# Failed hatch



## Lou77 (Apr 17, 2020)

Hi all, very new to all this. I had some silkie eggs and brahma eggs that I incubated for 24 days before doing the water float test and discovered none had made it. I did candle but only with the torch on my mobile. I genuinely believed at least 2 had chicks in because they seemed to have changed colour and filled with dark. I opened them up today and their was a faint odour but nothing stinking but it was as though it was just a sack of yolk. Is there a way to tell if it was something I did or I was just very unlucky to have 2 infertile batches?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Where did the eggs come from? Shipped eggs are a gamble. Eggs from young birds who are just learning to breed and lay can also make it difficult to get fertile eggs first time around. 

Candling at 7 days is recommended to look for a bunch of veins lining the inside of the shell. You might want to do that with your next batch to keep track of what is going on. 

Next would be if you're not using very good instruments for reading temps and humidity. 

From what I just saw from another forum member the flashlight on a smart phone is plenty strong enough to see inside. Just use it in a very dark room.


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## Lou77 (Apr 17, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Where did the eggs come from? Shipped eggs are a gamble. Eggs from young birds who are just learning to breed and lay can also make it difficult to get fertile eggs first time around.
> 
> Candling at 7 days is recommended to look for a bunch of veins lining the inside of the shell. You might want to do that with your next batch to keep track of what is going on.
> 
> ...


 We did candle with my phone but the light seemed to escape around the side but it did look like some of the eggs had veins and we said we saw an eye. The dark mass seemed to be growing in some but when I opened them today all were identical with just a sack of yolk. I have vivarium dial thermometer and hygrometer but think it might be better to have digital.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Digital is good if it's accurate. I used a Flukers and found it to be very good. 

When you use the phone rest the egg on the lense, it should work for you. Or a maglight is what most of us used.


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## Lou77 (Apr 17, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Digital is good if it's accurate. I used a Flukers and found it to be very good.
> 
> When you use the phone rest the egg on the lense, it should work for you. Or a maglight is what most of us used.


Fingers crossed it works this time. I have some silkies on the way as my little boy is desperate for one he can call 'Tilly'. Don't know where he's got that name from but I'm sure this whole process is teaching him something even if it is just perseverance


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Not everyone has great luck right out of the box so don't get discouraged. 

Are these eggs being shipped? Or are you picking them up? Shipping is hard on hatching eggs, if you can candle them before setting in the bator. Look to see if the air sac is still intact. Getting those to hatch is somewhere near zero.


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## Lou77 (Apr 17, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Not everyone has great luck right out of the box so don't get discouraged.
> 
> Are these eggs being shipped? Or are you picking them up? Shipping is hard on hatching eggs, if you can candle them before setting in the bator. Look to see if the air sac is still intact. Getting those to hatch is somewhere near zero.


How do you candle them without turning them fat side down? Or does it not affect them if only done momentarily? I was gutted this morning to discover they ask had nothing in, especially as I had religiously been hand turning them. They are being shipped as I'm on 12 week lockdown due to health issues so even if anywhere was open I couldn't go out to collect.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

If I understand your question properly, hold your phone with the flashlight on and hold the egg against the light. You actually move the egg around in any way you need to to see everything you want to see. If you can see better holding the phone up and the egg against the light do that. It's all what works easiest, best for you.

As I mentioned, shipped eggs are dicey but they are doable. I got my start getting hatching eggs. 

I'll be pulling for a successful hatch this time around.


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## Lou77 (Apr 17, 2020)

I got my eggs this morning and candles then tonight and it looks like 1 has a starched air sac I think. One also has an air sac in the shape of a heart and a red dot that wasn't in any of the other eggs I've looked at. I'd upload pictures but can't work out how to get them from my phone gallery onto here.


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## Lou77 (Apr 17, 2020)




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## Lou77 (Apr 17, 2020)




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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

And I can't help you with the pics. I'll see if I can find someone who can. All of my pics come from my computer. Never mind, looks like you figured it out. 

From my computer that looks like the yolk. There might be a blood spot there and that's what you're seeing. 

I'd be watching the second egg like a hawk. It looks old with an air cell that big. And weird shape.


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## Lou77 (Apr 17, 2020)

I guess that means at least 3 of the 6 are no shows then. I'll have to be super careful of the remaining 3. Would it be better if I give it another 24 hours before I put in the incubator to give the detached air sack a chance to resettle?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I wouldn't worry about the one with the maybe blood spot. Just that one with the really weird air sac. For it to be that large says it's old. But that said, sometimes even the really old ones hatch.


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