11 Little Signs of Life: Our First Candling Day at Whuka Farm š£
October 23, 2026 | The Farm Journal
There are moments on the farm that remind you exactly why you started this journey, and our first candling experience was definitely one of them! ā¤ļøš¾
On October 15, we started a brand-new adventure here at Whuka Farm by placing 18 Rhode Island Red eggs into our incubator. These eggs came from our own flock, making this journey even more special. We're not just incubating eggs; we're hoping to welcome the next generation of Whuka Farm chickens!
Since day one, we've been keeping a close eye on the temperature, humidity, and incubator, learning as we go and hoping for the best.
The Moment We Saw Movement
Yesterday, we finally candled our eggs, and what an exciting experience it was!
Out of our original 18 eggs, 11 had visible developing embryos, and we actually got to see them MOVING!Ā š„¹š£
There's something truly incredible about holding an egg up to the light and realizing that new life is growing inside. Seeing those tiny embryos moving made all the waiting worthwhile.
The other seven eggs showed no signs of development, so we removed them from the incubator. That leaves us with 11 eggs still developing.
Our current development rate is approximately 61% of our original eggs. It's still early in the incubation process, and we know there's a long way to go before hatch day, but we're celebrating this milestone!
Day 9: Checking In on Our Little Eggs
Today, we're officially on Day 9 of incubation!Ā š£ā¤ļø
Our incubator is holding steady, and here's where things stand today:
š”ļø Temperature:Ā 99.5Ā°F
š§ Humidity:Ā 54%
š„ Eggs remaining:Ā 11
ā¤ļø Embryos observed moving:Ā 11
We're continuing to monitor everything closely and give these little ones the best chance possible. For now, we're keeping the temperature steady, watching the humidity, and letting nature do its thing.
Every day brings us one step closer to hatch day, and we couldn't be more excited to see how this journey unfolds!
Learning as We Go
This is our first time incubating eggs from our own flock, and we're learning something new every day.
From maintaining the right temperature to monitoring humidity and making sure the eggs turn properly, this has been a whole new adventure for our farm family.
We know incubation doesn't always go perfectly. Even when embryos are developing, there are no guarantees that every egg will hatch. But we're doing our best, taking things one day at a time, and enjoying the process along the way.
We'll continue checking our progress as the days go by and look forward to seeing how much our little embryos have grown at our next candling.
11 Little Possibilities
For now, we have 11 eggs in our incubator, 11 little possibilities, and one very excited farm family watching and waiting. š¤
This is one of the things we love most about farm life. It's full of learning experiences, unexpected challenges, and little moments that make it all worthwhile.
Hopefully, in a few weeks, we'll be welcoming tiny Rhode Island Red chicks to Whuka Farm!
Until then, we'll keep the incubator steady, our fingers crossed, and our hopes high.
Stay tuned, because our first hatch journey is just getting started!Ā š£š¾
Grown with intention. Raised with love. Welcome to life at Whuka Farm.
-Whuka Farm Family
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