Would You Please Take a Peak at This

[RowanTheRed]

I will be the first to admit that I am truly new at incubating and candling eggs. After looking through hundreds of online images I am still trying to figure out even a ball park range of which day in the stage one of my eggs is. I started the incubation last Saturday with some eggs from my girls (which I know for certain when they were laid) and some form a local breeder. She did tell me that a few of her hens were broody so the eggs might have a day or two head start on mine. For the most part that seems to be the case. HOWEVER, there is one egg that when I candled at day 4 really looked like it was around day 10 instead. But like I said, I really have no idea, I just know that it is WAY different than all of the others.

So last night I looked again (day 7 of incubation) and I am still certain that this one egg is much farther along.

here are a few photos of 4 of the eggs:


1)this is one from my girls, and this is what I was expecting to see.

2)this is one of the eggs I got from the breeder.

3)another from the breeder

4)this is the one I am thinking is much further along.

Here is a video and you can clearly see it "swimming around" inside

So, am I nuts for thinking that the last one is much farther along? If not, hot dog! If so, any advice on how to make certain the advance one makes it and not harming all the others would be helpful.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

If so, any advice on how to make certain the advance one makes it and not harming all the others would be helpful

Crappy breeder in my opinion... not selling FRESH fertile eggs. But you knew it going in so...

Anyways, best suggestion I can make is... run a "dry" incubation in the early stages and crank your humidity up when you expect the first one to hatch.

You can technically stop turning at day 15 for the others, if you need to "lock down" for your further developed egg in order to not accidentally shrink wrap.

Happy hatching!

More experienced opinions? @WVduckchick I have a hard time remembering other experienced hatchers' but your name sticks with me since one of my first hatching experiences. Hope it's O to call on ya sometimes! '

 

[TheYLWFlock]

@Pyxis ? I believe you are good with eggs...

 

[WVduckchick]

Without the video, I would have called #4 a quitter from the pic. I don't see any blood vessels, but maybe its just the photo (or my little mobile screen lol)

I think you will have a better idea how far apart they are a little later on. Not that its bad to plan ahead, but I think they look close enough together to not cause a major issue.
agree with @EggSighted4Life, when the furthest one along gets nearing hatch, crank up the humidity, and I'm sure the others won't be far behind.
Just be sure to mark the ones you think are further behind, then you won't be so worried when the hatch starts.

Good luck!

 

[WVduckchick]

@WVduckchick I have a hard time remembering other experienced hatchers' but your name sticks with me since one of my first hatching experiences. Hope it's O to call on ya sometimes! '

Any time! Always happy to help if i can.

 

[Pyxis]

Without the video, I would have called #4 a quitter from the pic. I don't see any blood vessels, but maybe its just the photo (or my little mobile screen lol)

I think you will have a better idea how far apart they are a little later on. Not that its bad to plan ahead, but I think they look close enough together to not cause a major issue.
agree with @EggSighted4Life, when the furthest one along gets nearing hatch, crank up the humidity, and I'm sure the others won't be far behind.
Just be sure to mark the ones you think are further behind, then you won't be so worried when the hatch starts.

Good luck!

X2 on this

 

[RowanTheRed]

Crappy breeder in my opinion... not selling FRESH fertile eggs. But you knew it going in so...

Anyways, best suggestion I can make is... run a "dry" incubation in the early stages and crank your humidity up when you expect the first one to hatch.

You can technically stop turning at day 15 for the others, if you need to "lock down" for your further developed egg in order to not accidentally shrink wrap.
'

I did indeed know this, but she gave me a good deal on the eggs and I really wanted to fill the incubator up a bit more with something other than by easter eggers. HOWEVER, she said a day or two ahead NOT 3 or more days ahead lol!

Without the video, I would have called #4 a quitter from the pic. I don't see any blood vessels, but maybe its just the photo (or my little mobile screen lol)

I think you will have a better idea how far apart they are a little later on. Not that its bad to plan ahead, but I think they look close enough together to not cause a major issue.
agree with @EggSighted4Life, when the furthest one along gets nearing hatch, crank up the humidity, and I'm sure the others won't be far behind.
Just be sure to mark the ones you think are further behind, then you won't be so worried when the hatch starts.

Good luck!

X2 on this

Yes, it was very difficult to get any usable photos of this one egg with my cell phone. Especially since I was doing it alone and was more concerned about not accidently dropping the egg

I agree about thinking it was a quitter. I originally thought that on day 4 when I candle them. When I went to set this one aside I saw it moving and realized it must be further along. Imagine my surprise.


@Pyxis @TheYLWFlock @WVduckchick @EggSighted4Life
Thank you all for the answers. Can I ask a few questions though?

If you had to guess for your own incubating eggs, WHAT day do you guys think the one egg is around so I know when to start looking for it to be getting close? Two days of the week I am go to work from about 5:30 am until about 8 pm, so I am hoping to have a better idea of when I need to be more alert I guess you would say.

Next question, As far as "dry incubation" could you give me a brief idea of what that is exactly? Right now I am into day 7 to 8 and the humidity has been running 51 to 56%. Do I turn this down? If so, to what %. The room they are in maintains a relative humidity in the mid 40s for the most part.

Final question (until I think of another) if the other eggs are say 5 days behind this one egg, would turning the humidity up that high harm them?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I would drop my humidity to not more than 35% for the beginning, maybe as low as 25% depending on egg color. And raise to 65% for hatch. My rooms are around 65% humidity but completely dry my bators run around 17-35 depending on the season. (since heat changes humidity) And having multiple hygrometers and thermometers especially calibrated can make a difference. One thing that does add up for me... even in my forced air bator is to move the eggs to a new location inside the bator every day or two to help combat warm/cool spots and humidity variables in order to HELP ensure even development.

I'm clueless about development stages... as I spend very little time candling my dark eggs and only candle to tell alive or quitters. Those I am unsure of get to stay until I'm sure.. or until hatch is over. Never had an egg explode YET.

Hatches don't happen super fast... so checking in the morning should get you past work time easily.

 

[RowanTheRed]

I would drop my humidity to not more than 35% for the beginning, maybe as low as 25% depending on egg color. And raise to 65% for hatch. My rooms are around 65% humidity but completely dry my bators run around 17-35 depending on the season. (since heat changes humidity) And having multiple hygrometers and thermometers especially calibrated can make a difference. One thing that does add up for me... even in my forced air bator is to move the eggs to a new location inside the bator every day or two to help combat warm/cool spots and humidity variables in order to HELP ensure even development.

I'm clueless about development stages... as I spend very little time candling my dark eggs and only candle to tell alive or quitters. Those I am unsure of get to stay until I'm sure.. or until hatch is over. Never had an egg explode YET.

Hatches don't happen super fast... so checking in the morning should get you past work time easily.

thanks again. the majority of the eggs are light brown or blue. That reminds me, I have noticed that a few of the orpington eggs are actually getting darker in color, more of a grey brown instead of the light brown they started at. Is this normal?

 

[WVduckchick]

Dry incubation isn't really dry. it just means adding no water. You will still have humidity from the room. There is a link in my signature line for an article on humidity that may help you. It explains a little more details.
(if you are on mobile, turn the phone sideways to see signatures)

As far as that egg being 5+ days ahead? Staggered hatches can be tricky. If you increase humidity too soon for the others, then they are at risk of not being ready. But if that egg isn't losing too much moisture, you can wait until the chick actually draws down and gets into hatching position, then increase humidity at that point (day 19-20) Hopefully it won't be too early for the others. Or it may come to a decision of what's best for which eggs.