FINCHforum

hey....so I'm trying to hatch 31 eggs

What happend to get me in this situation is that we were on holiday had a house sitter to keep an eye on the aviary (diddnt do a good job),somehow when we got home there was a hole in the cement and most birds flew away the remaining birds were sold to another breeder with the flown away birds' babies..so after my partner sold them I went into the cage and found 41 eggs 10 so far are wrotten I got 31 eggs and I'm trying to hatch them but I'm not sure if they will hatch as I took them a week after the birds were sold can anyone give me some advice? I've read the posts have them in a good incubator its been 5days ?

So sorry to hear about your losses, are you in an area where the weather is warm and the birds might survive outside? As far as the 31 eggs, if they have been in the incubator for five days now, you can candle them. If they are fertile, you should see some red veins. If they were further along when the parents abandoned them, then they may have stopped developing and will be dead in shell. I personally would leave them in the incubator for three weeks, just in case something might hatch.

And welcome to the forum, though it is under sad circumstances. There is lots of good reading at the Finch Information Center linked at left (articles about incubating and then handfeeding), and the members are always ready to help. If you put your location in your profile, it helps to answer locale-specific questions later on.

Hi thnx for replying I shall check the candle I have to say a few eggs are dark inside a few that have broke were dead inside and this morning ons of my eggs had a little crack (and it wasn't me this time)so I just made the crack little bigger as we used to do it with chicks to help them get out but nothing furter has happend there are about 8 eggs that are that dark inside and the res look normal white? Ill check with the candle and when I got them I did put them in water and about 5 sank down to the bottom the rest sank a little but not that deep?

The eggs that are dark could have live babies inside or they could be dead. I'd just wait it out and see if any of them hatch. I've never heard of putting the eggs in water to check them--are the ones that sank supposed to be fertile? I know that you can check chicken eggs that have been stored in the fridge by putting them in water--those that float are no good and should be tossed, the others can be boiled and eaten.

I checked them with the candle 2 of my eggs broke /cracked as I held them to the candle? Well the one I just putted back because it doesn't seem broken but the other one broke all the way it in fact had red veins and 2 others I checked seemed that there were a few dark veins other look like they have a dark spot in the egg but no veins? And yes if eggs sunk they're fertile?

When I talk about candling an egg, I don't mean using a candle. I use a small flashlight. Here is an article about eggs--scroll down for candling information.
http://www.finchinfo.com/breeding/eggs.php

Oh damn sorry really my first hatching eggs I usually just raise hatchlings that were left by the parents ... But would u say that most are fertile then? And the one I saw a crack on may it hatch soon? As it had a crack on its own?

I properly candled my eggs it seems 4 of the eggs have veins but I can't see them moving or even the heart beat but there are veins the other eggs are just yellow with egg yolks wiLl keep the for another few days if no changes ill desopose of them I hope these 4 have a chance of hatching,and they are laying the egg pretty full are they maybe near hatching?