Hey I've got eggs in the incubator, and the embryos don't all look the same. (I'm candeling.) How do you tell if an embryo is dead? Thanks
The most important thing I look for is viable vessels. If the blood vessels are well defined and red with lots of tiny vessels leading off the larger ones, I consider that egg to be viable and I leave it in, even if I can't detect motion. If the vessels are thin and wiry and darker in color, I question if the embryo is alive. Then I look for motion. Last, I hold the egg horizontally and give it a quick turn or two to look for any weird floating type movement that may indicate embryonic death. If all your eggs were set at the same time, all embryos should be the same size. Some folks use the float test which I do not trust. I always candle my eggs when they go from the turner to lockdown. Any egg that isn't filled with a dark blob gets a second look. Golden rule: If you have ANY doubts about an embryo's viability, put it back in the bator and candle again later.
