Help with candling

[freebrownies]

In candling, is there a way to detect a possible rotten egg, if I didn't candle the whole first week or so?

Our Buff Orpington has been sitting on her eggs now for...well, that's the problem, you see--we're not sure how long, exactly. More than a week, less than 3 weeks. I candled the dozen or so eggs last night (after reading "sticky's" great post with photos of candling progression). I found one quitter (obvious blood line), about 4 that look to be around day 15, 4 that look to be around day 10, and four or so others that look to be between day 5 and day 10.

I'm worried that what I think is a 14-day developed chick might just be a growing green mass of rotten egg matter, and I want to prevent what happened last year, when this same hen got to day 20 only to get bombed off her post.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

 

[MandyH]

Your best way to go is to smell each one. You will KNOW when you find it.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Are you sure that mass you are looking at is not a chick that is further along than you think? Do you smell anything? Does the mass inside float around when you candle the egg? It is so hard to say what to do without really seeing the egg.

 

[freebrownies]

I'll put my nose to them tomorrow night. If the black mass isn't moving, is that a bad sign or not necessarily?
Will the hen give up on the ones that are a week behind once the first group hatches?

Thanks for the quick responses.