The 5th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[Jessshan8]

Well I candled and I am now down to 79 eggs from 92. Minus six serama eggs from some shipped from a member on here the rest are wiggling away. Had 2 clears and 4 blood rings Those eggs are so small and delicate I am really happy with the results with them. & from my own eggs 2 blood rings and 5 clears. Not bad so far...... Hoping for a great hatch but we have just over a week and I am hoping it's an uneventful one as far as eggs go.

 

[misbhaven]

I have been nursing 2 ducklings, had a turner quit a few weeks ago without realizing fo several days...they seem to have pipped everywhere but the air cell and through veins, wrong end..I still have 2 going they will probably be wrong end also... so out of 7, one quit late, 2 pipped wrong end saved one, one burst out of the middle but just is head for 2 days out now , one pipped thru its yold sac area found cracked bloody egg , anyway I have 2 left I am watching

 

[LBKS]

Is it's yolk sac absorbed? Can you leave it in the incubator until it gains some strength? (or separate it in the brooder)

Totally absorbed, just seems super weak. Only thing I can think of is that it had a hard time hatching and used up a lot of energy. Left it separated, going to see if I can maybe swing working remotely to keep an eye on it.

 

[jinks12333]

Are you my mother?!

Haha... A couple of my peeps with my youngest sons favorite stuffed animal. (he calls him "roo roo") Gotta love Foghorn!

 

[Whoops]

C'mon eggs, do something! You are just sitting there! Actually, I candled one last night, the first time since the dropping incident, and saw a chick moving around A week to go! Weighing and candling tonight.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I have been nursing 2 ducklings, had a turner quit a few weeks ago without realizing fo several days...they seem to have pipped everywhere but the air cell and through veins, wrong end..I still have 2 going they will probably be wrong end also... so out of 7, one quit late, 2 pipped wrong end saved one, one burst out of the middle but just is head for 2 days out now , one pipped thru its yold sac area found cracked bloody egg , anyway I have 2 left I am watching

Quote: You could try sugar water.

 

[SoManyHats]

I finally got my other hens to lay in the other side of the nest box by putting a couple golf balls and some new straw there. I got out later, and the broody has gotten off her eggs and is sitting on the other side on the golf balls!!!

 

[Junibutt]

Cool pictures! In my opinion, day 8 is too early to remove anything except eggs that are leaking or smelly. At this stage, developing eggs can look very different. You're still seeing a lot of shadow from the yolk. And depending on how the chick is positioned, each egg can look very different. I've had eggs where at day 18, the chick seemed to take up significantly less space in the egg. I figured they were developing slower, but then they hatch on day 20!

There's really only a few things you're looking for here:

-the air cell (you should candle from the air cell end btw). Is it getting bigger? Is it getting too big? Is it moving? ( shipped eggs) Sometimes with thinner eggs, I'll raise my humidity a touch because the air cell grows too fast. You'll pay more attention to air cells in another week or so. At day 8, it won't be very big. Also, air cells on shipped eggs can take on bizarre shapes, but they can still hatch.

-veins. Easier to see from the air cell side. May not be that obvious on day 8, especially in darker eggs

-blood rings. Sometimes thick veins can look like a blood ring. I always leave them in for a few more days to be sure.

- movement. For me, this is the easiest way to gauge the health of the egg. Even on dark eggs, by day 10 you'll be able, once your eyes adjust, to see a shadow shifting inside the egg. No movement can mean they're resting though. And later on when the egg gets crowded, they can barely move at all sometimes.

The more you candle and hatch, the better understanding you'll have of what you're seeing. Good luck!

Thanks BroosterSpringsteen and Happychooks for the advice. I will leave them in till day 14. My humidity is sticking around 32-35%, I am using Brinsea incubators and both the wells are full of water. Maybe its too dry in my home, so I should probably put a humidifier in my living room or add a sponge/paper towel? if air sacs are getting too big by day 14. Or shall I leave it as such till day 18?

 

[Wisher1000]

Well I candled and I am now down to 79 eggs from 92. Minus six serama eggs from some shipped from a member on here the rest are wiggling away. Had 2 clears and 4 blood rings Those eggs are so small and delicate I am really happy with the results with them. & from my own eggs 2 blood rings and 5 clears. Not bad so far...... Hoping for a great hatch but we have just over a week and I am hoping it's an uneventful one as far as eggs go.

That's not bad, not bad at all! I hope the 79 all hatch for you. Good luck, my friend!

 

[Cynthia12]