candling issues..

[nbhatcher]

so as I mentionned in my first post, i have 18 couturnix eggs in my incubator. didn't know too much about candling at the beginning and did not check them when first received.

I tried a few times at day 7-9, but could not see anything at all. can't see through the shell I mean..I am just using a flashlight in my hand.. but checked tonight and was able to see into 2 of them. 1 looks almost see-through with what looks like a yolk in it, it just floats at the top of the egg as I turn it and I see nothing else.. . the other one has a dark mass that is about half the size of the egg and I can see an air pocket at the large end. but nothing is moving...

I think i should remove the clear one for sure, but being my first time, I am hesitant to take it out just in case I am looking at it wrong. I am on day 12 so there should be more development by now right?

as for the rest, I can't see through the shell at all.. I tried to make a candler, but it didn't seem to help with the daker ones.. just can't see inside.

advice?

 

[weimarmama]

It does sound like that first egg you mentioned isn't developing. Anyways, any time I have eggs I'm unsure about I leave them in (as long as they're not seeping and don't have a bad odor) until the next time I candle. Good luck with your hatch

 

[nbhatcher]

It does sound like that first egg you mentioned isn't developing. Anyways, any time I have eggs I'm unsure about I leave them in (as long as they're not seeping and don't have a bad odor) until the next time I candle. Good luck with your hatch

thanks, weimarmama

no seeping and no odor at all so far, but I'll keep my eye/nose on it.

I also read today that you should candle fom the round end of the egg?? I was doing it sideways. I'll try again tonight to see if I can get a better look.

 

[silkiechicken]

Quail eggs are small but highly pigmented. By day 12, it's probably pretty safe to remove any clear eggs, but you've got less than a week before you'll know for sure. I find on quail eggs, didn't matter which end because they were so tiny. However, I do find it much more helpful to shine light through the aircell on larger chicken eggs.

 

[nbhatcher]

Ok, so I candled everything again last night and found 3 out of 18 that were clear. no air sack at the round end and only a small yolk looking thing that was free floating around when I turned the egg. I got rid of them.

I now have 15 that I think are good. dark mass filling most of the egg and a good size air sac at the round end. Can't see anything moving though.

One thing I found interesting though is that the air pockets are not all the same size.. is this normal?

 

[silkiechicken]

Air cells aren't going to be exact, but should be about the same. For chicken eggs at least, and probably applies to quail, about 10%ish of the egg's inital mass should be lost throughout incubation. Some of the eggs may have larger air cells due to being older before put in, or due to a slightly thinner shell that allows more water escape.