First time candling...need feedback! (photos included)

[Barred4Life]

First time incubating eggs and I've been reading up on candling, but by lack of experience I've got questions.
I'm only at day 5. I've managed to identify which ones are not fertile by the lack of veins inside ---so that much I've learned

.

Most of my eggs look alike, and I think they are looking good. Here's an example:


Now my questions are more for the odd ones.
Some had red rings around the yolk and I thought they were blood rings, but they seem to have disappeared except a few:


The middle looks good with the veins and all that, but is that ring around the yolk normal? Is it just a shadow or something?

And now finally I saw a little red ring in just one of them:


You see that little ring? Also little development in the egg...

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

All of them look fine to me at this point, but I would mark the 3rd one to check again in 3-4 days.

A blood ring is more obvious than what is seen in the 2nd and 3rd picture. Here is a good picture of a blood ring that would indicate that the embryo has died:

http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/avian/pfs32.htm

Scroll down and you will see the blood ring pictures. The blood ring will be bright and normally goes around the fat part of the egg all the way around. You will also not be able to see a developing embryo (typically).

 

[Barred4Life]

Day 7

Thanks for the feedback. Is this what a blood ring looks like?




Also I had one that I dropped. Looked it up online and some people said it might still be viable (so I patched it with 'new skin' to prevent bacteria from penetrating egg)...but two days later it's looking pretty dark. This one is dead isn't it?

 

[gingerly1983]

The top one looks like a blood ring. The bottom one looks like it has died. I'm sorry. Don't toss until you get more opinions. I'm all for giving an egg every chance it can to develop. I never toss until day 10 or 14.

 

[Barred4Life]

Yeah I was afraid of that. It's my first time incubating, usually I have a broody hen that does the work. I must say she's had 100% success (with fertile eggs)...she sure makes it look easy. I wanted to try the incubator because I was given eggs from my parents coop and I got d'uccle eggs and my hen wasn't broody. I was too curious to see what these chicken would look like, and it's the perfect time of year!
I am truly amazed to see the development in the egg. I find it amazing. I found it amazing when chicks were born, but to be there for the whole process is pretty neat. It's like I can't believe my eyes - birds are actually growing in there!
So thanks for the feedback...mother hen gets worried