Well, 3 out of 20 at day 7 is better than nothing... I guess?

[Squishypuff]

I started my very first hatch a week ago, with shipped eggs. I screwed up many times in the first couple days, with temps swinging between 88* and 110*. Every time I opened the bator to hand turn the eggs, it got all out of whack again. I'm not loving this LG, but I bought the egg turner on day 3 and that really helped stabilize the temps. I candled them today, after looking at day 7 pics to see what to look for. Three eggs are clearly going, with a little bitty chick dancing around in there and lots of red colored veining. So those i know are ok thus far. Others, I can't figure out. Most are still very clear, but they have an obvious air cell at the top. some are "sloshy" when I turn them. Some have a tiny dot that floats around as I move the egg- but no veining or anything and the dot does not move of it's own accord. I broke open three eggs, and they looked like normal eggs like from the store. I'm guessing they were never fertile to begin with? Should I chuck all but those three eggs? None smell bad or anything. I'd hate to kill off late bloomers, but the difference is pretty obvious- the good eggs are darker, redder, veiny... and these are just like they looked on the first day. Chuck them?

I have since ordered the fan kit for the LG, I'm confident that I can control the temps better now than when I started, and I'm not willing to buy a new bator just yet. This one is finicky, but it's not impossible. I'm thrilled that 3 of the eggs survived me. Here's to hoping those three make it to hatching. One is a buff Silkie from SQ stock, and the other two are either Silkies (not sure on colors) or Showgirls. Pray for three live chickies- and 2 live Showgirls!

 

[farmgirlforever18]

Hope every thing goes good for you I have an lg and the temp is prety stable for most part and I have two turkeys in there out of 8 that are due to hatch next week and yep they were shipped eggs but hope yours hatch and you get some fuzzy butts

 

[ChickyChickyBaby]

Quote:
Sloshy with shipped eggs usually is a ruptured air sac, or a disloged one at the least.
There is a way to tell fertility (a thread about it on BYC somewhere), but just because it shows no development does not mean not fertile. You have to look for the fertility marker. If it is not there, then yes, it is infertile. If you have infertile eggs, you can contact the seller to let them know. Please be sure of fertility first though.

Shipping does a LOT of damage to eggs.
I never candle until "lockdown", unless I smell a rotten one when I open to turn, or I need the space. It is a lot easier to candle then.
The ones with the dot, usually actually started developing. Maybe leave those another week to see if they are just slow

Be sure the incubator is in a temperature stable room. My LG is very sensitive to changes.

I love using my LG still air........

 

[cmom]

I have had many successful hatches in my LG. I don't use it any more to incubate since I bought a cabinet incubator but I still use it as a hatcher.

 

[classicsredone]

The fan kit helps a lot with stabilizing temperatures. I don't have to check it constantly with the fan. I snaked aquarium tubing down into the water well, added an oral medicine syringe from the drugstore, and now I can add water without opening the incubator. It works great. I'm planning on not opening it again until we go to candle.

 

[Squishypuff]

Quote:
Sloshy with shipped eggs usually is a ruptured air sac, or a disloged one at the least.
There is a way to tell fertility (a thread about it on BYC somewhere), but just because it shows no development does not mean not fertile. You have to look for the fertility marker. If it is not there, then yes, it is infertile. If you have infertile eggs, you can contact the seller to let them know. Please be sure of fertility first though.

Shipping does a LOT of damage to eggs.
I never candle until "lockdown", unless I smell a rotten one when I open to turn, or I need the space. It is a lot easier to candle then.
The ones with the dot, usually actually started developing. Maybe leave those another week to see if they are just slow

Be sure the incubator is in a temperature stable room. My LG is very sensitive to changes.

I love using my LG still air........

No, they were definitely fertile, I opened three- not the seller's fault. I knew I was taking a gamble with shipped eggs- that was my decision and if i get three chickies, I'll still be happy. I'll give them another week. I sniff the bator every day just in case of rotten nastiness brewing.

 

[Squishypuff]

Quote:
Is the fan hard to install? I'm going to wait on this current hatch to be done with before I mess with adding the fan. The tubing is a good idea- is there any danger of it melting though, with the heating element where it is? Do you have pics of the placement on the tubing?

 

[classicsredone]

Is the fan hard to install? I'm going to wait on this current hatch to be done with before I mess with adding the fan. The tubing is a good idea- is there any danger of it melting though, with the heating element where it is? Do you have pics of the placement on the tubing?

Nope - the fan was ridiculously easy to install. I covered the eggs with a towel and had the top back on within five minutes. There are videos on YouTube that show how to do it. You basically just poke a hole in the top of the 'bator, stick on the heater with the double sided tape that is attached, add a screw from the top, and then apply the plugs. To do that you split the insulation with an awl (my husband used an exacto knife), add the little clamps, and plug in the fan. Again, it sounds a lot harder than it is. My temps didn't really drop because it went quickly.

The hose is out of the way of the heater. I'm not worried about it melting. You could go through the bottom piece if you were worried.​

 

[Squishypuff]

Thanks for the info. I ordered a kit online (not one specifically for the LG) and the thing that worries me the most is just the connecting of wires. I could see that going poorly!