Do's and Dont's of handling a broody hens eggs.

[quintinp]

Well, I have finally got a broody hen, (barred rock hen/black sex link rooster)

She has been sitting on them for the last 4 days. I have a good feeling about her.
I know that there is already a broody hen hatchalong thread going on, but that's way to many pages to try to find information about this single topic.

I was wondering from those of you who are very experienced with this, what are the Do's and Dont's of touching/handling/candling a broodies eggs?

Do you guys ever candle the eggs?

I mean, it doesn't really matter that much, but I want to check on the development of these eggs, to see if they have started to grow, because if they aren't fertile, I will still be able to place fertile eggs under her while she's still broody.

 

[Backyard Bantam]

At 18 days, I candled mine. She (a serama hen) was only sitting on three eggs, but all three hatched. You want to mark the date that she started SITTING on them, not the date that she laid them. And you don't want the hen to sit on the eggs too long after the eggs have 'expired' (meaning you know they are not going to hatch). The hen will keep sitting until they have been hatched, so make sure you take the eggs away from her if they do not hatch.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't candle the eggs under a broody, but there is nothing wrong with candling.

The do's and don't for me are the same as in an incubator. Keep your hands clean when you handle them to try to minimize the chance of introducing bacteria. Don't shake them up.

I don't know how much experience you have candling eggs. I don't consider myself an expert at all. With my brown eggs, I don't trust myself until maybe 14 days. I've made too many mistakes at seven days.

 

[quintinp]

I don't candle the eggs under a broody, but there is nothing wrong with candling.
The do's and don't for me are the same as in an incubator. Keep your hands clean when you handle them to try to minimize the chance of introducing bacteria. Don't shake them up.
I don't know how much experience you have candling eggs. I don't consider myself an expert at all. With my brown eggs, I don't trust myself until maybe 14 days. I've made too many mistakes at seven days.

Well, I haven't read any books about candling eggs, but I have about 5 years of experience with candling, and all those eggs were brown eggs, I guess I now know what to look for now. I just wish I had that many years of experience when vent sexing chicks. Ha