Hello My Name Is HennyJenny and I am an obsessive candler

[HennyJenny]

Not really but probably more than I should

Gosh it's amazing! Even the ones I'm not sure about are fascinating. When did 21 days get to be such a long time! I need fuzzy peeps!!!

 

[canada-goose]

Calm down. Quit candling.

You can do it, I believe in you!

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

i just posted the same thing! i love doing it too. i cant see it that harmful... unless you drop them

LOL

 

[SilverPhoenix]

I know the feeling! Candling is sooo interesting, though--what else are we supposed to do? Leave the eggs alone? Never!

 

[Illia]

Oh man - My first hatch, I candled EVERY day. . . It truly made the days go by SO slowly. . . In the end, sadly, I got 0 to hatch.

Now I'm on my 2nd / 3rd hatch (both at the same time) and I don't candle as often. . Probably because I am worried to touch them too much, and also because Marans eggs are SO hard to see through once they hit the stages past day 10.

But, no more candling for me. . . It's lockdown now!!

Anyway, welcome to the candling addicts anonymous.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

It is fun isn't it. But when you try to hatch and they don't do well, you will wish you hadn't candeled so often. And when your purchased eggs cost a bunch you will want a good hatch.

It is an adrenaline rush to see those veins developing. To see the "blob" moving and on and on. But too much isn't good for the chick.

Stick to days 7 or 10 and then at lockdown. If you need to candle then just incubate less eggs and stagger the hatches. You will have something to candle every few days!!

 

[HennyJenny]

It's just so cool! It's like getting an ultrasound! I have 27 eggs - I have four that I think are clear. I have 6 that I think have bloodrings but they don't look like any bloodring pictures I can find. I have three that I think are a few days "older" than all of the others (I can't figure that out). The rest all look like 9 and 10 day old incubating babies! I'm going on vacation and leaving them in the hands of the egg turner - an old farmer - and a teenage daughter for five days. I am going to miss them when I'm gone! But when I get back we are very close to lockdown and with any luck at all fuzzy peeps! Then I can quit trolling for chicks at TSC...

ETA - I am on day 10 and I candled them Friday night and then tonight - I'm leaving tomorrow so I can't touch them again until at least day 16 - I think I can keep my hands off them until I take them out of the turner! I had just never in my life seen anything like it. I'm old and jaded - and this was just more evidence of a power bigger than myself (that wasn't my kids).

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Some chicks are just healthier and have more veins and seem bigger and more vital. Chances are they will all hatch out within a few hours of each other.

Remember now.... don't open the incubator for ANY reason after you lockdown and those eggs start to pip. You will not have a good hatch. Someone told this to me (and I didn't listen) they were right.

 

[HennyJenny]

Thank you, rustyswoman. I will definitely not open the incubator after lockdown. I would be pretty discouraged if none of them hatched. Thank you also for advising me about the "older" looking chicks. That makes sense to me. I never ever thought incubating eggs would be this interesting.

 

[duckgirl04]

I to am an obsessive candler. I can not stand it. I have to look at my babies every day. I can't even leave them alone during lockdown. I convince myself that it is okay because I need to add water for the humidity. So therefore, I understand completely. I love those sweet, little fuzzy peeps.