Setting first eggs tomorrow - 3/23

[Deerling]

I have to wonder if the humidity is really all that important since people keep it at such different levels but end up with similar results...I'm going to stick with 30% and hoping to bump it up to 60% at lockdown...which is the 9th...seems so long to wait...

I agree! It seems so far from now. I'm wondering about humidity, too. Mine is still up pretty high, I am planning on letting the water run out and getting some Gladware containers like my friend suggested. I think that should keep it lower and more constant.

 

[missnu01]

I think only one of the eggs might be infertile...one might have a blood ring, it isn't a ring though..it looks like there is a piece of a pine needle inside the egg..just like a really dark thick straight line looking spot maybe a quarter of an inch...don't know what it is...but it doesn't look good as there isn't anything like that in the others

 

[AQHAchick22]

I candled some of my eggs last night! I was getting impatient.
Most of them seemed good, I could see veins in some of them! I did end up getting rid of one of the RIR's, I noticed a fairly large crack in it and didn't want to risk keeping it in there. I cracked it open and it had all kinds of veins in it. Made me sad
I candled 10 of the 24 (now 23) and all seemed good except for are 2 I'm a little unsure of. By day 3 they really should just look like a dark yolk perhaps with some veins right?

 

[Deerling]

I candled some of my eggs last night! I was getting impatient.
Most of them seemed good, I could see veins in some of them! I did end up getting rid of one of the RIR's, I noticed a fairly large crack in it and didn't want to risk keeping it in there. I cracked it open and it had all kinds of veins in it. Made me sad
I candled 10 of the 24 (now 23) and all seemed good except for are 2 I'm a little unsure of. By day 3 they really should just look like a dark yolk perhaps with some veins right?

I think that's right. I candled maybe five last night. I don't think any of the store bought ones are going to do anything, but the barnyard mix ones looked great! I could actually see the tiny start of the chick in one of them!! Just veins in the others. I also got rid of one of my eggs, it had little sappy places seeping out all over. That's great that so many of yours are developing!

I'm sorry about your RIR egg That would be sad. I'm trying to prepare myself for the fact that hatching eggs is going to be a sad endeavor, probably, even if it mostly goes well. I'm most afraid of ones that make it to hatch and then don't pip. Having an egg break or leak in the incubator could put all your other eggs at risk, so I think you did the right thing. I have heard of people sealing cracks with wax, I think, but I don't know anything about it.

 

[AQHAchick22]

I think that's right. I candled maybe five last night. I don't think any of the store bought ones are going to do anything, but the barnyard mix ones looked great! I could actually see the tiny start of the chick in one of them!! Just veins in the others. I also got rid of one of my eggs, it had little sappy places seeping out all over. That's great that so many of yours are developing!

I'm sorry about your RIR egg That would be sad. I'm trying to prepare myself for the fact that hatching eggs is going to be a sad endeavor, probably, even if it mostly goes well. I'm most afraid of ones that make it to hatch and then don't pip. Having an egg break or leak in the incubator could put all your other eggs at risk, so I think you did the right thing. I have heard of people sealing cracks with wax, I think, but I don't know anything about it.

That's too bad about the storebought ones. All my eggs except the RIR's are barnyard mixes. I'm not shocked that they all seem to be fertile, my BO roo sure gets around

it's like a non stop event in there.

I think its better to be cautious and get rid of any that are suspicious. I figured it just wasn't worth it to keep it in there. I also read about sealing it with wax but like you I don't know anything about it and really didn't want to risk it.

I'm trying to hold off on candling again until Sunday night so it will be a full week. I've been trying to do a lot more research on being able to tell if an egg is "dead". It looks tricky especially since most of my eggs are brown...

 

[missnu01]

Ok, as of today it looks like 2 are clear and 3 have blood rings...so 19 going strong

 

[ScottLovelandCO]

I can't keep my night time temperature consistent. My house heat is set at 67 overnight. The incubator is in a bathroom with no exterior walls. Yet when I check my min/max for the night it runs about 95.5-98.5. I have two 2QT glass heat sinks in there. What more can I do? I am running a lower water heater t-stat so I don't want to adjust it for night time because they're so finicky to begin with. My day time temps run from 101.5 - 98.

 

[missnu01]

That why I wanted the brinsea....I keep the incubator in my room and I like to sleep in a meat freezer...so even with a window unit set to 65 the incubator holds steady at 100 degrees. I needed the steady temp.

You could try putting a blanket over the incubator at night

 

[ScottLovelandCO]

I wrapped it in three towels last night to help insulate the glass viewing area. I think after this batch I will spray foam the lid. I built a cooler-bator but when I installed the glass I realized that the lid was hollow core plastic mold. So I should be able to fill the void with foam. We will see!

 

[gingerly1983]

I wrapped it in three towels last night to help insulate the glass viewing area. I think after this batch I will spray foam the lid. I built a cooler-bator but when I installed the glass I realized that the lid was hollow core plastic mold. So I should be able to fill the void with foam. We will see!

 

I think the spray foam in the lid is a great idea! I bet it will hold temps a lot better after that. I just bought a hovabator genesis 1588. It's got pretty good reviews about holding temps and such. So excited to try it on my next hatch! I've got the urge to go buy more shipped eggs lol I'm gonna be overrun with little baby chickens!