The 8th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!!!!

[brucifer]

I put 35 eggs in the incubator for the hatch-a-long. Now I have a question, is it necessary to candle and when is the best time to candle?
Melissa

Candling is not necessary, but it is kind of fun. You can see chick development and pull the eggs that are infertile or have died. I usually candle only on days 7 and 14. It's best to candle in a very dark room - the darker, the better. You really don't need a fancy candling flashlight, but they are nice to have. I use my iPhone flashlight most of the time, and it works just fine. I just press the flashlight up against the top of the egg, and then slowly turn the egg. That's when the magic happens.

 

[Faraday40]

I put 35 eggs in the incubator for the hatch-a-long. Now I have a question, is it necessary to candle and when is the best time to candle?
Melissa

Hens do not candle their eggs & if all your eggs are good, then no need to candle. However..... it's a good idea to candle & toss any bad eggs away. It's better to remove those bad eggs & their growing bacteria which could spread to other eggs (& could even explode in some rare cases). Also candling helps you monitor the air cells. Both of these things will help increase your hatch rate. If you decide not to candle, you could still have a good hatch, but I always try to aim for a great hatch.

 

[Jeannealogy]

I ended up setting 35 Marans and OliveEggers for the hatch-

along., any tips for candling Dark and Blue eggs? I tried with my usually effective tactical flashlight and couldnt see much. Through the dark shells.

 

[katsdar]

I just like to candle to see the babies kick and look for the eye

 

[brucifer]

I ended up setting 35 Marans and OliveEggers for the hatch-
along., any tips for candling Dark and Blue eggs? I tried with my usually effective tactical flashlight and couldnt see much. Through the dark shells.

I raise FBCM, and candling those dark chocolate eggs is a real challenge. Even with a super-bright light, you're going to have to look closely to see veining and the chicks swimming. It's not impossible, just a lot tougher than it is with a leghorn or cream legbar egg.

 

[melnjerm]

1st candling last nightulled 5 Alchemist Farms CCL's and 2 Diamond D CCL's and 1 BCM. All quitters, 1 shipped clutch and 1 locally picked up. Hopefully that's all I lose...

 

[Chickens4lifee]

Okay so i candled and out of 41 I have 20 good I will candle the other Bator tommrow. And the shiiped eggs are doing better then my eggs that i get daily.

 

[ronott1]

1st candling last nightulled 5 Alchemist Farms CCL's and 2 Diamond D CCL's and 1 BCM. All quitters, 1 shipped clutch and 1 locally picked up. Hopefully that's all I lose...

How Many eggs do you have left?

Okay so i candled and out of 41 I have 20 good I will candle the other Bator tommrow. And the shiiped eggs are doing better then my eggs that i get daily.

It might be time to check into some breeder improvement!

Nutrition and worming is very important for hatching eggs.

Another thing to consider if there are a lot of clears(not fertile) is to check for too much fluff on the hens and the rooster. roosters do not have an appendage so they the two of them need to make skin contact. If needed, plucking or trimming the feathers can help

(I hope that was family friendly)

 

[ChickAsThieves]

Is there a thread on BYC to ask what a hen/roo cross might look like? My favorite egg in the bator is Blue Andalusian crossed with a Black Copper Marans roo. The egg is white and so easy to see through when I candle it. I love the little chick inside already! I'd love to see what he or she may look like.

Also, the humidity dropped into the 20's with no water in the reservoir, so I added a bit. I'll just have to keep an eye on it. Thank you to everyone who gave me feedback this morning!

 

[CuzChickens]

Thanks for the info

It's weird cause most of the eggs, even from the same hen, I can tell but then sometimes I just get a more round egg. So if I got a rooster, don't incubate any of that hens eggs? Or just not the round eggs?

And sorry, dumb question lol, but what side is the air cell supposed to be on? Round end? So facing up?

Well, if you are just incubating for your own flock, or even selling a few chicks here and there, I wouldn't worry about it. If you start a serious breeding program, I'd probably remove that hen, but you are on a small enough scale I wouldn't worry about that. Just set all the eggs!