Our Egg Hatching thread! Hatch: Nov. 7th (Hatching Video PG 57)

[kodiakchicken]

That is so, so, so cool! I can't wait to candle mine! I didn't think they would show that much by now, that's the other reason I've been waiting to candle. Looks like there's plenty to see at this date though!

Michigan, are your eggs white or brown? Mine are brown and I've heard they can be harder to see into at first.

Also, do you just use a flashlight in a dark room, or do you have something fancier to candle with?

 

[MichiganWoods]

Yep, spider eggies!

Mine are definitely not white!

The two in the pictures are my medium brown purebred Rhode Island White eggs. The Easter Eggers (pastel blues, pastel greens, olive greens and two steel gray) are a lot darker and harder to see into. I'll try and get a picture of one of those tomorrow.

I am using a higher powered LED flashlight in a dark room. Don't have one of those fancy candlers.

 

[MichiganWoods]

Ok.... this is one of the Easter Egger eggs.... very very difficult to see into. I had my camera set to a 30 second exposure and I still had to do a lot of work in Photoshop to see anything. But I think there is a chick in this one.

And this is one of the "infertiles"... at least I think that's what they are. There are four that look like that. Anyone know if I should just take them out at this stage? All the other ones have big dark puffs where the chicks are growing, but these other ones... the yolk is still just bobbing around, perfectly round inside.

 

[klf73]

I see the veining in the first one. I will say that although I can tell by day 5, I still leave them in until at least day ten(as long as they don't stink or weep) before I discard them. Doesn't hurt to just leave them for now.....

 

[kodiakchicken]

That bottom egg looks like an alien egg!

I can't see anything in it either, but I would leave it. That seems to be the common consensus, and several people have ended up with viable eggs they were certain were infertile.

 

[kodiakchicken]

Okay, against my determination to wait until day 7 to candle for the first time I came home and candled all 14 eggs (MichiganWoods made me!!!

)

My first try was a little sketchy - my knocked together candler didn't illuminate the eggs super well. However, there were five out of 14 that the embryos were super easy to see.

Then, after doing some research online, I made another candling device. This one was much more sophisticated (I used cardboard!

) Using this one I found two more that definitely have embryos.

The other 7 were really hard to tell. A couple of them had absolutely nothing to see, barely even an air sack, so I think they are duds. But 4 or 5 of them had large dark masses inside that floated around. What could that be? There weren't any visible blood rings, just larger shadowy masses.

Veining was tough to see in all the eggs, although it was slightly visible in the ones with obvious embryos. Any advice is welcome!

I'll be keeping them all for at least another week and hoping for the best!!!

 

[Jamie821]

I never throw out a egg unless it is after seven days and it is totally clear. Unless it sticks or weeps, The dark masses could be the beginning of a blood ring but wait to make sure. At 14 days you will definitly know. So far i have not candled mine but will not even attempt it till the 10th day reason being they are marans eggs way to dark to see anything until then. So until day ten wont know anything. My welsummers due halloween I have 18 of 23 growing and kicking around which is great for shipped eggs.Glad your humidity is down. talk to yall soon

 

[MichiganWoods]

I made you do it?!

Yeah I've got quite a few that are so dark, all I can see is the dark mass floating at the large end. I'm going to check them every day for sticking or weeping, but otherwise, I don't think I can do much about seeing into those guys. They may have to stay in there until the end. -- But isn't the candling just so, wow? I love watching this kind of stuff. When I was pregnant with my kiddoes, I remember tracking their daily development with online sites that would show you the stages they were in. It was addicting.

Congrats on the welsummers, Jamie! My eggs were shipped in the mail too. I' got some reasonale pricing through some eBay sellers... (yes I know, not everyone here trusts eBay! Paid $9 for the RIWs and $8 for the EEs plus shipping, so I don't think I did so bad.) Next time though, I'll keep my eyes peeled for folks posting eggs here on BYC.

 

[kodiakchicken]

Yep, Michigan, I could hear you chanting in my head, all the way home from work: "Candle! Candle! Candle!"

It really was the coolest thing. And my 8 year old DD helped me. You should have seen and heard her when we saw the first embryo. She was amazed and excited. She went running out to tell our 16 year old exchange student who immediately dropped her laptop and came running to see. (I love it when teenagers get excited about "real" stuff!)

The scene was probably quite hilarious though. Thank goodness DH didn't walk in or he'd have thought we lost our minds. The 3 of us were crammed into my laundry room (where the incubator is), which is only about 3x5, flipping the light on and off to look at these eggs. Of course, as soon as DH learned there were embryos he had to see too!

Thanks for all the help everyone. Now I'm going to be on pins and needles hoping the others that I couldn't see have embryos and hoping I get a hatch!!!

 

[Jamie821]

I know what you mean michigan. I did the same thing when I was pregnant with my three kids. My mom bought me a book that had day by day progress and I dont know how many times a day I looked just to see where their development was. The main reason I dont candle until at least seven days is the umbilical cord on the chicks for the first 10 days is extremely fragile. I do candle at 10 but am very careful up until then I watch for weeping and check for odors. It is very hard to do because it is so fascinating but I sit on my hands remind myself that i could cause damage and somehow it works, At day 10 i do discard all clear eggs and definite blood rings but when they are dark eggs wait till day 14. I find that day 14 you are very aware of what is viable and what is not, I dont candle after that, Egg is too full of chick to see anything but I have checked a egg that didnt feel the right weight. then all I look for is the air sac to see if it is the right size and maybe it has pipped through the membrane. After 23 days I take babies out of bator and candle any eggs that havent hatched. That makes my dicision on whether its back to the hatcher or they have died, Not all on ebay are bad and not honest. But I have learned the BYC forum members are mainly very honest and not looking to take advantage of people, Most are just plain ole chicken lovers. Ask what you are looking for and everyone knows who has good stock and have dealt with each other, Cant wait till our hatch and be on here with all of you running to puter to say I see a pip.