day 5 candling - can't see anything!

[hoping4better]

I've got a broody that's been sitting since the night of May 5th. I've had some issues though. I had a strange rooster show up scaring the whole flock and she was on the roof of the coop for an unknown amount of time. I also moved her nest as she was being run off by other chickens not liking her attitude. She didn't like the nest and went back to the old one. Not sure how long she was off.

I just checked the nest and of the 12 there were 10. Not sure where the two went. One more was cracked, so took the opportunity to open it up. What I saw was a yellow cloud that came out, no distinct yolk and white. Also, there was a small dot with a few veins running from it. The veins extended visibly radially about a quarter inch or less from the dot.

Had this egg not been cracked (almost punctured) would it have been viable for a day 4/5 egg?

Second question: I tried to candle the another egg and I couldn't see through the shell at all. The egg is opaque completely. I was using a 6D maglite with LED bulb and after that tried a 100w incandescent shining through a small hole (1-2") in a tin pan. I could see nothing at all. The egg from the nest was a green-egger egg (An unset egg from the fridge lit up like a nightlight, but I couldn't identify the airsac - it is a brown egg)

Is there a problem with my candling, my egg, or neither?

 

[kck777]

had the egg not been cracked it would have survived but since it wasnt it woulnt have unless the membrane was broken. I dont know what the problem is I need more information were you in a dark room was light seeping in i need to know more i think the beam was too concentrated you should use a wider beam or since the egg is colored like an amerucauna egg you will need a bright and wide beam. happy hatching/candeling:cd:yiipchick

 

[Steph Martin]

Hi! I'm new to candling as well and have an incubator with 20 eggs. I candled on the 7th day and saw distinct veins. The only ones I could candle successfully were white ones...I also have light brown, darker brown and green and I am having no luck seeing inside these guys. If you have white you should wait another couple of days and try again. I have read here and elsewhere that eggs seem to need a cooling down here and there. I also read that it takes a 1/2 hour for the internal temperature of the egg to start coming down. I have a silkie who is broody and she will only come off the nest when I take her off...she got on the wrong spot the other day and I too am wondering about the viability of the eggs. I think they will be ok. The veins apparently disappear if the chick dies in the shell. My temperatures in the incubator have been crazily up and down and I have been crazily trying to monitor and keep it steady. Several times the temperature peaked at 104 and I thought the hatch was doomed. I candled today (Day 17) and the white ones show life and movement. I guess we should not obsess too too much (hard as that is). I wish you luck.

Stephanie

 

[hoping4better]

Quote:
Huh? So, I'm guessing you're saying that a crack in the shell is not terminal. The membrane must be cracked to kill it? In this case there was practically a hole in the shell, but the membrane was not leaking.

Quote:
I was in total darkness (bathroom with no windows and a closed door). When using the maglite I simply wrapped my hand around the the head of the flashlight and egg. When using the pie tin, I had taken a brooder reflector, put a 100w bulb in, covered the reflector with a pie tin and put a 1x2" hole (approximately) in it and set the egg on that. The result of both was more or less as if I had just turned off the light.

If the first was viable and this was in the same clutch then, I will hope/assume all is ok and simply wait till hatch day.

 

[pinkado]

dont panic, i had the same thing, could see nothing, it wasnt till day 9 i finally got a definitave shadow in the eggs, and right now, im sitting watching my weee babys hatching, hee hee, so dont do anything till day 10, just waatch and wait, its totally worth it, hee hee,

also, i have seen,dont give out to me now, but in vetenary studies on the growth of a chick, a window is made in the egg, large enough to look in, but the membrane is not broken, and the chick lives and grows normally, so unless membrane is broke you should be fine, just be carefull turning it that nothing puntures it, other than that, have fun watching the little ones grow

 

[pinkado]

ok, update, after helping the two eggs with a pip hole, its all hands on deck, there comming out strong now, one thing, i notice the membrane was all dry and hard, so i got a tissue, warm water and gently quickly moisten the menbrane, and they loved it and are woking nice and hard to finish up themselves, as for the inverted one, slow, i made a hole in the membrane, and its trying, but i think hes to big for his shell, poor thing is wedged in, im keeping the membrane moist, and humidity up, so its gonna be a long night for me, hee hee

 

[hoping4better]

Update - Day 25.5 and I have one hatched!! I went to check on the broody. Heard and saw nothing, so I picked her up and heard "Peep, peep, peep" I looked and there was one chick hatched completely!!! I didn't check the others as I'll let her take care of them. So, now I get to clean and prep a chick waterer and feeder! YEEEEEAAAAAAHH!!! I'm so excited! This is my first year with chickens and the first hatchlings I've seen (except for the three day olds these were when I bought them).

She's gonna be such a good momma. I can tell!

YEAH!! YEAH!! So Excited!

 

[LilMissPetie]

Quote:
Not obsessing I find very hard as well. On day 3 I think the kids messed with the temp turning it down..I was freaking out....yesterday a power outage....freaking out again...Man 15 more days to possibly freak out ....

 

[kck777]

good you have one did any other ones hatch i had the same problem though i thought that it wasnt a powerful enough bulb but i wasnt candling the right ones haha i couldnt see anything in the egg but i found ouut it was to dark an egg it was green couldnt see anything through it it didnt have a chick though

i got 4 out of 10 fertile it was a good first attempt considering i turned them by hand and didnt have a hydrometer untill the last few days