Tis Time for a March 2020 Hatch-a-long!

[gmjarvi]

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure if I had to deal with it daily it would be exhausting but it's just so beautiful! I need to go on a little trip to see some snow before it's gone for the year.

I like to say that if you disenjoy snow, you have a lot less joy in your life and the same amount of snow! I embrace it.

....my husband has a riding snow blower so that helps, too

Edited for typos.

 

[FortCluck]

We pulled 5 duck eggs. 2 quitters and 3 clears.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

We pulled 5 duck eggs. 2 quitters and 3 clears.

Fingers crossed for the rest!

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

I’m going to candle tonight and check on everything. I have 54 eggs in my 2 incubators and between them they have 3 different hatch dates. I planned on using 1 incubator as a hatcher and one for days 1-18 but I didn’t think this through because as of now I’ll have way too many eggs to move to one bator to free one up to be a hatcher.

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

Maybe I need a third incuview.

 

[gmjarvi]

Alrighty, candled the questionable eggs from last night. Pulled one that is definitely not going to develop. It actually looks like maybe one of the chalazae became detached? Anybody have that happen? I'm going to eggtopsy all of the eggs that I pull, but unless I cut the egg open with an exacto knife (which I guess in an option) I'll never be able to tell if that's what happened.

It looks like 3 out of my 5 lav orp eggs are clears huge bummer, but I'll definitely be trying again or just buy day-old chicks because I really, really want them lol. One black copper and one BBS marans egg look clear as well. How long have you held on hope for a clear egg? Sniff tested them and they didn't smell off, kind of want to wait until D10 to pull.....just in case. Even tho my heart is saying they are not going to develop if they there are no obvious signs now (D7).

 

[FortCluck]

Fingers crossed for the rest!

They all looked really good besides the ones that I pulled. Nice veins and I saw the ducklings black eyeballs some were dancing like crazy. Some sleep away from the light and some were sleeping.

 

[gmjarvi]

I forgot to mention!

Because of the disappointment of some of the clears, I did a quick candle on a couple that I KNOW are developing well. Some of them danced around for me it's hard not to fall in love with those little beans!

All of my salmon faverolles eggs appear to be doing wonderfully, except one of them looks like it has something funky going on. The air cell is not in an ideal location, on the side of the egg rather than the bottom (not saddled, I really think it is just on the side!) and instead of just one dark spot, it has TWO. I would be amazed if it were a double yolker as it is not a particularly large egg. In fact, it isn't even the largest faverolles egg in there. Any idea what the what is going on there? I can try to take a picture if that would be helpful.

 

[FortCluck]

I forgot to mention!

Because of the disappointment of some of the clears, I did a quick candle on a couple that I KNOW are developing well. Some of them danced around for me it's hard not to fall in love with those little beans!

All of my salmon faverolles eggs appear to be doing wonderfully, except one of them looks like it has something funky going on. The air cell is not in an ideal location, on the side of the egg rather than the bottom (not saddled, I really think it is just on the side!) and instead of just one dark spot, it has TWO. I would be amazed if it were a double yolker as it is not a particularly large egg. In fact, it isn't even the largest faverolles egg in there. Any idea what the what is going on there? I can try to take a picture if that would be helpful.

Take a pic it would probably help us see what you're seeing

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Alrighty, candled the questionable eggs from last night. Pulled one that is definitely not going to develop. It actually looks like maybe one of the chalazae became detached? Anybody have that happen? I'm going to eggtopsy all of the eggs that I pull, but unless I cut the egg open with an exacto knife (which I guess in an option) I'll never be able to tell if that's what happened.

It looks like 3 out of my 5 lav orp eggs are clears huge bummer, but I'll definitely be trying again or just buy day-old chicks because I really, really want them lol. One black copper and one BBS marans egg look clear as well. How long have you held on hope for a clear egg? Sniff tested them and they didn't smell off, kind of want to wait until D10 to pull.....just in case. Even tho my heart is saying they are not going to develop if they there are no obvious signs now (D7).

I often find myself waiting until day 10 just to be sure.

I actually just hatched a chick in a detached chalazae egg! The blood vessels were slightly weaker throughout incubation and the chick seemed to develop toward the bottom of the egg. I didn't have high hopes for it but it kept developing so I left it alone and come hatch day actually still managed to hatch successfully! These are a couple of the development images.