November/December "Hatch-a-Long"

[Heidisgran]

so exciting congrats to everyone
my cochin has started laying now

we'll be setting her eggs too

 

[gimmie birdies]

yeah!

 

[sweetappleacres]

Hello all. I decided to crack open a few of my eggs now that I know the usual layers aren't laying as they are not in with the general population so I'm eggcited (hehe) about that but just wondering about a few things I found when I opened them up to test fertility. First pic- what us that glob of white thing with a swirly tail? And in the 2nd- what are all those dark spots? Never seen either so I'm wondering what I'm working with- are they healthy? Is this normal? I have bantam silkies and frizzle Cochins if that helps solve my mystery. Thanks!

 

[gimmie birdies]

do you have roosters?

 

[sweetappleacres]

do you have roosters?

Yes, I've seen at least 1 of the 3 roosters on a few ladies

 

[gimmie birdies]

they look fertile.

 

[Farmer Viola]

Hello all. I decided to crack open a few of my eggs now that I know the usual layers aren't laying as they are not in with the general population so I'm eggcited (hehe) about that but just wondering about a few things I found when I opened them up to test fertility.

That is the chalaza, it helps suspend the yolk in the center of the white. It is delicate, and part of what can sometimes be damaged in shipped eggs.
I don't think that one is fertile?

And in the 2nd- what are all those dark spots? Never seen either so I'm wondering what I'm working with- are they healthy? Is this normal? I have bantam silkies and frizzle Cochins if that helps solve my mystery. Thanks!
The second one is definitely fertile, you can see the perfectly formed round bullseye in the center. Look for a dot with a ring around it for fertile. Non-fertile the dot will be ringless or misshappen I believe.
Dark spots - no idea

 

[Farmer Viola]

1 BLRW baby hatched right on time, day 21, so my blue wheaten has a friend at least Sadly, she appears to have a single comb (not rose comb) so she could not be a viable breeder....

The other BLRWs are still in the incubator (today is d22). I candled them today and they all look full to the brim, viable looking, the bottom of the eggs no longer clear so possibly yolk absorbing? This is what I tell myself. however 1 looks clear at the bottom, so it may have stopped developing.

The Ameraucana eggs are still in the incubator because I cant give up. The solid dark blue shelled egg I can't see in, appears dark still, so Im leaving it (d23).

The 2 light blue shelled eggs, which I believe had their air cells detached on day 18 when I laid them on their side - 1 is certainly dead, the other one...... I wish I could take good candling pictures, I keep trying but they turn out terrible you can't see anything. This egg is so strange. It has clear areas near the top and bottom with blood vessels in it that are still red. I think they should be brown if it were dead?? is this asking for a deformity? COULD this chick be behind in development since there is so much clear?

It also appears that there is a 2nd air cell, in the egg with the red veins. It moved down to the lower part of the egg and it is re-sealed, when I rotate it does not move. Have you ever heard of this? Should I stop incubating this egg? This is the egg in which I can see the "rip" location in the air cell.

 

[gimmie birdies]

they get quiet in an egg- the egg gets dark if you can see red veins they are still alive in egg- but not ready to hatch- just let them be and hatch themselves.

 

[gimmie birdies]

there is not 2 air cells- if there is clear on the pointed end after day 20 the egg didn't finish developing right and might not hatch. you can keep it in the incubator if you wish and still try- 2 of mine were clearish on day 18 and they hatched. the clear on the point is undigested fluids.