Egg candling help for a newbie?

[tmoore8595]

I would not give up on any of them yet. Mark them so you can remove any new additions and candle them again in a few days.

 

[erinnyes]

I think it seems clear here that I'd get better results using and LED light instead of a normal flashlight, so I will get one at Wal-Mart and candle the eggs again in a few days. I guess the only questions I have for now are should I toss the egg with the crack in it? Does anyone have experience with those turning out okay in the end? And also, would it do any harm to let the hens keep the eggs if I'm not sure they're duds or not? I know eggs can go bad and explode, and I'm hoping that doesn't happen, but I'd also hate to toss out a developing chick by accident!

And the last question is, assuming I HAVE any eggs that are growing, when should I move the hen into her own room to brood the babies? I was told it's possible to have the hen mother them with the rest of the flock, but it was suggested that this is done after a few weeks to give the chicks time to build strength. Does that sound right?

Sorry for all the questions, and thank you all so much for offering me your insight on the egg situation!

 

[Squawkbox]

I just want to say that one of my eggs that is in the bator has about a millimeter square chunk out of the egg shell and it's growing fine. I think the only thing about the cracked/broken ones is bacteria can enter in easier and cause a blood ring..I'd assume

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Can't answer anything about the broody hen as I've never experienced it. I hope that once you get the LED flashlight, you'll see some veins!

I guess the only questions I have for now are should I toss the egg with the crack in it? Does anyone have experience with those turning out okay in the end?

 

[matlock585]

I read about dripping candle wax on cracks in eggs. I tried it but the egg didn't get going. I think it's best to just mark them as suggested and keep them all in place till you get more definitive results. When I was a child we had chickens but my dad didn't incubate. When we had a broody he left her in the common nesting boxes but scribbled loops on all the eggs he wanted her to sit on. He put pheasants, turkeys, guineas, and anything else he thought they'd hatch under his broodies. The scribbles helped me and my brother know which eggs to gather and which ones to leave with the hen. Not that it's a pleasant task for an 8 year old to take eggs away from a broody hen!

 

[thumper29a]

i also thought egg 2

 

[erinnyes]

Update! I waited a couple days and candled again, this time with an LED light! I had thought the difference would be small, but everything was MUCH clearer using the LED. Unfortunately, because my last pics were a bit blurry I tried using a different camera this time, and it was REALLY fuzzy. As in, all the pictures just look like orangey blobs, and are not worth uploading. But I definitely saw both veins and movement in two of the eggs, and although I couldn't see movement in the others I could see signs that they might be developing. So, I've decided not to give up on any of them and see how they pull through. I will probably not candle them again in case my doing so disrupts or damages them, and I will post in a few weeks to let everyone know who was right and if anything hatches out!

Thank you all for your advice! I will try candle wax on the broken egg - it's one of the ones that I definitely saw a little black speck moving inside after I held it still for a while. The darkish one had no signs of movement, but the air bubble was very obvious and so maybe it's still growing?

If anyone else has some experience on how to handle broodies hatching their eggs, I'd love to hear it! And I will keep you all posted!

 

[Squawkbox]

Yay! That is good news

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[erinnyes]

Thought you guys might like a progress update! ;D I am pleased to say that all of the eggs BUT #1 hatched, and the chicks are very healthy! I'm letting their respective mommies raise them separately from the flock in their own rooms (mainly so my cats do not get too friendly with the peeps!).

 

[FarmGirl01]

Congrats on the chicks.