Do you candle eggs under your broodies?

[Mama2B&D&...Chickens]

Curiousity gets the best of me, even though i probably need to leave them alone...i've only candled twice, but are you supposed to? Thks!

 

[Illia]

I do. Although I've yet to have a bad one pop or anything under a broody, I do it so that I don't have the killing anticipation of waiting for that dud to hatch on day 23.

Although I think I'll wear extra thick gloves when my Shamos go broody. . . .

Last time I candled eggs under a Thai Gamehen, I got bloody hands.

 

[gryeyes]

No, it's too crowded and dusty under there. I take the eggs out and candle 'em.






I have only candled eggs from under a broody hen ONCE, the very first broody, just because I was afraid she wasn't sitting on anything that would hatch. However, I was just as new at incubating as was she, and I didn't know what I should see, anyway.

Since then, I only reach under to count them, and if there are more than she started with, then I pull out the eggs to find the ones I marked, and remove the extras she's gathered. Daily.