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Inkheart, I did not really candle on my last hatch. I had welsummers and ameraucanas, and they were very hard to candle. I had a peek at them with a really strong flashlight right before I set them just to see if there were any really porous ones (there were and i set them anyway, most didn't hatch, but some did). But then I did not candle again until day 17 right before lockdown. I knew that if I candled in between, say at day 7, like a lot of people, i would just second guess all of them. At day 17 it is very, VERY obvious which eggies are viable and which are not. So, at day 17 out with the clear ones and in with the dark ones.........All that being said, my current incy is filled with much lighter colored eggs, so I will probably candle at day 7 or 10.
How is it very obvioous on day 17 to know they are viable? What should i look for - seems the Serama eggs dont like to be "messed with " much - so many dont candle
If they have developed, the egg will be almost totally opaque because it is all filled up with baby chicken! And sometimes you can see them moving around in there. The ones that did not develop or were not fertile will be almost completely clear. I've heard that candling throughout the incubation has no ill effects on hatch rate, but it just seems logical to me that leaving them alone as much as possible can only be be better in the end. But being able to see a growing embryo (and especially being able to show it to your kids) has a certain intrinsic value as well. Probably just a personal decision....no right or wrong
FWIW I tried to make a candler, and found that just holding the flashlight and making a ring with my hand worked out better.