Filling the incubator 6-3-2011 Join me for my 1st attempt?

[stitch81]

The darker eggs are Welsummer. Not as dark as others that I've heard about. I have an led flashlight that is rated at 144 lumens. Very bright. I used a toilet roll tube that I cut down and then slit it and retaped it together so it would fit good around the egg. I hold the eggs upright and candle from the top. This way, you can see the air cell really well, and I've been able to see movement below the air cell where the light shines into the egg. If I candle from the bottom or side, I don't see squat.

 

[ItsAZOO32]

Quote:
For dark and colored eggs I wait until it's late or close myself in a very dark place. Use a strong, small LED flashlight and place it on the large end of the egg. Looking very very carefully you should be able to see some veining at the edge of the air-cell (not in the air cell, in the egg close to the air cell) Later you can detect movement. It's HARD and it takes time for the eyes to adjust but usually you can see something to give you an idea that there is life

Sometimes.. it just doesn't matter.. too dark or thick..

 

[AyeUpChuck]

Quote:
For dark and colored eggs I wait until it's late or close myself in a very dark place. Use a strong, small LED flashlight and place it on the large end of the egg. Looking very very carefully you should be able to see some veining at the edge of the air-cell (not in the air cell, in the egg close to the air cell) Later you can detect movement. It's HARD and it takes time for the eyes to adjust but usually you can see something to give you an idea that there is life

Sometimes.. it just doesn't matter.. too dark or thick..

What would you call late? ie which day? I have some that were set on the 4th and then I set some on the 10th. I can see something in some of the first batch but not really movement etc. I tried once with the second batch but I feel like it's still too early with those.

 

[ItsAZOO32]

oops.. let me clarify.. I meant when it is late outside.. like as in dark

Quote:
For dark and colored eggs I wait until it's late or close myself in a very dark place. Use a strong, small LED flashlight and place it on the large end of the egg. Looking very very carefully you should be able to see some veining at the edge of the air-cell (not in the air cell, in the egg close to the air cell) Later you can detect movement. It's HARD and it takes time for the eyes to adjust but usually you can see something to give you an idea that there is life

Sometimes.. it just doesn't matter.. too dark or thick..

What would you call late? ie which day? I have some that were set on the 4th and then I set some on the 10th. I can see something in some of the first batch but not really movement etc. I tried once with the second batch but I feel like it's still too early with those.

 

[stitch81]

We have a bathroom with no windows, it's the darkest place in the house in the evening. That's where I candle my eggs. It usually ends up being around 9 p.m. after the kids have gone to bed, so there's no risk of one of them rounding a corner and bumping into me when I'm transporting the eggs to the "dark room".

 

[AyeUpChuck]

Quote:
What would you call late? ie which day? I have some that were set on the 4th and then I set some on the 10th. I can see something in some of the first batch but not really movement etc. I tried once with the second batch but I feel like it's still too early with those.

Man I need some coffee! This no caffeine thing is starting to kill me!

 

[LilyD]

I am at day 15 today Saturday is my lockdown I am going to try to use Stitch's method to candle my dark eggs. I still have not been able to really see much of anything. I saw some veining a couple of times and I saw the air cell but no real movement as of yet just dark. I am really worried that they aren't developing and I am setting myself up for a stinky mess.

 

[stitch_b]

Quote:
That's a great idea I got a flashlight with 3 led's in it that I've been using-I think it bright enough. Also I think I've been candling from the wrong end

lol....off to the egg room I go!

 

[wowmanacat]

The first time I tried to use my incubator I had temp spikes of 110 and drops to 94 and I had a hatch rate of 11/13. I look at it this way Mother hen don't stay on 24/7 so the eggs do get cooled off when she goes to get food and water. Now my temp is from 95 to 104, but this is the first batch that I have had a thermostat that works. with this batch I have already had to remove 20 eggs, 12 or so where not fertile and the other just quit. That leaves me with 27.

 

[wowmanacat]

Quote:
That's a great idea I got a flashlight with 3 led's in it that I've been using-I think it bright enough. Also I think I've been candling from the wrong end

lol....off to the egg room I go!

I made (with help from hubby) a candler out of a coffee can and a light fixture. Works great, just have to wait till it is dark outside to candle for there are no dark rooms in my place.