Do you candle all 120 quail eggs???! (HOW?)

[rachel]

It's day 8 and I have about 120 coturnix eggs in the incubator and I don't want any explosions. I can't figure out how to candle the eggs fast enough so that they don't cool down. Do you just take the turner out of the incubator and candle them all as fast as you can? Have any of you ever had quail eggs explode? Do you even bother to candle when there are that many?
Thanks.

 

[CANDLE98]

I would say that you can pick and choose which ones you want to candle, all of them would take FOREVER!! If they don't stink I would call it good!

 

[justpete]

I don't candle my coturnix. They are very hard if not impossible to see through anyway.
If the smell or leak toss them.

 

[LilDucky85]

Ill take 20 off your hands and candle them for you lol

 

[rachel]

I got an amazing hi power LED headlamp at Target on clearance for $11. It shines right through those coturnix shells. If I open the incubator, I notice it does have a bit of a smell, which has me concerned. It's not strong, and I'm not even sure it's a rotten smell, I just don't want anything to explode and mess up my hatch.

 

[shelleyd2008]

It is very rare for a quail egg to explode, normally they just dry out. I would candle a few of them in different areas, then just sit back and wait. I have had some that were bad, and in the bator for 24+ days that didn't explode. Just be sure to look at them and remove any that are leaking or oozing.

ETA: But letting them cool some won't hurt them at all.

 

[rachel]

Thanks Shelley, that helps. I'll candle a few tonight and check carefully for ooze.

 

[Akane]

I candled all 200. They were in 3x8 trays. I took out 2 trays, shined a light in through the air sac, looked for healthy veins along the edge, and then put it back in the carton or set it aside if I saw nothing. Took less than 5mins. When I got done I candled the uncertain ones more closely and they either went into the questionable carton or left out. Then grabbed another pair of cartons and did it again. After they were all candled I broke open the ones I definitely thought were bad.

I had 2 nearly reach exploding point. I never have button eggs go rotten. They do just dry out. My coturnix eggs though I had several go rotten and 2 leaking all over before I removed them.

 

[Teach97]

I never candle my coturnix and have never had one explode. Have had many dry out. I don't leave them past 20 days anyways...even when throwing those at the dogs haven't had any really explode...seen it with chicken eggs

 

[Akane]

Mine weren't even at hatching point. The first really bad one was rotten and smelly at a week so by the 19th day when the last one hatched and I cleaned out I'm pretty sure it would have been to exploding point or at least completely stunk up the bator, my house, and possibly infected the nearby eggs. The other really bad one was when I candled them right before putting in the hatcher. That is one of the few eggs I have not broken open before throwing away. It was weeping and I washed my hands 5times after handling it before the smell was gone from my fingers. Coturnix eggs most definitely can go rotten and I see no reason they can't explode before hatching day.