for about 20 hours.

After that I cleaned, sanitized and marked them with crayons. I put them in the cold incubator and than I turned it on. They lay on their sides. I started turning on the evening of the second day and turn them every 12 hours in alternating direction.
I have a home made incubator equipped with a fan and automatic temperature control. I checked it very often and temperature and humidity values were ok every time.

As already said, I candled them on day 7. All 3 vorwerk eggs are developing, but only 2 of the 13 araucana eggs and none of the 5 brakel eggs. The developing eggs lay scattered in the incubator, so I think their place in the incubator did not effect the growth. 


What do you think? Did I something wrong? It is problem due to shipping damage? Or maybe I just got wrong eggs and its not my fault at all?

For future reference, it's better to have your incubator up and running for 24 hours not only to make sure temps stabilize, but so that it's up to temp before the eggs go in.
As for the clears, chances are it is absolutely nothing you are doing. It sounds as though the breeders fertility rates are low. (If you are in a winter season place, that's common for colder weather). I'd say his Araucana and brakel Roos either aren't doing their job or have low fertility.

Also, many people swear eggs shouldn't be washed prior to setting. (The other half disagrees...lol) But it is fact that washing eggs remove the bloom on the egg that helps keep bacteria out.
I don't wash mine, I don't set real dirty eggs either. I mark mine with pencil, set them in my incubator (already at temp) and hand turn them 3 times a day. I go into lockdown day 18.

 

[krakata]

Thank you for the answer, next time I will switch on the incubator earlier.

In the meantime I got in touch with the seller. She asked another breeder and they came to a similar conclusion to what you wrote. We had kind a cold February here, and although the roos seemed to do his job, the eggs probably were not fertile. The breeder had the same problem last year with the first hatch.

The seller offered me another batch of eggs as compensation, so I will do a second try in three weeks. Till then, I keep my fingers crossed that these five developing eggs make it to hatch.

 

[BIggoMamma]

The eggs were not fertile.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Thank you for the answer, next time I will switch on the incubator earlier.

In the meantime I got in touch with the seller. She asked another breeder and they came to a similar conclusion to what you wrote. We had kind a cold February here, and although the roos seemed to do his job, the eggs probably were not fertile. The breeder had the same problem last year with the first hatch.


The seller offered me another batch of eggs as compensation, so I will do a second try in three weeks. Till then, I keep my fingers crossed that these five developing eggs make it to hatch.

I know right now the fertilization in my silkies is low. My first set of 22 eggs only showed a fertility rate in the 70's the second set of 10 was only 60%. I live in northern NY and we've had a mild winter, but apparently still cold enough to effect fertility rates. Good that the seller is compensating. Good luck on the ones that are developing.

 

[krakata]

Update:
I candled all the eggs again after 3 days and discarded those that were clear. I cooked them to give them to the chickens so I opened up every single one to see what is inside. There was nothing, really, they looked like te store-bought egg cooked. Sure they were infertile. (the seller tried to hatch some of these eggs as well and had similar outcome).

And now the good news: today is hatch day and I have already 3 nice chicks in the brooder. Another one has pipped earlier today. The fifth of the remaining eggs probably died somewhere along the process, it looked half empty when I candled it on day 18.