Veinage! I have veinage!

[youngbiddy]

Yes, I know that's not a word.

After much fussing and fretting over temps during the first 3.5 days I took the GD mercury therms out of the GD LG and just went with the digital probe. I'm halfway through day 5 and I just candled one of my lighter brown eggs. I could see the attached air cell and a little dark blob in the yolk with a faint pattern of surrounding veins. I need a smiley that falls over in a dead faint from sheer relief.

Please tell me that only the first hatch is this nerve-wracking!

 

[GAchick]

I don't know, this is my first hatch, too.... Finally got a light bright enough to see in there. Still can't see much in the blue eggs.....

 

[easttxchick]

It does get better...until hatching time.
No matter how may chicks/ducklings I've hatched, hatching time is always stressful.

 

[youngbiddy]

All of the Marans eggs (that I've candled) have significantly larger dark areas than they did at first, and my own Red Star/ GLW cross (med. brown shell) are faintly showing veins.
I'm so encouraged, those first few days of fiddling with the mercury therms that came with the bator and the turner were driving me crazy. I was convinced I was going to kill them all.
I may yet, I've got two weeks and a day left to go!

 

[mmaddie's mom]

"veinage" I thought it was French... accent on the "age".... like vein-ahhhge'.

 

[gryeyes]

When *I* see veinage, I carefully put the egg(s) back and do the little Happy Snoopy Dance, which is amazingly similar to this:

 

[youngbiddy]

I did the funky chicken. It seemed appropriate.

When I came back through the bedroom (bator's in the master bath) I trilled, "We have veinage!!!" to the hubby (who's lying on the bed recouping from back surgery last Tuesday) and he said soothingly, "That's wonderful honey, I'm very happy for you".
He's done a great job of feigning interest and asking questions; what a great guy.

 

[MuscovyMad]

Does it get easier.... Lol. The initial wait does but hit hatching time i still feel just as anxious. Then again i have only incubated 6 times. I hope the rest of the incubation goes well for you.