egg position during hatch

[Trog]

This is my second experience with hatching. First did not go so well. I am just confirming the position of the egg in the tray...the book I've used as a reference says small end down. Is that correcet, or is that just in the beginning? HELP! Did some of you say you used egg cartons in the incubator to rest the eggs in? So nervous, Ireally want this to work.

 

[FenDruadin]

Pointy end down, always.

And some folks hatch in egg cartons, some don't. I like the egg cartons--it improved my hatch rate by about 5-10%. But not everyone has the same experience.

Before you lock them down, candle them and make a note of the size of the air cells. Mark them with a pencil if you like (I always do--it tells me where to look for the pip). This will give you valuable information for your next hatch.

Do you know what happened to your last hatch? I hope this one goes WAY better.

Good luck!!

 

[Trog]

I did an eggtopsy. most of the eggs were completely ready...feathers, wings, etc. but they didn't hatch. According to a few resources..humidity. Iwas concerned that i maybe drown them, hence the position of the egg question. Should I candle them then tonight? I haven't had the bator open at all this time except to add water. I didn't even candle thes ones. AT ALL...EVER. I thought maybe I was to rough with the the first time so I just set the, watched the temp, and humidity. My husband opened the bator the other night and he just about lost an arm after I chews his ear! I'm a bit apprehensive since the first experience. That sucked!

 

[adrian]

High humidity will cause drowning, not candling the eggs. It's hard to be too rough with them unless you're juggling them. Hens roll them to turn them, and they don't do it in the dainty way we humans with our opposable thumbs do. Your humidity was too high, and when the birds attempted to pierce the membrane, they inhaled their own fluids. I've noticed high humidity will often cause poor hatching position as well, so those fluids in the egg -- and I've noticed the membrane turns to literal goo under overly high humidity -- are everywhere, with no air for them to breathe. That is your culprit.

 

[Trog]

Thank you so much! So, I should candle them tonight?

 

[FenDruadin]

I agree 100%--high humidity is a huge cause of fully developed birds failing to hatch. I have candled every single hatch I've ever had, and the only poor hatches I've ever had were when the air cells didn't develop because of high humidity.

So yes, I think you should candle. Note the size of the air cell. This will tell you a lot about the likely success of your hatch. It will also tell you what you can do next time to improve if you need to: if the air cells are small, lower the humidity for your next hatch. If they are too large, raise it.

Good luck. I hope this one goes really well for you.

 

[Trog]

K, I'm gonna head down now to do that. Thanks again! Really!

 

[FenDruadin]

Oh, while you're candling--notice that the air cell (should be!) is in the large end of the egg. The air cell should be UP if you hatch your eggs upright. If you lay them on their sides then it will naturally sit in the position it should be in. Have fun, and post your results!

 

[Trog]

Yes Yes! I marked the air cell on all 7. Should I be able to see movement? I think I'd like to try the carton idea. I will then place them in the carton pointy end down. The air cell isn't that big. It probably went down the egg 3/8-1/2" I'm getting really excited!

 

[FenDruadin]

Great! What day are you on? Are they chicken eggs? Can you see any veining or just dark?

Sometimes the babies are asleep and you won't see any movement. But if you watch for a minute or two, you should see the little one poking its nose against the membrane of the air cell, or kicking around in the fluids, depending on how far along it is.

How bright is your light? How dark is your room? That too will affect how much you see.