candling

[chopptax]

First timer here. I have 8 various chicken eggs in an incubater since April 24th. I tried to candle them last night in a dark room with a large square base flashlight in a shoebox. the box is on end with a hole about the size of a dime on the other end. The flashligt just fits in the box and its beam is almost center to the hole. I set several eggs on the hole and saw nothing. What could be wrong. Thanks

 

[clayb226]

What is the temp of your incubator? It needs to be around 100 degrees. If that was it, I would give it til day 10. Candle again, and if you see nothing, only clear eggs, I would start to look to the possibility that the eggs are not fertile. I think by day 6 a fertile egg should have at least a black mass in it, if not veins and an embryo. Could you see the air cell?

 

[chickenfeverforever]

What do you mean when you say you saw nothing? Did you see a black mass? Or was the egg clear? Your flashlight could not be bright enough as well.

 

[DTRM30]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261876

Check this thread - it has lots of pics of candling eggs

you need a really bright light though. It will also make a big difference on the size and color of the shell too. Dark shells are hard to see through.

 

[ScissorChick]

What do you mean you see nothing?

At this point you should be seeing veining, cloudiness or mass.

Your flashlight may not be bright enough. I do not use a candler...

It makes it so much easier to see into the egg by just shining the

light underneath it. Also if the eggs are dark colored eggs, it's going

to be hard to see into, and you'll need to wait a couple more days.

Heres a picture of one of my eggs at day seven -

~ScissorChick

 

[bburn]

Quote:
You have the time to get a flashlight that will work. It amazed me at the differnce! Flashlights are graded sort of by the lumes. Look at a rack of flashlights at Lowes and look for the 'lumes' that will tell you which ones are the brightest/strongest.

I ordered mine from incubator warehouse and it was under $10...the end is rubberized and fits perfectly on the top of the egg. It is an LED and I had one already I had tried to use and it was not strong enough. This one is. It works so good that I could leave the eggs in the incubator and go row after row and see the veins in the top of the egg. It was amazing after the last time. I set my eggs on the 17th and at 9 days could clearly see the veins. This weekend my DGD is up and we candled again for her. Same thing. This time we picked a few up and candled and could SEE the chick moving inside.

THAT is when you know you are candling right. Not fertle looks like a little lightbulb. You should be able to see veins at 8-10 days.

Save yourself some worry and get a flashlight that is strong enough.

 

[bburn]

Quote:
Great photo scissorchick.....my camera won't take one that clear!

 

[ScissorChick]

Quote:
Great photo scissorchick.....my camera won't take one that clear!

Haha thankyou I'm amazed it took a picture this well. My cameras don't take good candling

pictures, usually..