Can You Candle a Easter Egger or a Black Copper Maran Egg?????

[Steph Martin]

I said Help, help I say...I've got suspect eggs but only cause the things are green and dark brown. I really want to know if they will hatch in five days but I can't candle cause of density and darkness of shell. Does anyone have any suggestions????

 

[georgia531]

an old movie projecter might work.. i saw a post on here the other day someone used some high powered sport flashlight.. i will look for it.

 

[FeatheredObsessions]

I see a lot of folks who float test eggs. I'm not a fan of float testing myself. Even with a super powered light I'd think it would be hard to see much detail.

 

[yinepu]

I have an LED flashlight I used on my EE eggs when they arrived. I could see just fine with it.. will candle them again on the 4th to check the progress.

Not sure how it would work on Maran eggs though since I haven't tried it on any of them

 

[georgia531]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261876&p=1..........here it is ... the name of the light is in the top paragraph page one

 

[LilyD]

Quote:
I had three eater eggers in my last hatch and I could only candle one that was a lighter green. All the others were way to hard. I just looked for an air cell when I candled and if it had one it was good lol. If I couldn't see anything I sniffed and if it didn't smell I put it back in.

 

[classicsredone]

You can get tactical flashlights with high lumens. The higher, the better.

 

[OrpingtonManor]

I used a really bright ( >100 lumens) LED flashlight to candle my marans eggs. (The EE eggs were no problem.) In a totally dark room, except for the flashlight, hold the flashlight by surrounding the bulb-end in one hand, and holding the egg in my other hand in the same position it was in while in the incubator (air cell up). This allows me to seal the egg against my hand, making sure the only light in the room is what you see going through the egg. Otherwise, you can't see much. You should be able to clearly see the air cell, and some veining, and motion from the embryo. Take your time, move slowly and carefully, and try angling the light from the top a bit. The flashlight lets you see when you are putting eggs into and out of the incubator.

Good luck!

 

[they'reHISchickens]

You need a completely dark room and your eyes must be accustomed to the darkness. Have patience.
You need a really high lumen flashlight and follow the previous poster's advice on how to hold it.
I never candle my EEs and Marans until lockdown. If I need to *see*, I put in some Orpington eggs to keep me happy!
At lockdown you can definitely see either something or nothing. The clears are definitely clear! And I find the marans are a lot easier to see than the blue eggs.

 

[Spitman]

I have a hight power LCD light cost me 75 , 150 lumens works great on all my eggs ,( but the green and blues) they just look like big dark blobes .if I had to do it again I wouldn't spend the big bucks.