When do you candle the chicken eggs and when to toss bad ones?

[AmyLynn2374]

Omg I just saw the first pip happen!! I was messing with it trying to figure out the temp and is seems low still. So I was raising it and re checking and opening the bator and figured it was fine since technically I wasn't supposed to start lockdown until today at noon. Well I'm glad I did!! But now I'm worried me opening and letting out humidity will affect the one that just pipped. It happened 5 minutes after I opened it the first time. So I put a sponge in there and am adding water to the sponge to get humidity to 70. Do you think 70 is good?

Congrats!!! Yes, I think 70 is good. I am constantly opening my bator during hatch, so I use 75%, but if you are hands off you can run 65-70% easily. See, eggs are like kids, they will always prove a person wrong.

Your pipper should be fine. He's even pipped right where he needs to! Keep us updated.

 

[annmarie33]

My husband said he is jealous of the time I spend with the chicks and the whole incubation process....

I really really love it though! On that note these are the parents of the 4 chicks that I hope hatch!! A black laced cochin bantam and a Easter egger bantam. What do you think their babies will look like???

 

[junebuggena]

Your rooster looks like he has two copies of the blue dilute gene, which would mean he's splash. The chicks should all inherit a blue dilute gene, so any black would be blue, instead. The male chicks might develop some red leakage, like their father. Since the mom is a silver-base color and the dad is what looks like a red-based color, you will likely have sexlinked chicks. The males will be more white/yellow, the girls should be more gold/red at hatching. As they feather in, the differences will become more obvious but they probably won't look like typical hatchery red sexlinks. I'm not sure how the comb types will play out, but they should all have feathered legs.

 

[annmarie33]

Ohhh that is very interesting! Thank you! What makes you think he's a double blue dilute? We kept him not knowing what he was bc he was so pretty. I hope their babies hatch. As of noon I checked on the 2 under the hen and no pip. So far this one is the only pip. Should I be concerned that it's only really made s little circle and hasn't broken through? 12 hours since first pip. I can hear it chirping

 

[junebuggena]

It's the light grey/white tail that shows he's a splash (double copy). A single blue dilute gene changes black to dark grey or blue. A double copy of the gene turns all black into light grey or white.
After pipping, it can take over 24 hours to finish hatching. Once a chick pips, it needs to rest. The vessels won't start to recede and the yolk won't finish absorbing until after that first pip. As long as the chick is breathing, there is no rush.

 

[annmarie33]

Ahhhhh!!! Just when I was worried it zipped so fast! Born on day 18! It has a little vein or ambilical cord attached that is still stuck to the egg and dragging it around should I do something sbout that??

 

[lazy gardener]

I would just give it time for the cord to dry up. If after a while, when it appears that it is drying, you can clip it close to the shell, and put a bit of bacitracin, triple antibiotic or betadine on it. The big risk would be to cut the cord of there's still stuff to be absorbed. That could cause the chick to bleed out.

 

[annmarie33]

How long will it take to dry? I don't have either of those medicines. Would they have them at tractor supply or a feed store usually?

 

[annmarie33]

 

[annmarie33]

Here is a better look at the cord attached