Candling Egg

[BarredRocks3]

I have been incubating a chicken egg for the past 8 days, I have the temperture at 99.5 and the humidity at 55%. The egg shell is very dark for the most part and has little light speckles, is that normal? It's very hard to see inside of the egg as well, I got a picture of it on day 5 (on the right) and today (on the left.) Is it fertilized amd developing well?

 

[WalnutHill]

I prefer to shine the light in the big end of the egg, through the air sac, especially if the light is not really bright enough. The variations in the shell are spots where the calcium deposits are thinner (light) and thicker (dark). This is often seen with a hen who is just starting to lay, or one who has or is recovering from an illness. These eggs may be more susceptible to infection, but it doesn't mean that you cannot have a successful hatch.

If you shine in the big end, you should see blood vessels from the midpoint of the egg up to the air sac. If you see a single ring circling the air sac, it means the embryo has failed. If you see no blood vessels, the egg may be infertile. I am incubating turkey eggs, but if I saw what you are seeing I would be checking again in a couple of days.

 

[seessy]

I tuck myself in a closet at night and use the 9 LED bulb mini flashlights. Just keep slowly rolling the egg looking for the blood vessels. Even in a dark shell you should be able to spot them by now with a bright enough light. Good Luck! We can't wait to start our hatch for this year.

 

[cluckerkeeper]

It doesn't look fertile to me but do check in a few days and you should know by then. It should have tiny red veins spidering on the inside.