Candling for Dummies...

[Happy Chicken Mama]

ok.

So we've had a few kinks in our perfect hatching plan.

We had broody hen... bought eggs... happy hen.

Day 20 Hed is fed up can't take it anymore... leaves.

O*&@#%!@^%&@$*&.

So we have had one pip and go forth... the rest sent to a semi-broody hen... I want to candle the rest to see what' going on.

I want to make sure that they havent piped in the eggs... apparently that's important to check. I've been reading...

How do I do this & What do I look for? We are at day 20... can't find any sources to show what it looks like then... day 6... 8 etc.

Any help would be great.

Thanks!

ps. and little baby still has cord attached... can I take this off? Or leave it?

 

[silkiechicken]

At this point, let the substitute sit on eggs and keep them warm. Patience is a virtue. As for the cord, leave it. It will dry up and fall off on it's own.

By day 20, if you candle, you will see a dark blob... maybe a beak in the air cell.. but largely a dark mass, which is why you may not be able to find much about what you are supposted to see, as you can't really see anything.

 

[Happy Chicken Mama]

Ahhhh... makes sense. All dark dosen't take good pictures.

Is beak in the air sack good?

Do they soon pip after that?

How long do they stay with the beak in the air sack???

I have so many questions... sorry... I like learning!

 

[Happy Chicken Mama]

Sorry Air Cell... not Sack.

 

[silkiechicken]

If it's moving... it would be alive. However, it is a very very very important time now for the hatch so it would be the best if you didn't candle and kept them warm and humidity up. The more they are chilled by handling, the less likly they will hatch.

I personally have found that a temp problem on day 20/21 can make or break a hatch when done in an incubator.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Quote:
I found this info at this website:

http://chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/reso … dures.html


HOW THE CHICK EMERGES FROM THE SHELL

The head of the chick develops at the large end of the egg. Between the 15th and 16th days, the chick orients itself so that its head is near the air cell at the large end of the egg. Not long before the chick is ready to attempt to make its way out of the shell its neck acquires a double bend so that its beak is under its right wing and pointed toward the air cell. About the 19th day the chick thrusts its head forward. Its beak quickly breaks through the inner shell membrane, and the chick's lungs begin to function. Complete breathing by the lungs usually does not occur until the 20th day of incubation.

Using its egg tooth (a tiny, sharp, horny projection on the end of its beak), the chick pecks at the shell thousands of times. Finally, the young bird pips its way through the shell and begins to breathe air directly from the outside. After the chick has made a hole in the shell, it stops pipping for three to eight hours and rests. During this time, it is acclimating its lungs to the outside atmosphere. After the resting stage is completed, the second stage of pipping begins.

The chick begins to turn slowly inside the egg. As it turns, usually counter-clockwise, the cutting edge of the chick tooth continues to chip away. In two to five hours, the chick has made about three quarters of a turn inside the egg. As the chick progresses in its movement around the shell, it begins pushing on the egg cap (large end). Squirming and struggling, the chick works feverishly for about 40 minutes pushing at the cap. Finally with a vigorous shove, the chick breaks free from the shell, still wet and panting.

When the chick is freed completely from the shell, it lies still. Its energy has been virtually exhausted, and it is extremely tired. After a rest of some few minutes, the chick begins to rise to its feet and gain coordination of its muscles. Within a few days the egg tooth, its usefulness over, will disappear.