Oh, poo!

[Hottchick]

I've got 14 eggs in my incubator. I'm on day 8, candled the eggs this morning and I think we're going to have a horrible hatch (if any!).

It looks like only 3 of the eggs have chicks inside of them. I'm really disappointed.
This is my son's science fair project and I don't know that he'll have valid results.
I just hope we hatch out 3 little pullets. I hope we hatch some period.
The incubator has been steady at 99.5 the whole time and humidity has been running about 40 also.

Shipped eggs I guess. Anyway, just needed to vent a bit.

 

[featherbaby]

Is there any way you could get some fertile eggs locally? It would be a 'split hatch' but that's OK. Maybe that would insure that your project would succeed. Call your local feed store for some names, or advertise on CL that you need some, see if there's a swap in your area where you could meet some breeders. shipped eggs are iffy. I gave up on that some time ago. Some people do well with it. I think it's just the 'luck of the draw' and I have not had much luck.

 

[Hottchick]

I have been checking to see if there are fertile eggs available locally as a backup. I still have enough time to try again before the science fair (March 10th). If we wind up without any hatching I will pursue that avenue. I was trying for sex link chickens because I cannot keep roosters where I am (not really supposed to have chickens at all, so I'm on the down low) that's why I did shipped eggs.

But if I have to I can try another breed. And where I am located, local is relative anyway. I know of some breeders that are about 1 1/2 hours from me. I doubt I'll find any any closer.

 

[BerrytangleFarm]

Find someone selling eggs for eating and ask if they have a rooster. I did that and found someone two blocks away. I knew it was hit and miss for fertile eggs since she wasn't doing it for breeding, so I got 8 eggs and ended up with 3 chicks. They are the most calm and laid back chicks of the batch. Pretty, too.

 

[Hottchick]

You know, actually, I might be able to get some. I gave a rooster away to a friend a while ago. He was supposed to be a pullet. She has the 1 rooster and 6 RIR hens. They would be mutts but I really don't care. I would worry about the amount of eggs I could get though from only 6 hens. It's a possibility though. And the rooster was my daughter's favorite so they would be his offspring.

 

[iluvsedward]

shipped eggs almost never do well.