Normal to still see veins on day 21?

[Brittany Bennett]

Day 21 on my sebright eggs. They were shipped and almost all went in with weird or saddle shaped air sacs. It's the end of day 21 and I know the rules, but I couldn't help it. I candled and was very careful to not move the position they were already in when candling. I saw movement in all, but also saw a lot of veins still. Is this normal? Could they be late to hatch due to this?

 

[JaeG]

They could just be a little behind and if you're still seeing veins and not a full, dark egg then they'll be a couple of days away at least. You may have had a dip in temperature at some point during incubation or your thermometer might not be super accurate so the temperature may be a little lower than you think.

Don't worry - as long as no one had externally pipped and you kept them in the same position then taking them out to candle isn't going to hurt them. I've candled quail eggs to find little shadow heads in the air cell and they've hatched just fine. Good luck for your hatch!

 

[Brittany Bennett]

They could just be a little behind and if you're still seeing veins and not a full, dark egg then they'll be a couple of days away at least. You may have had a dip in temperature at some point during incubation or your thermometer might not be super accurate so the temperature may be a little lower than you think.

Don't worry - as long as no one had externally pipped and you kept them in the same position then taking them out to candle isn't going to hurt them. I've candled quail eggs to find little shadow heads in the air cell and they've hatched just fine. Good luck for your hatch!

Thank you! Do you think I should continue turning them?

 

[JaeG]

No, just leave them be so they can get into position for hatching. Turning is essential for the first two weeks then not so much. Turning them too close to hatching can cause them to move into the wrong position and pip at the wrong end of the egg.

Bantam chicks are so precious! I love bantams.