How long do you wait before giving up on brown eggs as “duds”?

[AmeliaBedelia]

Just wondering how long you guys personally wait before tossing eggs that appear to be duds. This is day 5 and I have a couple that look like bit fat nothings, but they are pretty dark eggs so wasn’t sure if I should give them a bit longer to prove me wrong?

I don’t have good candling photos since my best flashlight for the job is my phone…which is also my only camera . Made due with a nightlight to get one photo at least. These two both look pretty much the same.

 

[Tonyroo]

I barely can see faint veins only because your light source is insufficient. Rotate the egg on the light and look for a tiny dark spot. That will indicate you have development of an embyo.

You need a super bright led flashlight to see better through that dark egg.

And your only hatching 2 egg?

 

[AmeliaBedelia]

I barely can see faint veins only because your light source is insufficient. Rotate the egg on the light and look for a tiny dark spot. That will indicate you have development of an embyo.

You need a super bright led flashlight to see better through that dark egg.

And your only hatching 2 egg?

Yeah, I need to get a better actual flashlight. My phone works ok, but then I can’t take photos.

These two I was asking about are the questionable ones. They were long shots - friend gave me some “eating eggs” and I noticed they were fertilized. So I threw a couple in the incubator. But they were probably on the old side and it was a young cockerel - hadn’t started crowing yet. But those eggs I cracked for breakfast were definitely fertilized!

I will give them a bit longer and check again. Maybe day 7? 10? Just didn’t want to leave them too long and risk an explosion.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Yeah, I need to get a better actual flashlight. My phone works ok, but then I can’t take photos.

These two I was asking about are the questionable ones. They were long shots - friend gave me some “eating eggs” and I noticed they were fertilized. So I threw a couple in the incubator. But they were probably on the old side and it was a young cockerel - hadn’t started crowing yet. But those eggs I cracked for breakfast were definitely fertilized!

I will give them a bit longer and check again. Maybe day 7? 10? Just didn’t want to leave them too long and risk an explosion.

Unfortunately they will probably not hatch due to that but they may. Getting a better light to see past that dark shell like Tonyroo mentioned will definitely help.

 

[Tonyroo]

Don't worry to much about the age of the egg. If the friend gave you those eggs it wasn't that old. As long as the bloom wasn't removed it will hatch. And since you confirmed previous eggs being fertile. The most likely conclusion is the incubator eggs are fertile too.

Candling at day 5, you will see faint spider vein with a dark dot at the center of it. You should be able to see bigger veins and the embyo at day 10.