Manure is hot. I hope you let the soil mixture stand for at least a month. Was your soil mix organic or did it have some chems in it? A organic soil mix, IMO, helps seeds germ faster than one full of chems. If you decide to use the paper towel method wait till the shell cracks and get a pair of tweezers and gently place the seed in the container tap root down. Make sure the soil in the container has been watered prior to putting the root into the container The seed should poke its head through in a few days. Hope any of this helps.

Happy Toking :rasta: