When to see movement?

[MontanaDolphin]

This is probably a stupid question, but can you see movement when candling an egg BEFORE there is a chick in there? I mean, when it is still an embryo...I know towards the end of the incubation period you can see movement, but I'm talking about weeks 1 and 2. If you can see embryotic movement, how early? What day of incubation? Thanks!

 

[Megan Amber]

Actually not a stupid question at all, I can typically start to see movement right around the week week and half mark. I see more movement with duck eggs than I do chicken eggs, but I can still see it, I think ducks must just be super hyper, LOL. But yeah , you know that when the embryo starts to look kind of like a big spider? Sometimes I'll see it throb and move around and pulse, it's really cool!

 

[MontanaDolphin]

I don't think I'll be lucky enough to see anything. My eggs have brown shells, and the only way I can see the veins (and only in some...the lighter tinted brown eggs. The dark brown eggs...I can't see anything but a dark shadow for the yolk) is if I turn the egg in my hand while candling. I tried taking pictures but my camera doesn't work well in the dark LOL. I'm still going to try to see movement, since it is possible to do so at a week and a half. That's in 5 or 6 days, since tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. I'll be on day 5.

Thank you for the response, Amber!

 

[Megan Amber]

Ah I see. Same with my blue duck eggs, couldn't see a thing. only in the white ones. Good luck with your hatch!! I hope they all hatch for you and that you get to see some movement !

 

[aart]

I just did my first hatch with brown and one blue eggs.
Couldn't really see anything on day 7. I was so disappointed.

Day 10 could see some darker mass and it was moving! Could see some veining too.
Some of the eggs I could see a vague shape of a chick, but most were just a blob.

The one Blue egg I had couldn't see anything ever but the air cell, the rest of the eggs from that source were brown and infertile, but I kept it in at lockdown and it hatched.

Just keep looking.... day 7, 10 14, 18... and you'll get the hang of it. Tho I couldn't see much, the ones that were clear(infertile) were obvious so you can leave them out at lockdown.

edit to add....day 18 hard to see anything, developed eggs just looked 'full dark', infertile ones were full clear and bright, had a couple of quitters that were 'partial dark'. Have Fun!

 

[MontanaDolphin]

I just posted in another thread I started...I'll link it after I'm done typing. Anyhoo, I got the brightest flashlight in my house (brand new batteries too), and at last flip I candled...and I could see eyeballs!!! That's GOT to be what those black dots are on the mini kidney beans (fetus)! I saw eyeballs on all but 2. Of those two, one is definitely a dud...couldn't even make out a kidney bean shape...but I'll keep it in there until at least day 10. The other of the two had a kidney bean shape, but I couldn't see the black dot of an eyeball. I posted pics in the thread...my camera sucks, but you CAN see the kidney bean with a dark spot for an eyeball
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/843274/advice-needed-first-incubation/10

 

[RockNSuccess]

I just posted in another thread I started...I'll link it after I'm done typing. Anyhoo, I got the brightest flashlight in my house (brand new batteries too), and at last flip I candled...and I could see eyeballs!!! That's GOT to be what those black dots are on the mini kidney beans (fetus)! I saw eyeballs on all but 2. Of those two, one is definitely a dud...couldn't even make out a kidney bean shape...but I'll keep it in there until at least day 10. The other of the two had a kidney bean shape, but I couldn't see the black dot of an eyeball. I posted pics in the thread...my camera sucks, but you CAN see the kidney bean with a dark spot for an eyeball
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/843274/advice-needed-first-incubation/10

How are the kidney beans? LOL I loved that description. I have brown eggs in the incuabator and couldn't really see anything until today, day nine. I could see the kidney beans and the black eyes! Could also see them moving, although two moved a lot more than the third. Hope it is going well.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

They are little wigglers, lemme tell ya!! It's like they are swimming! I could see the kidney beans up until a few days ago...now the babies have filled the eggs a lot more and all I see is dark masses. And, the only way I can see movement is by looking at the air cell...right where it ends, I watch and see if I can see a difference in the shadows and light...daggone dark brown eggs are too dark to see anything else!

Out of the 10 I set, 2 were clears and one was a quitter around day 7. But the rest are still going...I'm so EGGcited...my first try at incubation, and I totally didn't expect any to survive this long...since it's an old incubator I bought from goodwill years ago for like 5 bucks. Hubby's not too happy about so many survivors LOL...because he knows when it's brooding time, the house is going to be blanketed in chick dust once again!

I'm on day 16 now...two more days until lockdown...how far are yours???

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Oh, by the way, I'm part of the NYD hatchalong...someone posted this link, there are pics of chicks at every stage of embryotic development...graphic but so cool to see what the babies look like in those eggs! Here's the link if you wanna see
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/04/chicken-embryo-development-graphic.html

 

[RockNSuccess]

They are little wigglers, lemme tell ya!! It's like they are swimming! I could see the kidney beans up until a few days ago...now the babies have filled the eggs a lot more and all I see is dark masses. And, the only way I can see movement is by looking at the air cell...right where it ends, I watch and see if I can see a difference in the shadows and light...daggone dark brown eggs are too dark to see anything else!

Out of the 10 I set, 2 were clears and one was a quitter around day 7. But the rest are still going...I'm so EGGcited...my first try at incubation, and I totally didn't expect any to survive this long...since it's an old incubator I bought from goodwill years ago for like 5 bucks. Hubby's not too happy about so many survivors LOL...because he knows when it's brooding time, the house is going to be blanketed in chick dust once again!

I'm on day 16 now...two more days until lockdown...how far are yours???

Two of mine are really wiggling, the third only a bit. I hope that one isn't going to quit on me. However, if I can get even one healthy chick, I will be thrilled! Mine are at day 10 so still quite a ways to go. Being really careful with them and trying to resist the urge to candle them every 5 minutes! I have them in my bathroom right now because I have one of those heat bulbs in the ceiling. I leave it on with the door open so I don't have big temperature fluctuations. I am not using my heater and so evenings get kind of chilly. I don't have a hubby or anyone to complain, I guess that is good because I have more eggs on order already! Can't wait to hear how your chicks turn out.