For the impatient folks out there..

[hinkjc]

I want to point something out that I did myself this very week and almost destroyed some of my own silkie eggs/chicks. I was impatient and candled on day 4..yup, nosey..couldn't wait. I tell people all of the time, don't do it..let them incubate a while and don't disturb them until you can make a good decision. Well, when I candled I thought for sure I had a whole bunch of infertiles and blood spots in half of my eggs. I was freakin out and told dh. Of course, he said "that's impossible..why would that be". I said I don't know but I left em in just in case I was wrong.

Now mind you, I hatch well over 1000 eggs a year and consider myself to be pretty experienced at incubating and candling. I am so happy I left them be. I candled again on day 7 and every egg is growing just fine. I don't know what I thought I saw, or maybe they just took a little longer to kick start, but I worried myself over nothing and could have destroyed a perfectly good hatch by reacting to hastily. This is exactly the reason I tell people don't candle too early. Not only can you make bad decisions or ruin a hatch, you risk damaging the very fragile embryo & vein network that is trying to get started in there. Good luck with all of your hatching...may you be overflowing with chicks.

Jody

 

[Parson's Wife]

Thank you.

 

[speckledhen]

Excellent advice, Jody. Thank you. Speckledhen, listen to Jody!

 

[Katy]

I'm more patient now than I used to be......at least when it comes to candling!!

 

[Pinenot]

WOW! I bet you are glad you didn't throw them out Thank goodness your better judgement kicked in and you put them back in.

 

[skeeter]

man thats a lot of eggs I dont think i could handle that

 

[EweSheep]

When exactly is the safest time to candle them???? I usually candle and handle them around seven to ten days old and then do nothing until hatching time. This time Im going to let them go and see how they fare at two weeks old and proceed with care in candling the duds. I've got Carla's Spitzhauben eggs in there now...crossing fingers that they will hatch the best they can!

 

[speckledhen]

Robin, I'm thinking it's safest to wait till Day 10. What do you say, Jody?

 

[halo]

Oh that is such good advice....I have my very first batch cooking right now, and it has been impossible not to candle them. Im sure it will cost me, Ive just been so anxious and impatient. Its just a newby thing, Im sure. Ill settle down and remember....dont candle too early! Leave those da** eggs alone!!

 

[hinkjc]

Days 7, 14 and 18 are typical recommendations. Personally, I usually only candle on day 10 or 14 and that's it unless there was something questionable in there. For dark or thick shelled eggs, blues and greens, it can be a tough call because sometimes you can't see anything. I mark questionable ones with a ? and recheck before moving them to the hatcher. I never bother ones I confirmed as growing well on days 10 or 14.

Jody