1st & 2nd Hatch of 2015 Update

Monday morning (2/23), I candled again & removed all 39 clear / infertile eggs out of the original 48 eggs I'd set. The good news is the 9 embroys are developing quite nicely. So, while I'm not thrilled that all those eggs were infertile, I'm glad that at least there are few developing. 

Starting on 2/21 (adjusted date, due to setting late at night) - I've been adding new eggs to the incubator, for a 2nd "Test Hatch", now that the breeding groups have been separated. Though they may not be "pure" yet, I want to know if the roosters are at least doing their job. Since it's been cold, I didn't know if I'd have any the following day, so I set the eggs soon after they were collected and "warmed up" a little. It ended up that we had several nice days or I was able to collect some of the eggs before they got too cold. As a result, the 2nd Test Hatch is Staggered over 4 days! 

I also had to double-stack the auto-egg turner, so it's working harder to turn, resulting in the "control arm" popping out of its slot several times. I eventually added a rubber band to keep it in place, which as helped to some degree. But, I'm keeping my eye on it, so the eggs continue to be turned.

So, over the past 4 days, I've added another 55 eggs to the incubator, making the total # of eggs in there now 64. Why so many? I'm trying to allow for more infertile eggs and some that may have gotten too cold but I couldn't tell by candling. So, yes, it's another experiment and "test hatch", as I have no clue how many will make it past day 10. Plus, I'll have to place all the staggered eggs into Lockdown (stop turning & high humidity - and no opening the incubator) on 3/11, which will be anywhere from day 16-19. Usually it's day 18, but I usually don't have anyone hatch on day 19, so I should be ok.