best way to candle?

[NancyP1]

Hi All. I have soo many questions, but first one will be about candling. I have a fairly large cardboard box with a small lamp in it. (it is a box that copy paper comes in) I have been using the hole where the handles are on the box. They were not broke out and tried to just keep the hole about the size of a quarter. So, it seems bright enough, but my question is...what is the proper way to place the egg over the hole? I always layed them down on their side. Is this the right way? Just read the lava light idea..I have one and plan on using it. Takes up a lot less room in my laundry room!

 

[LarryPQ]

Um...I just use a little LED flashlight and my hand. Less work and less space. Also, I am less likely to drop the egg.

 

[NancyP1]

do you shine it in the side of the egg?

 

[LarryPQ]

Yup. Top, side, bottom, whatever until I see what I need to see.

Once you get good, you don't even need to take them out of the turner! LOL!

 

[NancyP1]

LOL, I will never be that good! I candled them all before I put them in the incubator and saw nothing! I am certain most are fertile, some are my guinea eggs, and all of the ones we ate were fertile, and some are from my neighbors who have chickens whos eggs we eat too and they all seem to be fertile. I have better luck seeing something when they have incubated for 7-10 days. What am I missing?!

 

[Czech's_chicks]

I normally stoop and crawl into the holding pens for my broodies and try to snag eggs out from under without any bloodshed (mine, of course) and use a small flashlight. Mag lights are nice and strong and have a good beam.

 

[NancyP1]

Just scarfed up my hubbys mag lite! Going to hide it in the laundry room until candling day!

 

[LarryPQ]

Quote:
Ummm...nothing. Before day 5, there really isnt much to see. I almost never candle until day 10.

 

[ZooKeeperInTheMaking]

This is my first time hatching eggs so I wanted to make everything rather than spend all the money.. Anyways the light I use is just an ordinary LED bedside lamp, I then opened both ends of an empty dog food tin which I use to funnel the light through. On the end of the tin is a piece of black felt with an egg shape hole in the middle. The hole is smaller than the smallest egg I put in the incubator and because it is felt, all the other eggs fit perfectly if you jus squeeze them in a bit.. Works a treat! My 9 eggs are due to hatch in 9 days and today was the first time I used my candling method

was amazing to see! Hope this helps?

 

[NancyP1]

I think I will just have to try some of these suggestions! One has got to work better than my lamp in a box. It works, but I am all for going smaller.