Newb and having difficulty candling

Great site and great information. I have just obtained some chinese and jumbo ringneck pheasants and now that they are laying I have been trying to candle the eggs but having great difficulty seeing anything. I wonder if I am using a strong enough light bulb?
I have taken a scotch container, cut a hole in one end for the egg and the other I have it set into a small light fixture with a 100 watt fluorescent bulb. I still cannot see through most of the eggs. I have been able to see the air sac and that is about it, they are too dark?
Any suggestions out there, do I need a certain type of light bulb? I have set 42 eggs so far and they have been in the incubator for 15 days so far, none of them stink yet so I am thinking that is a good thing! LOL but really want to be able to candle them successfully to determine the viability of the egg. Any advice, suggestions would be most welcome. Thanks in advance.

Are you looking for fertility? The best way to check fertility is to crack some open and look for the bullseye or incubate for a couple of days then candle and see if you see a spiderish thing.

Ohhhh and welcome to BYC!! Always nice to meet another Chicken Lover.

Hillbank said:

Great site and great information. I have just obtained some chinese and jumbo ringneck pheasants and now that they are laying I have been trying to candle the eggs but having great difficulty seeing anything. I wonder if I am using a strong enough light bulb?
I have taken a scotch container, cut a hole in one end for the egg and the other I have it set into a small light fixture with a 100 watt fluorescent bulb. I still cannot see through most of the eggs. I have been able to see the air sac and that is about it, they are too dark?
Any suggestions out there, do I need a certain type of light bulb? I have set 42 eggs so far and they have been in the incubator for 15 days so far, none of them stink yet so I am thinking that is a good thing! LOL but really want to be able to candle them successfully to determine the viability of the egg. Any advice, suggestions would be most welcome. Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

Try using a very bright LED flash light. On the darker eggs it's hard to see anything...lighter shelled eggs, fairly easy. If the dark colored shelled eggs are really dark but you see the air space...then it's developing. If it looks clear and you still can make out the air space, it's not fertile.
The darker colored shelled eggs are hard to candle. Also, helps to be in a completely dark room. HTH

Dont crack no eggs
Nothing to add Sean nailed it.
If them eggs are dark they are making

Thank you for all your advice, suggestions. I had 15 hatch. Now I have another question. I had a sick hen which I took to the vet and she thought it had Newcastle Disease,I t thought it had Coryza, sent it off to the Agriculture lab and it was diagnosed with bacterial sinusitis. The vet was away so I was told they couldn't give me the results or any treatment until next week when she was back in the office??
I found this odd seeings how I had another sick bird. I called the agriculture centre to obtain the reports and after multiple calls back and forth from the Ag Centre and the vet I finally was able to obtain them but still no treatment. I am now wanting to obtain Tylan 200 but cannot find it here in BC and would like to know where I can get it and if I can have it mailed from the US to Canada legally? I may be wrong but I feel that there is a responsibility on the Vet office to at least have the locum Vet prescribe a treatment or am I totally out of line here. The pathologist stated the bird seemed present like it was infectious coryza but the PCR test was negative? I felt that the hen had this as well? They did no bloodwork before euthanizing the bird and sending to the AG centre?
No wonder they have problems with outbreaks. I feel that by not addressing this in a timely fashion could result in more sick birds, the transmission to other poultry I have and then to wild birds which in turn will end up in surrounding farms. Frustrated with the lack of commitment on the Vet/vet staff/Locum to address this. Am I out of line here? Just want to ensure I am not spreading a disease that can be prevented and to protect my own flocks.