How do you candle before lockdown if you have a bunch of eggs?

[IggiMom]

Ok. My incubator was full. I have been thinking over why I may have had a poor hatch.

I took the turner out, since they were going into lockdown, and candled each one, and put it back into the incubator.

Could I have let them get cold?

I tried to be quick, but it was a lot a eggs, so it did take a while.

How do others do this so that the eggs are not out too long?

Catherine

 

[BawGock]

Hi Catherine,
I don't think that hurt your eggs. I've had broodies get off their eggs for an hour+ and had all the eggs hatch fine.
Hen's get off their eggs usually everyday. So, even if it took you a minute to candle each egg that would only be a half hour they weren't in the heat of the bator.
I think I folks are popping the bator open all the time during the incubation time to candle eggs that would do more harm than what you are describing.

Carolyn

 

[IggiMom]

Thanks Carolyn. I think what probably hurt my eggs was the 20 hour power outage, I did try to keep them warm but it was hard and perhaps they didn't have enough oxygen, because of course I had the incubator covered.

But I keep trying to think of other reasons. Those were good eggs.

At least I did get 8 great little chicks out of them!

Catherine

 

[Katy]

I don't think that was the reason for your poor hatch. I always candle them as I put them in cartons for hatching.

 

[Peeper7]

If I am candling like that I put them in styrofoam cartons. They are fine for a long time.

What exactly is happening with your eggs?
Are the embryos fully developed and then don't pip?--could be disease (bacteria entering through the shell from contamination), ventilation, humidity.
Do they pip and then die? ventilation, humidity
If fully developed were they in the correct position to hatch? I recently had an incredible hatch of shipped EE's. Out of 18 eggs, 15 hatched. Only one was clear. Two developed fully but never pipped. I noted they were not in the position needed for hatch (head under wing etc).
Do they quit earlier?- disease, temperature, breeder health, genetics, egg handling........etc

 

[IggiMom]

They quit earlier. They were fertile and developed a little and then quit. They were not fully developed. I did open some eggs, not all, as I finally could not stand it, but this seemed to be the pattern.

When the power went off for so long, I put little handwarmers in the incubator (like the hunters use) and someone told me later that they would use up too much oxygen.

And I also covered up the incubator with a coat.

The temperature went down to 91 for a while but I did get it back up.

I am thinking that whatever happened this was the time. I am very careful about washing my hands before handling and my incubators are always very clean also.

Anyway the ones I got were very vigorous (except one) and they are doing wonderfully. They are peeping and scratching about next to me as I type.

Catherine

 

[Peeper7]

.... it could be the temp drop, but I doubt it. I would agree with the handwarmer theory. But I think you will never know for sure. Unless you see a pattern of this happening with your hatches, or certain eggs, I would just write it off as a bad hatch....

 

[BirdBrain]

Problem solving a hatch is why I meticulously document my hatches. That way I can analyze trends or correlate age of quitters with any events or changes during the hatch. I document turn times, humidity in the bator, temps inside and outside the bator, changes to temp or humidity made, candling results, and this time I have been weighing them to see if they lose the 11-14% needed for proper aircell development. It seems like a lot of work but it is not. I turn eggs three times in 24 hours and weigh and candle on days 7, 14, and 18. It helps to pass the time and it serves to remind me of any changes I want to make for the next hatch or reassures me that I am on track.

I use this article to help me analyze my findings.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/aa204

 

[IggiMom]

Quote:
I think this all sounds like a very good idea. Thanks.

Catherine

 

[Peeper7]

Quote:
Great advice and great article!