Should I be worried?

[chelseachook]

Yesterday was day 4 and I candled the seven eggs that I have in the incubator. In one egg, there were veins and an embryo but there was nothing in the rest. Are all but one infertile? Is it normal not to see anything in the eggs at this stage? I candled with the torch from a smartphone. This is my second time incubating, and I got nothing no hatches out of the first time. I always said that even if I only get one chick, I'l be happy, but I thought that they would all be fertile since I have a rooster.

 

[sourland]

If the eggs are dark shelled it is sometimes difficult to see early veining. What breed are you trying to hatch ? Sometimes heavily feathered birds need feathers plucked around their vents so that the rooster can make 'contact'.

 

[K0k0shka]

Sometimes heavily feathered birds need feathers plucked around their vents so that the rooster can make 'contact'.

Ouch! You can just trim them, you don’t have to pluck.

 

[chelseachook]

If the eggs are dark shelled it is sometimes difficult to see early veining. What breed are you trying to hatch ? Sometimes heavily feathered birds need feathers plucked around their vents so that the rooster can make 'contact'.

I have layers, a bantam and a rhode island red. They are all (the eggs) quite lightly coloured. Basically all the eggs I crack for cooking are fertile, so I'm a bit confused. I'll candle again now to see if anything has changed.

 

[sourland]

Ouch! You can just trim them, you don’t have to pluck.

Trimming is generally not preferred as it leaves stubble that can cause irritation.

 

[chelseachook]

Still can't see anything, but the good one is growing . I'll wait until day 10 before I throw any out. Thanks for the replies, the next time I incubate I'll keep the bum feathers in mind.

 

[Uff Da]

What incubator are you using? Have you ensured a correct temp with a separate calibrated thermometer? Are you washing your hands before touching the eggs? Are your breeders in a good diet? At what stages did your eggs from the first hatch you attempted fail?

Clear eggs doesn't necessarily mean infertile. They can be failures to start as well as very early deaths. Usually due to poor nutrition in parents, or incorrect incubator temp, or contamination from handling.

Hopefully you can troubleshoot your way to a successful hatch!

 

[chelseachook]

What incubator are you using? Have you ensured a correct temp with a separate calibrated thermometer? Are you washing your hands before touching the eggs? Are your breeders in a good diet? At what stages did your eggs from the first hatch you attempted fail?

Clear eggs doesn't necessarily mean infertile. They can be failures to start as well as very early deaths. Usually due to poor nutrition in parents, or incorrect incubator temp, or contamination from handling.

Hopefully you can troubleshoot your way to a successful hatch!

I am using a forced air incubator that I got off ebay. I have a separate thermometer. I am washing my hand before touching the eggs and the chooks are eating layer mash and scraps. Only one egg out of the first hatch was fertile and it died in the late stages of incubation. It is probably because my chooks have a lot of butt feathers, as stated above. This year, I am going to try everything I can to get baby chicks. I just wish my hens were broody more often, so I don't have to worry about temperature and humidity.

 

[chelseachook]

Just candled the eggs, and one has a huge yolk, lots of veins and a moving embryo. Nothing in the others. So I opened them and there were no embryos and they were infertile. I don't want to waste time and energy on one egg that may not hatch, but I am going pull through. Any tips on how to keep a lone chick happy, if it does hatch? I will be at home for the next 5 weeks due to COVID-19. Also, are egg yolks supposed to get darker and bigger over time? The embryo is moving a lot, so I know it is alive, but I am worried about the yolk size. Thanks.