Totally bummed....Now day 15!!!!!!!!!

[DrakeMaiden]

Arrggghhh! Then why are you incubating in the first place.

I found the process very much like a roller-coater ride.

Hang in there. It is always best to err on the side of leaving them in there a little longer. If silkies are smaller birds, then I would expect they might not be visible until later in the first candling period.

Wishing you some beauties yet!

 

[jazzchicken]

I think DrakeMaiden is right. You would think that everything about bantams would be smaller than full-size birds, possibly even embryos.

 

[karri25]

That's why I love this site!!! I am going to keep them in the bator forever!!!! I will let you know what I see next week when I candle again. Here's to hoping!!!!

And yes, incubating eggs kills me every time. And yet here I am. Every time the whole process kills me. It's worse than waiting for Christmas?!!??!!?!?!? But the pay out is so much better

 

[karri25]

OK I waited ever so patiently for a whole other week and re-candled. I used a stronger led light and here is what I have:
7 out of 8 of my eggs are definately growing with the last on ebeing questionable
2 out of 6 original silkie eggs might be growing (keep your fingers crossed) WE opened two that were completely clear and they weren't even fertilized. two of tem are clear but not so I'm keeping them in just incase. I hope that I don't end up with any exploding!!!!

I candled Dipsy's eggs too but they aren't even at day 7 yet and I couldn't really tell.

I am just REALLY excited thta two might be hatching, I thought they were all lost!

 

[speckledhen]

That's better than you thought, then, right? Sometimes, even when you think they arent fertilized, they are and the embryo was just stopped before it even started and sometimes one egg just gets skipped in the fertilization process, too. Anyway, sounds like you may have some babies in your future!

 

[siz8003]

I have silkies and standard mixed eggs in at the same time and they all developed at the same rate they are all due to hatch in a week

 

[karri25]

OK I really need to get to teaching the kids but since they are trying to catch an escape artist mouse....
it was SOOOOO cool when we candled this time. Since we used a stronger light we could see all kinds of veins, the air bubbles, and them moving!!!!!!! It was so cool! It was like going to an ultrasound Now I just have to keep myself away from them for another week. I don't want to ruin them from messing with them too much. Do you think it's ok if I have them in cut up egg cartons??? I still turn them 3 times a day but when I got the extra eggs I put them in styrofoam cartons so that it would be easier to turn them and so they would have more room. Now I'm thinking that might have been a bad idea. Has anyone else done this? Do you think it will affect how many hatch out? If it is a bad thing please tell me so that I can change up how they are situated before it does too much harm. I didn't think anything about it until I was reading about how improper turning can cause premature death:-( And now I'm freaked out!!!!!

 

[karri25]

Day 15!!!!!!!!!!! Only 6 more days to go!!!!!!! Thta was the first thought I had when I woke up this morning!

 

[arlee453]

I know people do hatch using egg cartons, but I'd be a bit leery of using styrofoam - the egg needs to 'breathe' and I'd think the styrofoam would block the proper flow of air?

I know when egg turners are used, the egg turner uses 'cups' to hold the eggs, which are not solid around the bottom but open so air can flow all the way around the eggs.

I'm no expert though...

I have an egg turner in the school-a-bator so the teachers and kids would leave the lid CLOSED and we would not have to take the bator home on the weekends. It's a LG turner and the cups are little plastsic base with flexible prongs coming up.

My home bator I just lay them on the sides and turn by hand that way.

Good luck on your hatch.... less than a week now......

 

[GloriaH]

I thought about the egg carton idea too. Seems like a good one to me. If it's styrofoam you can clean it and disnfect it too. Did you cut out the bottom of the cups?