Third attempt at incubating.

[aart]

Can you see one on the picture I took?

Not really. I trace them with a pencil.
Before setting then at day 7,10,14,18 to help monitor/adjust humidity.

 

[Orpingtons Mom]

Well, I really can’t tell. The eggs are very “speckled” inside. All I can do is put them in the oven tomorrow and see how they bake up.

 

[ladybrasa]

Hi, I’m late but here’s some bits I learned from incubating last year - humidity doesn’t have to be exact, but keep it it a general range. Some people dry hatch - meaning humidity is low, and they do fine.

Absolutely candle your eggs - dark room is best - when they arrive! You need to see how dinged up from shipping. Check for small cracks. You see that the shells are very porous - normally there are a zillion tiny speckles - thinner spots - that are the pores. The egg you show though is very porous/thin spots; it might be suggestive that the hens aren’t getting enough calcium. Or that hen just lays eggs that way. Absolutely assess the condition of your air cell! I have had great tight, adhered small air cells, and I’ve had ones that are nearly half the size of the egg. Tilt the egg gently and see if the air cell shifts at all and to what extent. Detracted or partially detached air cells result in lower hatched. I’ve even seen other air bubbles floating around! Yolks can even get ‘scrambled’.

A 50% hatch rate for shipped eggs is a decent hatch rate, with excellent incubation conditions.

On a local note - I think you are in VA? - me too. I have had several batches shipped up from FL (and AL I think?) from different sellers. I feel like that the PO is particularly rough coming up from down South.

Just disclaimer, I really only first started hatching last summer! So by no means seasoned. But I feel like I’ve learned quite a bit (hopefully that I’ll remember ...)

 

[aart]

Well, I really can’t tell. The eggs are very “speckled” inside. All I can do is put them in the oven tomorrow and see how they bake up.

Candle at the fat end in a very dark room, you should be able to see the air cell.

 

[Orpingtons Mom]

Candle at the fat end in a very dark room, you should be able to see the air cell.

Ok. I’ll try tonight.

 

[Orpingtons Mom]

Well, ladybrasa, I’m spoiled. My first shipment was 100%!!

where are you located? I’m Orange County.

 

[ladybrasa]

Well, ladybrasa, I’m spoiled. My first shipment was 100%!!

And I’m jealous!!! In truth though, not sure what I would have done if I had a 100% hatch rate! Chicken math!

I’m in Albemarle - but barely!

Candle at the fat end in a very dark room, you should be able to see the air cell.

My cell phone “flashlight” in a dark space worked decent enough.

 

[aart]

My cell phone “flashlight” in a dark space worked decent enough.

Good!
So did you see the air cell...and trace it out in pencil?

 

[Orpingtons Mom]

Good!
So did you see the air cell...and trace it out in pencil?

No. It really cannot be seen. We, maybe YOU guys could see it, but I can’t.

 

[ronott1]

No. It really cannot be seen. We, maybe YOU guys could see it, but I can’t.

Assume that they are a bit messed up and set them accordingly to be safe