candling eggs

[good ole boy]

i have 25 eggs in my bator, it has been 8 days i was wondering when would be a good time to candle them?

 

[Ms.Frizzle]

Now if fine. Even if the're brown, you should be able to see development at this point so long as your flashlight is bright enough.

 

[clayb226]

I am planning on candling on day 7, 14, and 18.

 

[ScissorChick]

Welcome to BackYardChickens good ole boy!!!

For white , or any light colord eggs ~ Day 6-7 is fine for candling.

For Brown, or any dark colored eggs ~ Wait until day 10-15

If your not seeing anything, try a brighter flashlight.

-Scissor

 

[starchick2]

Quote:
Hi! I am a teacher and am hatching chicks for the second time this year; our first attempt was not very successful, unfortunately. I was not aware that you could candle brown eggs, so I never did it the first go around. Can you please explain how I should go about candling our new eggs. I don't have any special equipment to do this, so is it possible to do it with something I can find in my classroom? I see that you say to wait until days 10-15 for the brown eggs...what exactly should I see/be looking for?

Also, below is a picture of the incubator I am using. I was told by the company to make sure to keep the moisture rings filled throughout the incubation, especially the last 3 days. I have learned by reading some responses on this website that the % of humidity should vary depending on what stage of development/days the eggs are going through. The company never said anything about the % levels??? Also, I have learned that during "lockdown" you should NOT open the incubator AT ALL! How am I supposed to keep the moisture rings filled if I shouldn't be opening the incubator?

Thanks for all your help and advice!

 

[kickenChickens]

WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!! Any egg (minus a Maran) can be candled at day 3 to 4. Just go to a dark room and use a decent L.E.D. Flashlight. I do this almost every day so I know it to be true! I check all my eggs at day 3, 10, and 14-16 to ensure develoment.

 

[kickenChickens]

Also, below is a picture of the incubator I am using. I was told by the company to make sure to keep the moisture rings filled throughout the incubation, especially the last 3 days. I have learned by reading some responses on this website that the % of humidity should vary depending on what stage of development/days the eggs are going through. The company never said anything about the % levels??? Also, I have learned that during "lockdown" you should NOT open the incubator AT ALL! How am I supposed to keep the moisture rings filled if I shouldn't be opening the incubator?

I started with the same bator! Im from Ga so our humidity is fairly high every day so until it was time for lock down I don't add water. What I'm saying is consider the humidity in the surrounding enviroment befor you start dumping water in the bator as too much humidity is not only not good for the development of chicks but it also creates a more ideal growth situation for the bacteria on your eggs. Also minimize points of contact with the eggs and try to wash your hands with antibacterial soap or hand sanitizer before handling to prevent further innoculation of the eggs.
You only want to open the bator, once your eggs are in lock down, when you have to. So consider the options... If the humidity is to low when your chicks are hatching the chicks will more than likely get shrink wrapped. If you open the bator to add water, only the chicks that have broken the membrane are at any real risk of shrink wrapping. The rest will more than likely be fine. Clearly the second is the better choice. That said though, do try to add water when there are no pips.​

 

[ScissorChick]

Quote:
Hi! I am a teacher and am hatching chicks for the second time this year; our first attempt was not very successful, unfortunately. I was not aware that you could candle brown eggs, so I never did it the first go around. Can you please explain how I should go about candling our new eggs. I don't have any special equipment to do this, so is it possible to do it with something I can find in my classroom? I see that you say to wait until days 10-15 for the brown eggs...what exactly should I see/be looking for?

Also, below is a picture of the incubator I am using. I was told by the company to make sure to keep the moisture rings filled throughout the incubation, especially the last 3 days. I have learned by reading some responses on this website that the % of humidity should vary depending on what stage of development/days the eggs are going through. The company never said anything about the % levels??? Also, I have learned that during "lockdown" you should NOT open the incubator AT ALL! How am I supposed to keep the moisture rings filled if I shouldn't be opening the incubator?

Thanks for all your help and advice!

[URL]https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/90630_incubator.jpg[/URL]

Hi! And Welcome to BYC!

You do not need any fancy supplies to candle. Just a flashlight, a dark room and your eggs

You take the flashlight and simply shine it under the egg and see whats going on inside.
You should look for veins/cloudiness or mass in the egg, which would mean that it is fertile

& growing. Heres a picture of what you should see in a good egg around day 7-8

You do not HAVE to wait until day 7-8 or 10-15, but for beginners I would definatly recommend
it, as you will be able to see alot more than you would if you candled any earlier.

For the first 18 days of incubation, it's *Recomended* to keep humidity around 40-50%, and

up it to 60-65 % During the last 3 days of incubation. However, some people have better

luck with less humidity, and others with higher. I belive it depends on where your located.

As for adding water, as long as you do not have any pips in the eggs, you can open the
incubator up and add water with-out problems. Some say snake a tube through the lid

and add water.




Happy Hatching!

 

[kickenChickens]

Quote:
Hi! I am a teacher and am hatching chicks for the second time this year; our first attempt was not very successful, unfortunately. I was not aware that you could candle brown eggs, so I never did it the first go around. Can you please explain how I should go about candling our new eggs. I don't have any special equipment to do this, so is it possible to do it with something I can find in my classroom? I see that you say to wait until days 10-15 for the brown eggs...what exactly should I see/be looking for?

Also, below is a picture of the incubator I am using. I was told by the company to make sure to keep the moisture rings filled throughout the incubation, especially the last 3 days. I have learned by reading some responses on this website that the % of humidity should vary depending on what stage of development/days the eggs are going through. The company never said anything about the % levels??? Also, I have learned that during "lockdown" you should NOT open the incubator AT ALL! How am I supposed to keep the moisture rings filled if I shouldn't be opening the incubator?

Thanks for all your help and advice!

[URL]https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/90630_incubator.jpg[/URL]

Hi! And Welcome to BYC!

You do not need any fancy supplies to candle. Just a flashlight, a dark room and your eggs

You take the flashlight and simply shine it under the egg and see whats going on inside.
You should look for veins/cloudiness or mass in the egg, which would mean that it is fertile

& growing. Heres a picture of what you should see in a good egg around day 7-8

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/74081_byc4.jpg

You do not HAVE to wait until day 7-8 or 10-15, but for beginners I would definatly recommend
it, as you will be able to see alot more than you would if you candled any earlier.

For the first 18 days of incubation, it's *Recomended* to keep humidity around 40-50%, and

up it to 60-65 % During the last 3 days of incubation. However, some people have better

luck with less humidity, and others with higher. I belive it depends on where your located.

As for adding water, as long as you do not have any pips in the eggs, you can open the
incubator up and add water with-out problems. Some say snake a tube through the lid

and add water.




Happy Hatching!

Much better info scissor