I have found myself in a bit of an egg buying addiction that I cannot pass.Recently, I spent a good bit of money on SQ hatching eggs off Ebay and before I knew it was incubating them in a hovabator I bought from TSC.
The first set I received I had about a 90% fertility rating going into lockdown. I had an emergency on the day of that hatch so could not be present until two days after. I had a friend looking after them that had no chicken wisdom and was just helping out. Also, no fresh circulation going in. So only four hatched and survived. Yay for the survivors! Bad for the ones that tried
Now round two...I even set some of my laying hen's fertile eggs as testers with another dozen silkie eggs and just went to candle. I am super disappointed. Two to three eggs have a "wandering" air sac. Do I chuck those? What happened there? They look developed almost too!?!?
Six of the twelve eggs haven't developed at all. Like no blood ring, no blood spot, just a darn permanent air sac. What the heck? I thought the eggs I just dropped money on were fertile?? GRRRRR.....
And then a few others have veins with a very dark spot the doesn't move, and and a nice air sac. Usually when I candle I am used to seeing movement. Nothing there.
Here's my incubators stats: Average temp is about 99-102, never lower than 97 or higher than 102. Average humidity is about 56-60%. I will be increasing this near lockdown to about 70%. And adding a fan nearby to give fresh circulation since almost all of my chicks didn't make it through the hatch day from the first time I tried. Apparently I failed there with the air thing.
Nothing excites me about this possible hatch. I have another week before hatching and just a few days before lock down and to be honest I just want to throw all this junk in the trash.
Thanks for your help guys
And...
Ps- God, if you are reading....please send me a very, very broody hen instead :*(
The first set I received I had about a 90% fertility rating going into lockdown. I had an emergency on the day of that hatch so could not be present until two days after. I had a friend looking after them that had no chicken wisdom and was just helping out. Also, no fresh circulation going in. So only four hatched and survived. Yay for the survivors! Bad for the ones that tried
Now round two...I even set some of my laying hen's fertile eggs as testers with another dozen silkie eggs and just went to candle. I am super disappointed. Two to three eggs have a "wandering" air sac. Do I chuck those? What happened there? They look developed almost too!?!?
Six of the twelve eggs haven't developed at all. Like no blood ring, no blood spot, just a darn permanent air sac. What the heck? I thought the eggs I just dropped money on were fertile?? GRRRRR.....
And then a few others have veins with a very dark spot the doesn't move, and and a nice air sac. Usually when I candle I am used to seeing movement. Nothing there.
Here's my incubators stats: Average temp is about 99-102, never lower than 97 or higher than 102. Average humidity is about 56-60%. I will be increasing this near lockdown to about 70%. And adding a fan nearby to give fresh circulation since almost all of my chicks didn't make it through the hatch day from the first time I tried. Apparently I failed there with the air thing.
Nothing excites me about this possible hatch. I have another week before hatching and just a few days before lock down and to be honest I just want to throw all this junk in the trash.
Thanks for your help guys
And...
Ps- God, if you are reading....please send me a very, very broody hen instead :*(
