How do you tell if incubating eggs are bad?

Got a stronger led light - that made all the difference! 11 eggs with nice blood systems at day 7. :) 28 non-viable.... but not bad considering how long they sat before the incubator, and how long it had been since the hens were bred last. Most were infertile, a couple blood rings (those made me sad, almost-chicks!), several fully dark eggs, a couple that looked like the yoke was broken, and 3 almost-bombs. (Glad I got those out of there!)

7 green eggs, and 4 light brown ones. I'm breeding away from the brown so I'll sell those chicks, or grow them for meat birds to eat myself. (I haven't eaten my own birds yet, but... I'll have to start sometime!

So, if anyone wants black-fleshed chicks (White Silkie Roo x EE hens), let me know. :) I'll have a few extra.

I hope you had a nice hatch... way back when.
I just wanted to ask about the 28 non-viable eggs you mentioned-- "several fully dark eggs" were these rotten or were these eggs ready to hatch? If they were fully dark how could you tell that they were rotten and not full of a chick? I've got some rescue eggs in my bator right now-- and I'm desperate to get the rotten ones out-- but I sure don't want to kill a chick on accident in the process.
Thanks!
 
I'd wait a few days and candle again. At least till day 5-7. If you smell a rotten egg somewhere in the bator, pick each one up and smell them. It's pretty easy to pinpoint which could be rotten. You'll want to toss those as they can explode or leak and infect the healthy eggs.

When candling, use a bright light. Practice makes perfect. You should soon see veins or even embryos dancing around. I can usually see movement. Allow more time for growth. But for now, throw out the rotten eggs and toss clear eggs you see upon candling after 5-7 days of incubation. Good luck!
What if they all are clear on day 5?
 

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