Candling...

I see pics of people that candle with the pointy side up, so you can see the air cell at the bottom. I am always afraid that if I move the egg upside down like that, that something will happen to how the chick is connected to the veins/arteries are connected and the membrane stuff... I guess I'm afraid the chick will somehow be ripped away from its blood and nourishment supply, like it will tear something important. The eggs I have turned like that, it looks like everything floats to the other side of the egg. Is that safe? Will it cause the air cell to detach if I candle once a day? Is it safer to candle with large side up only? I don't want to ruin the egg by turning it the wrong way every day but would like to observe the air cell size.

Writerchick324 said:

I see pics of people that candle with the pointy side up, so you can see the air cell at the bottom. I am always afraid that if I move the egg upside down like that, that something will happen to how the chick is connected to the veins/arteries are connected and the membrane stuff... I guess I'm afraid the chick will somehow be ripped away from its blood and nourishment supply, like it will tear something important. The eggs I have turned like that, it looks like everything floats to the other side of the egg. Is that safe? Will it cause the air cell to detach if I candle once a day? Is it safer to candle with large side up only? I don't want to ruin the egg by turning it the wrong way every day but would like to observe the air cell size.

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So, you have people that will say don't over candle and there's no reason to candle more than a couple times, (if ever) and the eggs are better left alone......(I could go on, but I won't.) I'm not one of those people.

I do candle every day. Beside the fact that I like to monitor my air cells, I also love to see the progress of development. No matter how many times I incubate, I just don't get tired of it.

However, I don't hold my egg upside down. I candle down into the egg from the air cell. I will lay it sideways to candle, but I never candle upside down. I have a small but rather powerful flashlight that I hold in my left hand and cup my hand around the end while holding the egg. Here is an example of how I candle:



When you turn an egg, especially a hand turned egg, (in comparison to an egg in a verticle automatic turner) the development does resettle on the side that is turned up. That's one of the functions of making sure the eggs are turned adequately during the first 2 weeks, to keep the embryo from adhering to one side of the egg.

Hatching brings out many philosophies and people have many different methods and opinions on everything, so there will be others that disagree with candling regularly. You just have to find what is comfortable to you.

I should add that shipped eggs, especially eggs with damage to the air cells are better not handled as much. They are already weakend from the handling through shipment.