Setting Eggs Today? I am, hatch with me?

[lutz123]

Dang...I was so excited about candling today (it would be day 8), and then read that it's really too early because I have guinea eggs and they develop more slowly. I wouldn't throw any out yet anyway, but I just wanted to peek!! My temp is holding steady at around 100 (still air LG). I may adjust it, but am a little afraid to since it's so steady. I do need to up the humidity though - it's 25%. And I'm guessing that will affect the temperature in some way. I think I need to add a sponge. I swear I filled both channels at the start and it never was above 35%. If I'm understanding correctly, it's not absolutely necessary until a little later right? So I don't need to panic?

 

[just2rosey]

Gosh, Lutz, I don't know anything about guinea eggs.

I didn't even know they took longer, I don't know how big they are compared to chicken eggs, so I don't know what to recommend on humidity. I am worried about my silkie eggs losing to much weight/ moisture since they are so small, my humidity has been really low like yours is. I have two sponges in shallow bowls and it is barely at 40%, how will I ever get it high enough for lockdown? I did a quick candle on day 3 or 4, and I think I have a few duds, but I am waiting til day 7 to candle again and weed out the yokers.

Larry, I don't know anything about duck eggs either, but little ducklings are the cutest!

Badbaby, Good luck on your hatch. Don't expect us to stop you, we all suffer from chicken math (more, more more chickens)

Mskitty, she probably just broke one by accident, it happens sometimes, 12 is a lot under one hen, I am sure the others will be fine.

 

[just2rosey]

Ok, so I candled on day 6 instead of day 7, I just had to check, I couldn't stand the wait

. Good news is I have 13 out of 15, and 2 yokers, which we tossed. So my silkies and cochins are looking good. I still haven't heard from the breeder....

I don't want to be a pest, but they told me they would ship a week ago and that they would send me email conformation with tracking numbers. Well I've got nothin...

When would it be ok to start asking questions?

Anyone else candling yet? I am obsessive, I know... but I love them, so!

 

[Badbaby05]

I candled 4 out of 30 last night (day 4) and I have veins in all 4 so it's looking good

 

[Luke13:34]

That's great!!!

I'm so scared to candle. My temps were all over the place yesterday for some reason. I'm afraid I may have cooked or over-cooled them at some point. UGH! This is waaay too stressful.

 

[momsflock]

Okay- all this talk about candling made me curious, so I did a few last night. I was at day 5 and only see airsacks at the top, no veining. I am going to wait until Friday which will be day 8. Hoping we see something. This is all new to me, and I do not want to throw out eggs yet.

 

[lutz123]

I will likely wait until throwing any out, even if they don't look promising. Too many stories of people having a perfectly healthy chick (or keet, in my case) after seeing what they swore was infertile. I'm hoping that smell and weeping will be obvious enough!

 

[just2rosey]

Well, my shipped eggs finally arrived, and the air cells look like the PO has been playing football with the box.

I had 2 out of 8 in which the air cell is completely ruptured, and all the others are quite distorted.

I am down 25% before I even started. So I numbered them and set them in the incubator in an egg carton. I also set another 13 eggs from home, while I was at it. Six silkie, 2 mille fluer cochins, and 5 barnyard mix from my neighbors chickens. I took care of her critters while she was out of town last week, she told me to keep the eggs, but she expected me to eat them not hatch them.

That gives me a total of 34 eggs going now. We are going to chicken swap on May 7th, the first round of silkies and cochins will hatch just in time to be sold.

Then we can keep the ones that hatch the next week.

 

[momsflock]

Found a crack in one of mine today. I candled it, and think it is okay. I used candle wax to seal it. I hope it works.

 

[lutz123]

Someone stop me please. I went to the feed store for a syringe to fill my incubator troughs with and came home with 2 guinea keets, 2 buff orpington chicks, 2 RIR chicks, and one weak tiny little RIR chick that is MISSING ITS EYES!! Am I crazy or something?