Candeling eggs?

[chickenlittle1980]

I have my first broody sitting on 3 eggs .. since monday ...what is the best way to tell if they are not duds? Either way i am going to just let her sit on them but this way i wont be wondering....

 

[FarmGirl01]

Mine started Tuesday. I was going to check them on Sunday. By then, you can see veins and the bullseye.

 

[chickenlittle1980]

ok sunday it is...... so how do i do it with a flash light? i am new to this

 

[FarmGirl01]

I use a mini mag-light. I cup my hand around the end and place the egg on top. Be careful as you rotate the egg around on your hand. Try to always have an egg thats not fertile to compare. It will help with your first time. Get in the darkest place you can find. I always candle after dark. There are other ways, this is mine. Let me know what happens.

 

[FarmGirl01]

Well, how did it go. I culled 2 out of 8 eggs. They just didn't develope. Let me know.

 

[Akane]

If you aren't experienced candling wait until about 10 days before trying it or odds are you won't know what you are looking at. If they are dark eggs you may not be able to tell but on most light shelled eggs you can tell by 10 days which ones are good. It is best to remove any clears between day 10-14 or they may go rotten and explode. Not all hens will get rid of rotten eggs and an exploded egg could ruin the others or even cause the hen to stop sitting on them.