The Egg Diaries~ a first (attempt to) hatch

[cluckcluckgirl]

Yes it is. I've added in a couple more eggs because someone would like a few chicks. How long can the chick survive in the incubator?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Yes it is. I've added in a couple more eggs because someone would like a few chicks. How long can the chick survive in the incubator?

After hatching? They can remain in the incubator 2-3 days after hatching. I don't leave mine in, until the end of hatch, but many people do.

 

[cluckcluckgirl]

Good to know. Thanks.

 

[cluckcluckgirl]

Okay, so it's now day 4 for the eggs. Temp is holding constant and the humidity is also doing good. It's gonna be hard to wait 3 more days to candle!

 

[cluckcluckgirl]

I read more about the candling, and someone said that you can candle at day 5 and some signs may show. It's day 5, so I used my home-made egg candler and checked the 2 eggs that have been in there the longest. There's spider veins!!!!

 

[WalnutHill]

 

[AmyLynn2374]

 

[cluckcluckgirl]

Here's pictures of eggs from the same hens that I candled today (not the same egg in the incubator of course)-

Sorry about the line down the picture; ignore that. See the blastoderms? These eggs here are from one of my Amber Stars and Australorps.

 

[cluckcluckgirl]

Day 6 now, but day 5 for an egg I just candled. It was also developing!!!

 

[cluckcluckgirl]

The time has been and gone, here's the stats:
7 eggs set
all 7 candled fertile at day 5
2 stopped developing around day 7
another 2 died around day 18
2 died about a day before the estimated hatch day
1 egg remained and I helped that egg to hatch, producing our first chick from the coop. That chick was officially out on the 14th, and has been named Obi-Wan-Kenobi since it was the only hope I had left.

I think that the elevation may have contributed some to the hatch, so my plans for the next hatch are to set more eggs, increase humidity, increase temperature, and add a little more ventilation.