Candling EE eggs

[Swamp Roo]

Okay I picked up a hovabator locally for cheap. I set half a dozen EE eggs ten days ago to test it out. Fist eggs I've ever set. Three days into it I bought an LG turner (works just fine in the hovabator) just because both my DW and I are ADD(big time) and I know that is just a recipe for disaster. Went to candle today. I'm using a "D" cell maglite with fresh batteries and a roll of TP in a dark room to candle. Problem is I can't even see an air cell. Now I have checked a freshly laid EE egg and I could definitely tell that egg is clear. The set eggs are just dark from one end to another and I'm wondering if the hens are laying plaster eggs just to mess with me. Is this par for the course with EE eggs? No smell or anything in the bator. I have also needed to turn down the temp in the bator which is a good sign right? Of course it has warmed up here in the last few days, and that may be the reason for that. I expect I'll just have to wait it out, but I don't want to get my hopes up if it doesn't look so good.

Swamp

 

[marytoast]

Some of mine were the same way. I've just kept them in the bator and prayed all is well inside there. I am on day 19 and none are stinkey so I am hoping for a good hatch. I can relat to the frustration though. I'm ADD as well and am dying to know what's in that egg!

 

[shelleyd2008]

Try shining the light down through the top of the egg where the air cell should be. That will make the egg 'light up' and hopefully will make it easier to see into. At 10 days though, the egg should be about half full, so you might not see much. I did have one that was pretty dark, that I couldn't see the air cell in either.

 

[Swamp Roo]

LOL I tried from the top, the bottom, even the side. I wish I had thought of using the TP roll sooner (noticed someone else suggest that trick in another post...great minds), might have been able to see more earlier. I expect they are fine, but well, you know how it is...

Thanks,
Swamp

 

[Katie Jo]

I had the exact same problem with my EE's....I tried every angle, and multiple flashlights, from the big heavy duty square-batteried ones to all varieties of LEDs.....and NOTHING. So I decided to leave 'em and wait. As long as I don't smell anything, they can stay! Hopefully they hatch on friday....

Good luck to you!!

 

[william9792]

take a lamp with a 100 watt light bulb and a coffee can, cut a small hole in bottom of can ( about inch round) and candle them, should be able to see inside them easy. william

 

[Swamp Roo]

Yeah, I figured I needed to upgrade. I'll have to find a coffee can somewhere. In the meantime I just leave them be.

Thanks
Swamp

 

[pbjmaker]

A "D" cell mag lite has too wide of a beam IMO I use a little LED mag lite although it is still hard to see into those EE eggs - I think they are worse than marans eggs.