Set some eggs just now, due date 20th July.... anyone else setting just now? Hatch-Along

[CAjerseychick]

CAJerseychick - my son was devastated he'd "killed an animal". He is such a sweet-hearted little lad. It took him a couple of days to get, but he has a new respect for the eggs now and their fragility. On the other end of the spectrum, it was fascinating looking at the embryo. That was my best egg on candling so I was disappointed.

I have candled mine - 1 definite, 1 quitter and 1 maybe - will leave them all in though unless they start to smell!

Ohhh I can relate my daughter was obsessed with Archery until she found out her classmates were actually hunting (2 little girls killed their own Thanksgiving turkeys) and then she was like... No way I dont wanna kill things....
I never got around to candling and never did see any movement or feel anything on my checks.. Grace of God actually that anything hatched... and we are out of town again (relatives, vacation etc) so our leaving our current Broody alone-- DH is home making sure there is feed and water available, but really it is just... Nature taking its course....

 

[Gen9]

I am really ready to get this over with. I hope whatever hatches becomes a broody so I don't have to incubate anymore. 11-14 more days... on the other hand, I candled some and it's cute seeing them in there move around, I even saw a few beaks

 

[AParmer]

I'm so unnerved about the candling process. I'm on day 6 and can barely see anything. Light green shells. A lot of them are dark shadowed and some of them I can't tell anything at all. We found one that had veins and a small dark spot in the middle on day 4. I forgot to mark it and can't seem to find it again. Nothing smells, so I'm assuming all is well. I'll be glad once I have several hatches under my belt and I know more about what I'm looking for.

 

[ashem0]

A Pamer - I like this image of the eggs each day of the 21 day cycle. I'm no expert - this is only my 2nd hatch, but I found it useful. It is hard when you run through all the eggs and can't seem to tell, but then one really stands out as developing normally... veins, embryo/eye etc and I use that as my yardstick.

 

[AParmer]

ashem0, thank you very much. This is extremely helpful. I think I'd like to try a batch of white eggs next. The green shells are a little frustrating for the first hatch. Of course just because I can't see what's going on in there doesn't mean it's not doing what it's supposed to. Today is day 7. I may candle them all tonight and see if hubs can see anything I don't. I just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope I have a few hatch.

 

[ashem0]

How is everyone's eggs going?

I candled again last night - got good movement and veining in one - the others are doing nothing. Looks like I'm going to hatch an only lonely again!! I did some RIR's and got 1 and then some BCM and got 1 (plus 1 unhealthy one had to be culled). Thinking I should invest in a better incubator, but then there were so many environmental reasons for the others not working out that it probably isn't all the bators fault!


Adiekaty - are your frizzles/serama's babies of the ones in your profile pic? They are so cute!

 

[ashem0]

AParmer - my first hatch were French Wheaten Marans and they were near impossible to candle. I find these blue Aracauna's allot easier to candle in comparison... and I guess that a white egg would be even easier! How did you get on candling them last night?

 

[AParmer]

Today is day 8 and I candled them all. I have one with definite movement. I have about 5 that I think are probably duds. Maybe not even fertilized. I'm seeing a strong yellow yolk area but nothing else. No veins at all. Then the rest are just too darn dark for me to tell anything about them. They're shadowed heavily. The inside of the incubator smells normal. Nothing like rotting eggs. I marked the ones I think are duds and the ones I'm unsure about. I'm going to let them run their course and hope I'm either wrong or get lucky.

 

[CAjerseychick]

Well have no idea how our eggs are doing really-- except the hen is setting tight-- the nest box she is in is in a really tight spot up under our porch ramp (coop is built practically flush to it) so you have enough room to open up the lid a few inches and reach your had in to grab eggs but thats about it... Tommorrow is either day 12-14 though... We just got back into town again do not really have an idea how the hen is doing with regards to eating and drinking (this her second attempt in 2 months but she only lasted 2 weeks in June before the other hen stole the nest) and it has cooled off into low 90's vs 100's for the past few days.... so I hope she is ok...

 

[sweetappleacres]

Well I'm new to all this and have been concerned bc my silkie has laid every day this week since sunday and 2 on one day (personally, I think I have another laying but I can't confirm). My concern has been that she's laying but not brooding. And so I've kept the eggs in the spot she lays them in and just now, literally, am seeing her stay in her box laying on the eggs. So I'm sure she's brooding. The question now is; will they hatch since they've stayed in the box. I know they're fertilized... so idk. Can anyone enlighten me?