Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[savannahm0m]

Thanks for all the suggestions! First I tried grain, but it's a smallish coop, and they kept popping out before I could close the door. It was still a bit light out, so I let them be, but I put a tarp over the tin roof of the coop. They all went into the coop. We'll see how it goes tomorrow!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

oh and the next time I refer to Thelma as the little black Cochin, somebody

me... this is the first time I have seen her out in the full sunshine. she's incredible.

Love the iridescence. Not to take away from her loveliness, but did you notice she seems to be giving birth in a rather mammalian way?

Good one for the What is this Chicken Thinking thread.

 

[mortie]

Hey guys.

Still not feeling 100% here. I'm not happy about that!

Candled my babies and now I have a good idea of how many I have. It's only day 5.5 but I removed several that I know aren't going to be any good. First, i don't see anything in them and I am a pretty good candler. Second, they are so porous that they'd never be any good even if there were babies in there. Their air cells are already twice the size of the other eggs. I took the ones that light up light a lightbulb and are obvious clears and left a few that I"m not sure about. I've got 18 that I'm pretty sure about. So right now 18 fertiles, a handful of "not sure" ones and one that might have a blood ring...couple more days will tell on that one.

As I suspected, the fertility rate on the ones from the farmers market (the ones that had been in the fridge and were not as fresh as I would have liked ) was dismal. A few of them do have babies in them. All of the obvious clears I removed today that were also way too porous were from that batch. I think out of 12 of the farmer's market eggs I've got maybe 3 with babies, 6 total rejects and 3 dubious ones that the jury is still out on. So yeah, pretttty dismal. Last year they were waaay better. I think i set 14 and went into lockdown with 9 and 8 hatched. The ones I got from the local guy are much better. Out of 18 there I've got maybe 1 that is almost for sure clear and a couple that are really hard to see in because they are a little porous mixed with being olive colored so they're tough to see into at this early stage.

There is one egg that is a total superstar. The embryo is not hiding under the air cell like mine tend to like to do and the egg is really smooth and easy to see through. I could see that one's eye yesterday and I could see it again really clearly today. Very cool.

 

[savannahm0m]

mortie - I hope you get to feeling better soon! What is your goal for hatching? That is, how many chicks does your friend want?

 

[lindz8504]

What's the earliest you can see anything when candling? I don't remember. I'm going to take any obvious clears from my newest broody towards the end of the week. I gave her 14 eggs even though it is her first time. A) because I am over run with eggs and B) she is a big girl and can cover them. I just don't want her to sit on duds.

 

[ronott1]

What's the earliest you can see anything when candling? I don't remember. I'm going to take any obvious clears from my newest broody towards the end of the week. I gave her 14 eggs even though it is her first time. A) because I am over run with eggs and B) she is a big girl and can cover them. I just don't want her to sit on duds.

The embryo gets bigger until day three and the veins start on day 4. Sometimes you can see stuff on day 4 but Day 5 is really the earliest.

Marns, Some green eggs and Penedesenca are nearly impossible to see into even with very good light.

 

[lindz8504]

Ok thanks! I gave her mostly blues and greens on Monday. I may not be able to see much but I was going to try to candle on Saturday or Sunday. I'm excited to see how well she hatches and raises chicks.

 

[mortie]

I usually look about 42 hrs or so in and I can see things in many of the eggs then. It takes a sharp eye and a cooperative egg. Green/olive eggs can be a bear. I candle a few every night after about the 40 hr mark and it gets better from there. So for example I set my eggs at 2 pm Thursday. Sunday night I could see faint little babies in a few of them. By day 5 it's very obvious to me which are good except if they're green. I can see into brown and blue eggs pretty well. Everywhere I read candling advice, they usually say day 5 for inexperienced candlers.

What kind of light you use matters. I have significantly better luck with certain ones. Some of them I can't see squat with.

I need to move and become a professional candler because I seem to have a knack for it and I enjoy it quite a bit.

I have one egg that is a total rock star. The embryo is well positioned for early candling and the shell is easy to see through but my pics didn't turn out. Here is a day 5 pic but I have been able to easily see this baby since day 3

 

[savannahm0m]

Chicken TV

 

[cheeka]

savannah, at least this kind of TV won't ruin your eyes by sitting so close!

we had a Field Trip today! Gossy collapsed into the fresh dirt, it was so funny! her babies were confused, but learned quickly! and I collected 16 Eggs! a minor scare with a crow crossing my path and dropping a strip of bark on my head filled the next part of the afternoon with repeated head counts and searching for tiny Merida, who would be the one to disappear just because she looks so much like Peach and is irreplaceable... she's safe, but she was in the spare nest in the shed behind an old feed bag that is stuffed with even more feedbags... and now we expect snow by morning...