The Incubating has begun...Update *Bad News*

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Well today is day 7 on my dozen Wellsummer eggs. I've had a pretty constant 101-102 at the top of the eggs and around 99-100 on the metal grate at the bottom. Humidity is between 30-40%.

I couldn't stand it anymore last night and decided to see if I could see anything by candling. I've got a mini mag flashlight and so I tried. I've got varying shades of colors for the eggs and was hoping to see SOMETHING. I looked at 3 of the eggs. I determined that I can't really make out anything.

On one of them it looked like there might possibly maybe be a darker "mass" up towards the top of the egg (large side). But I have no idea what that means. I was hoping to see some veins or something. After 3 eggs I decided it wasn't really worth disturbing them for me to not really know if I could see anything or not.

So I may try again in another week but I will likely only try a few again, unless I'm really seeing something in those few.

<Insert philosophical point>
It is weird going through all of this and having no idea if anything is even happening inside the eggs. Yet is it really any different than other things we have "limited" control over? You do your part the best you can and leave the rest to God.

Time will tell!

Shane
 
That was SO how I felt about the Wellsummer eggs that I hatched a few weeks ago. I finally just quit candling them...it was very frustrating. For some reason, I didn't have a good feeling about them...I guess because I wasn't "in control"...knowing how they looked inside. But they both pipped, zipped and hatched with NO problems. They are very large eggs and the chicks were pretty big, but they got out of there with no issues.

Good luck and keep us posted!!
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OK, I've got some candling questions.

Today is day 10, I "nervously" gave candling another shot. Or should I say "Flash-lighting" LOL.

Anyway, out of the 12 eggs, there are 4 or 5 that I could see a dark "blob" type thing in the middle of the egg. I take it this is a good thing, right?

OK, now another 4 or 5 eggs I can't so much make out a dark blob but there is darkness on one side of the egg. What would this be?

2 eggs (which are the lighter ones of the 12) look like not much going on. But I'm so unsure about all this that I'm not making any judgment calls.

Any thoughts??

Thanks,
Shane
 
Well, today is day 15. It's hard to believe I'm already on the home stretch!
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I candled 3 eggs this evening. One has a very small dark spot in the center and the rest of it is clear. The other 2 were very dark inside, with a air space on the top and bottom. On one of them, I saw something move. How exciting!!

I've been having a lot more trouble the last couple days getting my temperature stable. The temps have gone up to 103.5 occasionally. I have continued to turn down the thermostat a little at a time.

My thinking on this is that as the chicks develop, there is less fluid in the eggs. Therefore there is less "mass" to keep warm. So that makes the temperature increase with the same thermostat setting.

Does this sound reasonable?

Since Thursday is day 17, should I add my water to boost the humidity, stop turning and lay the eggs flat that night before bed or should I wait until sometime the next day to do that?
 
No one answered so I went ahead and situated the incubator for the hatch.

I candled the eggs to see which ones I needed to toss. Out of the 12, I'm tossing 4 of them. But there are 3-4 others that are questionable.

So, I'm guessing that hatching 4 chicks will likely be my best senario.

I filled up my middle water area, so I'm good to go. Hopefully something will hatch, LOL.

Shane
 
lol turtle day 18 for me was wednesday and now i have 2 pips. btw where in SE MO do you live i used to live in Jackson. anywhere near you?
 
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Turtle...good luck!
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Keep us posted...sorry I didn't see your post. Your eggs should be starting to feel very light...like picking up a chick...and your aircell should be about 1/3 of the egg by day 21. If they still feel very heavy, turn down your humidity. I don't like to keep the humidity more than about 60% during the last 3 days. You're still wanting those eggs to lose a total of about 14% of their weight. I don't turn my up until I see the first pip.
 
Greenthumb, I live down around New Madrid. Good luck with your hatch!

Gator, the aircell's are a good size and the eggs are definitely lighter. I've had the humidity at 30-40% for the first 18 days. I thought I was supposed to up the humidity on day 18, so it is up at 65% now. I filled the center track with water and that took it up.

I was hoping for around 6 chicks from this but this seems like a longshot now. Oh well, looking forward to seeing how all this turns out.

Shane
 

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