Candling - Dark Orange Eggs - Fertile or not?

[DanyB]

Hi, it is my first time trying to hatch eggs (they are silkie eggs) with a broody silkie hen. It is now day 20-21 and when I candle the eggs all I can see is a dark orange color. I don't see any veins or black dots as sign of eyes or anything. For some of them you can see clearly the air sac, but not all of them. I dont know if they are not fertile, if the shell is to thick or if I don't have a good candling light enough (I'm using my cellphone light). Any thought?

 

[nchls school]

Hi, it is my first time trying to hatch eggs (they are silkie eggs) with a broody silkie hen. It is now day 20-21 and when I candle the eggs all I can see is a dark orange color. I don't see any veins or black dots as sign of eyes or anything. For some of them you can see clearly the air sac, but not all of them. I dont know if they are not fertile, if the shell is to thick or if I don't have a good candling light enough (I'm using my cellphone light). Any thought?

It is not a good idea to handle eggs so close to hatch time. Those eggs that candled showing complete or almost completely black developed. When candling a chicken egg on day 19+ internal pipping may have happened and the air cell may not be visible or only partly visible with no clear edge between air cell and the chick's body. Any egg where the light shone through all or most of the egg on day 20-21 is not good; either DIS or infertile.