Pulling clears?

[Knighstar679]

i am getting to just over my first week of incubation. I have a fair number of clears. When do you pull your clears from the incubator?

I know some say leave them if they are not smelling or anything but my space is a bit limited and I was hoping to give me a bit more space for turning .

 

[SunHwaKwon]

If they are undoubtably clear or have a blood ring i pull them around day 7 but it comes down to how much room I have. I might leave darker eggs longer since they can be harder to be certain about.

 

[Chickenshelpingchickens]

Where did you get your fertilized eggs from?

 

[Knighstar679]

Where did you get your fertilized eggs from?

They were shipped to me. One set from Texas the other from Maryland.

 

[Chickenshelpingchickens]

They were shipped to me. One set from Texas the other from Maryland.

Well if there is no sign growth like dark spot veins or even a heartbeat it might be a bad batch. The eggs could have gotten scrambled through the mail.

 

[lazy gardener]

If you are positive they are clears, pull them right away. No need to leave a dead egg in the bator. However, I'm guessing that you are hand turning. If this is the case, I suggest that you replace the volume of eggs removed with an equal volume of warm water in a bottle. This will act as a heat sink to help maintain consistent temps, and will be a great help if your power should go out.

When I have an "iffy" egg on day 7, I mark that egg with a ? mark. If no change at day 10, I then remove it.

If you've ever had a rotten egg explode, you will be extra vigilant about pulling those quitters. A single experience with a rotten egg will make you wary for the rest of your life!

 

[Knighstar679]

I have a rotation device that I use so I don’t have to hand turn. I was worried that the oils on my skin might hurt the eggs. Plus it makes turning them easier. I made sure it mimics the auto turners though.

I asked because I wanted to make sure I avoid exploding eggs. I had one go bad but I caught it early.

 

[Zinjifrah]

I usually mean to check them on day eight, and end up peeking around day six. Like Lazy Gardener said, I mark the clears and 'questionables' for further examination over the next couple days. If they're not developing, or have died, I pull them out. I was going to leave one in this last batch in until day ten to be sure, but on a hunch I took another look...

And decided that I was going to pull it, since I was sure it had died. It had, in the first few days of incubation - not even a recognizable embryo inside. However, I think if I'd left it in much longer it would have exploded, because on cracking it open for examination, it immediately started oozing yeasty-smelling material, from where the air pocket should have been. It did not smell before opening it, and it was not oozing.

Some say leave it in, it may start up... personally, I say if you're sure it's clear/dead, get it out of there. But you can't necessarily be sure in the first few days.

 

[lazy gardener]

I did something similar the last time I incubated eggs. I cut lengths of PVC and hot melted them to the egg cartons. I would not be terribly concerned about your hand oils. Just be sure your hands are clean when you handle the eggs.

Is this a home made bator? Have you checked all areas to make sure your temp is consistent? With a thermometer that is calibrated to 100* by using a quality medical grade thermometer as your gold standard?

My bator had a bit of inconsistency, even after working with the fan, vents and air baffles. So, my standard practice is to move eggs around in the cartons so that each egg moves through warm/cool zones every day or two. I also rotate eggs 90* in their cup on a regular basis so they are not always tilting on the same axis.

 

[Knighstar679]

Thanks for all the information. It is really helpful. I am doing my day 7 candle tonight. I am hoping I have some really good things going on in there.

I have been doing 9 rotations a day since I put them I. And they could be rotated. I am going to cut back to 5 in a few days.