Candling Archives -

2017 Hatch #2

Sun, 14 May 2017 03:23:28 +0000

Our second hatch of 2017 resulted in Easter Egger, Oliver Egger, White Leghorn, and Delaware chicks.

DEVELOPING

Candling an egg on Day 5. This egg looks good. You can see the embryo in the middle surrounded by blood vessels. You can also see the air cell at the top of the egg.

Both our egg turners have quit working. So, I set these eggs right in the incubator and turned them by hand.

HATCHING

One egg pipped!

CHICKS!

I adore this one. It has a unique pattern for our flock.

White Leghorns

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2014 Hatch #5

Tue, 27 May 2014 20:05:24 +0000

EGGS IN THE TURNER & CANDLING THE EGGS

Rhode Island Reds, Easter Eggers & Olive Eggers in the incubator. Candling an egg on day 8. It looks good.

CHICKS

Easter Egger & Rhode Island Reds

Two chicks hatched with this coloring. I love it. It’s different than most of our other Easter Eggers or Olive Eggers.

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2014 Hatch #1

Thu, 20 Feb 2014 20:38:52 +0000

Almost a month ago we set eggs in the incubator for the first time in 2014. I was a little unsure about the fertility of many of the eggs when I set them in the incubator. Seven of them ended up being clear, so I took them out on day 7. Days 21 & 22 we had 16 precious Easter Egger chicks hatch. Woo hoo!

CANDLING THE EGGS

Candling, Day 4 & Day 11

HATCHING!

I could sit & watch eggs hatch all day. The second I see the first little pip, I’m drawn in. Then they break through just enough to get our first real peek of the chick.

Amazed, every time I watch this happen.

CHICKS

Family Portrait

Since it’s been rainy, windy, & just plain yucky outside the last couple weeks we haven’t accomplished much on outdoor projects. Hatching chicks is the perfect indoor activity for these gloomy days. We’re already collecting eggs for our next hatch.

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2013 Hatch #3

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:55:19 +0000

We’ve successfully made it through our 4th round of incubating chicken eggs! It continues to be an exciting experience. I get very impatient by day 20. I anxiously wait to see who hatches, then get nervous after some hatch & wonder why others aren’t hatching. I’m then excited when another few hatch. The truth is, though, each batch we’ve had at least one chick pip & start the process of hatching, but never fully complete it. Those chicks still break my heart, but I understand if we’re going to take on the responsibility of hatching chicks we have to take all that goes along with it. It’s my goal to learn from each hatch & get less of those heartbreakers.

EGGS IN THE TURNER & CANDLING

Left photo: Eggs in the turner inside the incubator. All are Easter Eggers except one Blue Marans. Right photo: Candling, Day 15.

HATCHING!

Easter Eggers

The lone Blue Copper Marans chick. She was sold before she even hatched & has already gone off to her new home.

CHICKS

Most of our Easter Eggers tend to be fluffy, light yellow chicks. Although, a couple brown chicks also hatched this time. And, all the chicks from our true blue eggs look similar to the black chick.

Twenty-four chicks hatched with this batch, which is the same number as our last hatch. Yay for cute, fluffy chicks that grow up to provide food for our families!

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2012 Hatch #1

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:09:53 +0000

Not much is happening in our soggy flowerbeds, but there’s a lot of excitement happening in the new incubator.

CANDLING THE EGGS

Candling dark eggs can be difficult, but we could see the veins & chick fairly clearly in these white eggs.

Days 3, 6 & 8

HATCHING!

It takes chickens only 21 days to hatch. Yesterday was day 21! So far 11 eggs have hatched.

It really is an amazing thing to watch & of course I took tons of pics and video. I even resisted opening the incubator. I only took pics through the windows in the incubator. Here are just a few:

The kids & their friends enjoyed watching the chicks hatch, too.

CHICKS

This batch of chicks are Easter Eggers & Easter Egger/White Leghorn crosses.

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