Blick, annoyance and elation. Ya, so set a full sportsman full of eggs, that would be about 190 eggs. I had tested fertility on the eggs and seemed that the eggs tested were all fertile. Guess some hens had began to lay eggs that were not fertilized, blah. Oh well. Next hatch the embryo development will hopefully be better. Did more test fertility and seems that the eggs tested since setting in the incubator are fertile. So gathering again now for the next set in the incubator. After I fill friends and family need for food eggs. Need 100% fertility here please.
Candled on day 8 the entire lot, didn’t actually take as long as I thought it would. Fifty-five out of 190 eggs had the embryo developing, black eyeballs were seen developing, now if they make it to full term, who knows. Those black eyeballs look like like slimey black things floating around in the candle’s light. That is the ugliest candling, when the eyes are beginning to develop and visible blood veins. Oh well. There was 1 cochin egg put in the group and one cochin egg was developing, the rest buff Orpington. So, when those chicks come out, the incubator cleaned up, I’ll set another full incubator. Got lots of eggs, so no problem to fill pretty quickly. I do not expect high fertility in dead winter. It is not natural to hatch in the dead winter, we do, and we have early chicks, but not nature’s way.
If all chicks hatch, that is good, I don’t expect all, but close would be nice. Last year we had excellent hatching results, after failure of an early hatch, probably about the same time as last year. Only 2 of 72 hatched out that time, so much higher numbers this year, same time. Developing embryo activity rapidly rose in with each subsequent set, to at the end of incubation season, excellent hatching. I want so badly so many more males for our freezer, so I gotta hatch lots and lots and lots, smiling. Report number 2 will come after the hatch has occurred. Never count your chickens before they hatch. I have a propensity to have many brooding mother hens, cochins and buff orpingtons. These are the gals that I like to keep chicks for myself from, because I think they are the strongest and most healthy. Those born and raised with the hand of Mother Nature, smart chicks, well fed chicks, not human intervention. My hat off to those brooding mother hens. Ya, so now, what to do with over 100 eggs? The eggs had been in the incubator for 8 days. I checked four of them for the fun of it, still looked like normal eggs, yolks intact, zero scent detected of any off scent. Guess, cracking eggs, cooking eggs and then fed to our critters. Lots of protein in eggs and would be nice snacks for them (including chickens). Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.
Candled on day 8 the entire lot, didn’t actually take as long as I thought it would. Fifty-five out of 190 eggs had the embryo developing, black eyeballs were seen developing, now if they make it to full term, who knows. Those black eyeballs look like like slimey black things floating around in the candle’s light. That is the ugliest candling, when the eyes are beginning to develop and visible blood veins. Oh well. There was 1 cochin egg put in the group and one cochin egg was developing, the rest buff Orpington. So, when those chicks come out, the incubator cleaned up, I’ll set another full incubator. Got lots of eggs, so no problem to fill pretty quickly. I do not expect high fertility in dead winter. It is not natural to hatch in the dead winter, we do, and we have early chicks, but not nature’s way.
If all chicks hatch, that is good, I don’t expect all, but close would be nice. Last year we had excellent hatching results, after failure of an early hatch, probably about the same time as last year. Only 2 of 72 hatched out that time, so much higher numbers this year, same time. Developing embryo activity rapidly rose in with each subsequent set, to at the end of incubation season, excellent hatching. I want so badly so many more males for our freezer, so I gotta hatch lots and lots and lots, smiling. Report number 2 will come after the hatch has occurred. Never count your chickens before they hatch. I have a propensity to have many brooding mother hens, cochins and buff orpingtons. These are the gals that I like to keep chicks for myself from, because I think they are the strongest and most healthy. Those born and raised with the hand of Mother Nature, smart chicks, well fed chicks, not human intervention. My hat off to those brooding mother hens. Ya, so now, what to do with over 100 eggs? The eggs had been in the incubator for 8 days. I checked four of them for the fun of it, still looked like normal eggs, yolks intact, zero scent detected of any off scent. Guess, cracking eggs, cooking eggs and then fed to our critters. Lots of protein in eggs and would be nice snacks for them (including chickens). Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.