Candled blue eggs - 1 looks different - should I toss it? PHOTOS!!!!!!

[willkatdawson]

I've got 10 eggs under my broody hen. Today they are at day 15.
I decided to candle the blue ones, and one of them looks very different than the other 4. As far as the maran eggs, I guess there's no way to candle them, or do you have any idea how to?

here's the one that looks different
EGG A

this is what the other 4 blue eggs look like. Do they look normal for day 15?

Sorry to be such a nervous nellie, but this is only the second time I have hatched eggs, and by I..........I mean Millie (my trusty broody) I would so hate for that one egg to explode all over those expensive maran eggs.

Thanks,
the wanna be country girl - Caroline

 

[adrian]

A good idea would be trying to candle in a darker environment. Then you'd be able to see more clearly. I'm just going to go on a hunch and say the egg that looks different is not viable. Maybe it was infertile. It looks pretty clear to me, whereas the other egg, from what I can see, looks like it very well may be viable. But, because you can't be sure (unless you are able to candle in a darker location/at a darker time of day, as I'm not sure where your broody is located), you might as well leave it in, I'd say...

 

[willkatdawson]

OK, I'll try to get better pictures. She just about drew blood when I reached under her. She's such a great mother, and she means business.
I can tell you the eggs in question was see through and you could clearly see the yolk flop around inside the shell. The other five eggs were completely solid except for the see through air 'sac' in the bottom of the egg. I couldn't see any movement of any kind in the solid looking eggs.

 

[Ariel301]

Dark colored eggs and blue/green ones are hard to candle. I have a bantam EE who lays a mint green egg that is lighter than my brown eggs, but I can't see in hers at all, while the brown ones are easy. I don't know why it's like that, it's weird. You can see a little better in a very dark room with a VERY bright flashlight, but not as easily as with white eggs.

 

[Cowgirl71]

From the pic, I'd take it out... It looks like an infertile egg to me. The second egg looks good to go!

One thing to look for is the air cell. As the chicks grows the air cell grows.

Like another poster said, if you were to candle in a darker place you would be able to see so much more. But then again you don't want to test the patience of your broody...

 

[midget_farms]

That egg looks like a dud to me.

I would toss it. By day 15 they should be very dark like your others. That much light going in means the egg has not developed.

As for the dark eggs - I'll have the same issue here in about a week.

I have a SUPER bright LED flashlight. I'm hoping to see something - anything that will let me determine duds from the good ones.

 

[adrian]

If it was completely see-through and you could see the yolk, then yep, it is not viable. The other ones are likely good to go.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

The different one is a "clear" it may have been fertile but it didn't make it. You can see on the other 4 how dark it is. Bingo--you have development!

It isn't pretty but it is a good idea to open up the eggs that you are going to toss. Take them outside and crack them open so that you can become more confident in your decisions.

If you just toss them then you are going to wonder the next time too. Look for fertility, blood ring ect. to see why the egg didn't develop and then remember.

It is always a good idea to candle the bottom of the egg for a brief moment also to make sure it is solid through and through. Once in awhile an egg tries to fool me by being dark at the top. If it isn't dark all the way through then there is probably something not good with the egg and you should mark it and watch it carefully.

 

[speckledhen]

Caroline, that one looks like perhaps the peep died early on, or it wasn't even fertile, but it's not right for Day 15. Sometimes, one will lag behind in development and even if it was viable, it may not be a good thing to allow a stunted one to hatch. I would be thinking it does not have a live chick in it at this point. If there is no seeping and no smell, you could probably leave that one in for another couple days and check again. I'd probably toss it myself.

 

[willkatdawson]

Thanks y'all! I knew you would know. I'm going down right now to dispose of the 'bad egg' ..........sorry couldn't resist. I was thinking 10 babies might have been a little too much for Millie anyway. She's kinda like every mother....she goes from wanting to hug them, to wanting to wring their little necks. Thanks Cyn for rushing over and taking a look. You always boost the confidence of this wanna be country girl!