Questions about eggs before locking down.

[Sylviaanne]

I candled my eggs last night, they are due on the 12th so I will be putting them on lockdown tomorrow. First I have some questions to see if some of them, I shouldn't even bother with.

Most of them are dark all the way from the air sack to the bottom of the egg. I figure those have the best chance of hatching?

What about the eggs that I can't see through because the shell is too dense but look like there is nothing working in there? Remove them?

What about eggs that still have a clear spot at the bottom of the eggs? Bad or give them some more time?

What about the eggs that appear clear? Remove them?

These are the eggs that I groggily turn up to 106 for several hours, instead of turning the heat down from 102. Looks like a possibility that as many as 23 out of 37 could hatch.

Thanks, Sylvia

 

[happyhens1972]

I always get rid of clear eggs as there is obviously no chance at all of them hatching, then anything that has a good amount of shadowing, even if it is not quite 'full', I leave in place. Also, I never throw out a dark shelled egg as they are notoriously difficult to see into and interpret results. I have NEVER had any go rotten and explode, which is why people tend to throw quitters out. I'd rather keep a quitter by mistake than throw away a viable egg.

Good luck with your hatch! x

 

[Sylviaanne]

I feel the same about the dark shelled eggs. I just needed some confirmation on the clear and clear bottomed eggs. I will be setting them up for lockdown tonight. Thank you, Sylvia

 

[Dragons4u]

I get rid of the clears and I leave in the dark ones even if they have clear spots in the bottom.
My last hatch I had one like that and the mentally deficient chick actually hatched out the bottom. Surprisingly, it is the biggest most active quail chick I have from the hatch

 

[Sylviaanne]

I am hoping it just means these will hatch later. Hopefully they are not duds. Thanks, Sylvia

 

[kev0]

Good Luck with the hatch you should be able to hear them pipping !! just keep the humidity high I tend to hatch on damp wood shavings works well for me best of luck Kev !!

 

[Sylviaanne]

Good Luck with the hatch you should be able to hear them pipping !! just keep the humidity high I tend to hatch on damp wood shavings works well for me best of luck Kev !!

What kind of wood shavings? I have heard that pine or cedar is bad for them. Are the eggs directly on the shavings or is the screen between them and the damp wood shavings? Thanks, Sylvia

 

[Farmer Viola]

I candled my eggs last night, they are due on the 12th so I will be putting them on lockdown tomorrow. First I have some questions to see if some of them, I shouldn't even bother with.

Most of them are dark all the way from the air sack to the bottom of the egg. I figure those have the best chance of hatching?

those sound closest to hatch! I bet if you mark them they will hatch first.

What kind of wood shavings? I have heard that pine or cedar is bad for them. Are the eggs directly on the shavings or is the screen between them and the damp wood shavings? Thanks, Sylvia

I like to use shelf liner in my incubator. it's soft, and gives good grip for walking. I use it in the brooder for the first few days, too. Only after they are walking well, I move them to natural wood pellets. I like these better than the shavings, less messy and they don't eat it like the shavings. I have also seen people use a couple layers of paper towels as flooring in the incubator. the wire can be harsh on their little feet. I once had a chick break her toe bent into the wire. her toe is still crooked to this day, felt bad about it. now I cover it with something!

Cedar is bad, Pine is good

 

[Sylviaanne]

those sound closest to hatch! I bet if you mark them they will hatch first.

if it looks clear, and light can shine through it even a little bit, it is probably undeveloped. hard for me to say without seeing it though, you will have to use your best judgement.
definitely not bad, that might be unabsorbed yolk, they might hatch the day after the ones that are fully black. usually I will see a clear spot at the bottom around day 18, if I keep candling at day 19 and 20 it will darken. so these are likely on track, while the solid black eggs are further ahead. hmm, possibly warm or cold spots in the incubator? just thinking out loud.
yes I would remove any eggs that are clear.

good luck! I had my bator get up to 105 once and still they all hatched. the internal temperature of the egg will take longer to rise than the incubator itself, so usually short exposure isn't deadly.

I also break the clear eggs open (inside a ziplock baggie), or if they are late quitters, I chip away the shell within a baggie. I find that I can learn a lot from seeing the different stages of development. also seeing the inside, compared to candling, helps me candle better in the future!


I like to use shelf liner in my incubator. it's soft, and gives good grip for walking. I use it in the brooder for the first few days, too. Only after they are walking well, I move them to natural wood pellets. I like these better than the shavings, less messy and they don't eat it like the shavings. I have also seen people use a couple layers of paper towels as flooring in the incubator. the wire can be harsh on their little feet. I once had a chick break her toe bent into the wire. her toe is still crooked to this day, felt bad about it. now I cover it with something!

Cedar is bad, Pine is good

Thank you, Farmer Viola. You have been very helpful. I know I ask similar questions over and over but until I gain experience I am stuck in a rut of uncertainty. It is nice to know others have "cooked" their eggs and still had a decent hatch. Even with shelf liner, doesn't the poo go through the grid and get on the bottom of the incubator? For these eggs going on lockdown I have put paper towels in the bottom of it under the wire screen. I read where someone did that and wet them to raise the humidity. I thought that was a good idea, it would keep poo from sticking to the styrofoam. The last hatch I did left some really sticky poo on the styrofoam and either I didn't get it all off or it stained the material. I couldn't get it out or off. I read you don't want to scrub it hard because that leaves scratches in the foam that bacteria can grow in. I sprayed it with disinfectant spray and waited for it to dry before reloading it. Sylvia

 

[Dragons4u]

I always use the paper towels under the mesh.