Uh oh... found an egg today! ... - A journal of sorts, from finding eggs to hatching them... Update

[daylily]

Hmmm... I'm not exactly sure of your set up (so the pics will help a lot) but I have a couple concerns for your eggs...

Do you have any ventilation holes that can draw air in (from the bottom) and let out air and gasses (at the top)? That may help circulate/distribute the humidity better. The little fan you mentioned should have been running all the time (not blowing directly on the eggs tho) to circulate the air, heat and humidity more evenly if you have been keeping the temp in the 99.4-100.4 range, otherwise you've needed to run the temp a little higher (in the 101.5-102 range) because without the fan you're basically still air incubating the eggs... and without the air being circulated, warm air rises so the temp will be lower at the bottom of the egg, not maintaining 99.5 at the center of the egg where the yolk and developing keet are located.

I know you've already been stressing about this hatch as it is and I don't mean to stress you out any more, but if this is the situation with your temp and air circulation... then your hatch will probably be late and you may have keets with hatching and leg issues

Did you candle the eggs and look for the air cells starting to get larger and slanted? That usually helps me determine the lock-down day better than the calender does.

Hi PeepCA, To reply to your questions, yes there are circulation holes to let out air at the top. They also have been helping me maintain temps. The temps I have are for the bottom of the egg. The ones before were at the top. Yes I'm worried enough too! The candled eggs have different sizes of air sacs. They had been at the top and growing. Now they are pretty large and slanting down one side, esp in the more developed eggs. I will try to candle some to show you what I'm seeing. I could be incubating all dead keets for all I know. I feel so awful and sick sometimes and wish I knew more. I do have the humidity up in the 70% range right now. So thank you VERY much in that department. Let me go and get some photos and I'll write back soon. I so appreciate this PeepsCA

!

 

[StevenW.]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/669897/sebastopol-geese-and-call-duck-hatching-eggs-for-sale

*Wink Wink*

 

[daylily]

Okay some of these are blurry and the hall way was the darkest I could get but here are my #1 egg the best and # 6 my worst and several pics of my incubator. Please don't sigh or laugh too hard It was the best I could do.

First the incubator with fan
Then the one with the larger water area with sponge
Now the eggs My worst and best



The second to last egg was # 6 again, sorry! I am so anxious for your reply.

 

[PeepsCA]

I'm assuming you set all those eggs at the same time? If so, the eggs that you can see light thru look like they have quit developing to me, early stage... the 2 darkest eggs (unless it's just the pics) look developed and fairly close to lock down time tho... do those 2 have slanted air cells? If so, that's a good sign, means the keets will pip into the air cell soon, then onto pipping the shell and hatching eventually (hopefully!). I know taking candling pics can be next to impossible, I've tried a million times over the years,with mot much success at all, at any stage! It frustrates me to no end.

With the eggs sitting on the bottom of the cooler/incubator floor like that they probably aren't getting enough air or heat circulation tho... so if this fails for you, maybe next time try raising the eggs up off the floor with a wire rack of some kind so heat and air can circulate all around the eggs. I add a small PC fan to each of my still air hatchers (to convert them to circulated air hatchers), with the fans mounted facing upwards at the top of the 'bator, but with 1/4" spacers in between the fan and the 'bator top so that the fan could produce gentle air circulation and not blow directly on the eggs. Your fan might be a little too big for that small of a cooler/incubator, even tho you do have the air flow diverted. I'm not laughing or sighing at you, just hoping you get a couple keets out of all that you've been thru!

 

[daylily]

PeepsCA, thank you for the info. I was afraid they had quit. Yes the air sac on the other two is slanting. It is really huge but it didn't show up on the pic. It is hard to get good photos!

I was going to put wire down but Hubby bought some that was too big to use. NEXT time, I'm going to buy a real incubator with an egg turner. I know that is not 100% positive either but it has got to be better than this! I'm so frustrated.

I was hoping for at least a few, Hopefully 3 or 4 or 5....... I'm scared to break the others open to see what is inside. What if it is viable and I killed it! OUCH! I know that is silly I guess but this is my first hatch or attempt and I wasn't prepared for it. On the dark ones I can see barely the heads through the air sac So I know they are developing on time. Should I wait a day or two to lockdown? Some are almost that dark and can see the c shape of the beak and legs earlier this week, where they weren't that big even a couple of days before. So I know those are growing. I'm assuming they will take the full time and a day or two after to fully hatch out so It isn't over yet.

My daughter got to watch two chicken eggs hatch out last night at her friends farm in Wisconsin. She said after they dried they put them right away with the hens who were sitting at the hens gathered them in under their wings. That was special for her to see. She hoping I get a good experience out of this. Me TOO!

I will be the proudest thing if they do hatch! We are just going on a wing and a prayer here.

 

[perchie.girl]

OK the egsies went on lockdown today. The humidity went down to 20 percent because I wasnt able to get up to moms house to check on it..... Sigh. So we will see if they hatch. It was probably that way for 24 hours.

and no I havent candled. I figure if somethings going to hatch it will. I already know the mistakes I have made with this first time around.

deb

 

[daylily]

Okay my eggs pare on lockdown today. Humidity is at 70% and holding, all little points are down and we just wait and see.

Every thing is ready for new hatchlings when they come Except the chick starter mix. I want to wait and see what happens first.

Once they pip the shell how long it they hatch? I keep forgetting to ask. I am semi prepared for none to hatch as I've had such crappy gear but stranger things have happened.

I'm just glad it is almost over.

 

[PeepsCA]

OK the egsies went on lockdown today. The humidity went down to 20 percent because I wasnt able to get up to moms house to check on it..... Sigh. So we will see if they hatch. It was probably that way for 24 hours.

and no I havent candled. I figure if somethings going to hatch it will. I already know the mistakes I have made with this first time around.

deb

I've goofed and accidently let mine get that low before too, lol. As long as it's up for the hatching, you should be ok. These are just the chicken eggs hatching first, right? Good luck!

 

[PeepsCA]

Okay my eggs pare on lockdown today. Humidity is at 70% and holding, all little points are down and we just wait and see.

Every thing is ready for new hatchlings when they come Except the chick starter mix. I want to wait and see what happens first.

Once they pip the shell how long it they hatch? I keep forgetting to ask. I am semi prepared for none to hatch as I've had such crappy gear but stranger things have happened.

I'm just glad it is almost over.

Good luck Daylily ! Hope you get at lest 2 babies to keep each other company!

 

[PeepsCA]

I have a hatch in progress, should be done by tomorrow... so far I see mostly Pied Browns, and a few Pied Lavenders, maybe a couple Buffs and I think I saw 1 Royal Purple zipping around in the hatcher. Nothing that I absolutely HAVE to keep from this hatch... so far anyway lol. Just hoping for enough to hatch out to be able to fill my orders!