Please tell me this isn't a Blood Ring

[Illia]

Okay, so I will admit these are horrible computer illustrations but my camera's batteries aren't here yet, so. . .

My 14 eggs are on day 11 now, (probably day 12 by the time you read this

) and so far it looks like only two are going to make it.

My main concern are the two in this horrible illustration - The first is what a majority of the eggs look like. You can see that the yolk is dark, darker than the average infertile egg - But nowhere near as dark as my only two good eggs. It is day 11, and they've gone nowhere - Are they quitters, and should I just cull them?

The second egg is one of the two that are actually moving a long. Except, I noticed yesterday that one of them was very lively and this one was a little more on the mellow side. Today, I cannot even see them it is so dark, but this one seems to have a dark ring of stuff right at the edge of the embryo. Is this a bloodring? Do they develop this late? It isn't fine like one would be, it is more like a thick, dark, lumpy, cloudy ring right at the edge of all the darkness - I'm hoping it is normal.

Oh, and why is there no amazingly bright and visible air-sac at the end? This is my first hatch and I'm new at it, but other photos of eggs at this stage show a very visible air-sac. The only light spot on mine are in the quitters and at the pointy tip of the developed two. They had rather dim looking air sacs a couple days ago, but now it is just black.

And on the note of culling eggs, why is it that only two out of originally 18 are actually developing? Is it the humidity? Because I already culled four, and they were all fertile but one. My humidity is at 36% most of the time, and my temp is usually at 99-100 degrees. I'm using a cheap still-air, so, what should I change in the situation? I'm going to start hatching more eggs after these, and really want to make sure I have a better hatch rate than 2/18!

 

[BirdBrain]

This site might help some:

http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/Avian/pfs32.htm

The first time I incubated I was very unsure of what I saw. I am on my third hatch and can tell you will definately gain confidence as you do this more. Your best bet is to leave them in there unless they are stinking. I have noticed that the yolks of fertile eggs seem to sink to the bottom. Take an egg from the refridge and candle it. Then compare it to what you have in the bator. If your eggs look just like the frig egg then they are clears. Carefully break them open to see if any development occurred.

Shin your light directly down on the fat end of the egg. You should be able to see the air cell.

If the ones you culled were fertile, they could have failed to develop for any number of reasons. This article may help:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/aa204

 

[spikennipper]

The first one does indeed look like a quitter if it is that light at this stage, the second however, should be ok I don't think blood rings occur so late in incubation and it looks fairly normal going by your pic, either way I wouldn't try to remove any unless they actually smell, I would wait until lock down now and check the light egg if it looks the same remove it.

 

[Dandelion007]

Where did you get your eggs from?

2 (or 3) developing from 18 sounds like shipped eggs. If that is the case, it depends on the treatment during shipping. Rough handling, x-raying & low temperatures can kill the embryos. It's a gamble every time you buy shipped eggs. Sometimes the hatch is good and sometimes it isn't. If you don't have a local supplier, it's an excellent way to get the breed you want.

I wouldn't remove any eggs if you don't smell stink. When the hatch is finished, if you open all the remaining eggs you will get a better idea of how different situations look when candling.

 

[Illia]

When I shine the light directly down the fat end, I see blackness. Entire blackness.

I actually got these eggs from my own hens. I'm wondering if it is a humidity problem - Everyone says it varies upon where you live and are incubating the eggs, should I just increase it for the next hatch? Or could it just be a problem with my rooster? (The eggs were from one rooster to 20 hens, but I only collected from the hens I knew have been mated.)

I'm figuring the rest are quitters (that's some horrible hatch rate!) and these two I'll see how they come along. Still curious of the air sac thing though. I forgot - Does a small to no air sac have to do with humidity levels?

 

[Dandelion007]

Later in the game, they do go all dark. It could be it's taking up the majority of the shell. If one end is light, that's what I would think. You may have a low hatch rate because of the outside temps. If they get too cold before you gather them, they would die but be fertile.

I think a still air is supposed to be closer to 101 degrees but don't change it right now! That would be for your next hatch.

 

[chickenlittle32]

This sticky will help as well...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261876

 

[Illia]

Yeah, that sticky is my candling bible - Which is why I asked these questions. On there, it shows the later days as having a very dark egg with a nice, big airsac . . . On the blunt end. Only two of mine are that dark and neither have a good, large airsac on the big/top end.

Well, I guess I'll let these go through and see what happens. This is sort of a test run for me, I just hope the eggs I purchase won't go through this bad of a hatch rate.

 

[Egg_newton]

This is my second hatch. I have about 30 of eggs from my flock in with about a dozen purchased eggs. The ones I bought and my silkies are the only ones doing anything. I did a batch of my own eggs the first time. I only got 5 chicks out of 25 eggs. I think mine may be a roo problem. I would try buying some cheap hatching eggs to see if yours is the bator or your rooster.