Candling eggs is so frustrating!

[BLaBauve]

DAY 10: I have about 20 eggs in the bator for my first hatch. I can see veins in only one light blue egg. The other eggs which are olive eggers, marans, and another blue I either see clear with spots, which are duds i guess, OR a very dark blob that takes up almost the whole egg, and an air sac on top. Are the dark blobs good eggs and I just can't see the veins??? I wish I knew what the heck to look for!!! I am using a bright LED maglite.

 

[kelseygirl707]

Yah, Sometimes in the dark eggs you can't see the veins, but you may be able to see the dark mass that is the chick. Definitely don't give up on the ones with blobs, lol. As for the others, if you can see for sure that they are clear, they are duds, but if they are dark, and you just can't tell, I would keep them in until at least day 14 or when they begin to smell. By day 14 you should be able to see a blob.

good Luck!

 

[BLaBauve]

Nothing seems to obviously smell yet. I did see one that appears to have a blood ring. Will I ever see the veins in the dark eggs?

 

[kelseygirl707]

I just did a hatch of Cuckoo Maran eggs, and I couldn't see veins in those ever, but I could tell when the chicks would move in the light, but even then I had 2 that were on the verge of exploding during lockdown that I had to remove. So if in doubt, wait for the stench, LOL!

 

[Chic Chick]

Quote:
If you are going to be hatching the dark eggs think about investing in a candler. I can see clearly into my marans eggs with a candler way better then I could with a flashlight or with a homemade box.
Good luck!

 

[ChickFila]

I bought LED candling light, but still couldn't see anything through Marans eggs.
I had 14 shipped Marans eggs, and couldn't see anything except 2-3 eggs, but decided to give them a chance.
I am so glad that I did. Out of 14 eggs, 10 of them hatched, and I opened the rest 4 eggs today, 3 of them were fully developed and one was not fertile (clear).
So don't give up, justwait until day 21 or 22, you will be surprised!

 

[babsbag]

I could never see through the green eggs enough to see veins, just a blob. They were the first to hatch

The ones that I thought were clear I just left until the very very end. I read somewhere that the ones that usually explode are ones that start to develop and then quit. Since I thought mine never started to develop so I just left them. When I cracked them open on day 24 they didn't even smell, and I was ready to run

It is hard to see anything, especially when you are new to this, like I am. I never saw a chick move, but I still got a 90% hatch rate.

 

[ra]

Wow they can exsplode?????????

No one told me that! I'm on my first lock down and I couldn't see well into the welsomer eggs? Hope they don't stink up the place???

 

[The Sheriff]

Next time you incubate dark or thick shelled eggs weigh them on a food scale before they go in the incubator, again at Day 8, then again at lockdown. The should be losing weight steadily if they are developing, ending up at about 12% less weight than when they went in. Convert ounces into grams using an online calculator. I opened one that had not lost any weight by Day 8 and, sure enough, it was a clear.

Good luck!

Mary