is it okay if you don't candle at all?

[Roosteroops]

I have 20 eggs arriving tomorrow. The bator (Brower TH120 - in case anyone has used this and has suggestions) is all primed and ready.
After I put the eggs in do I have to candle them at a certain point? Can you just leave them alone except for adding water through the little holes in the top?

The reason I ask is:

1) I get all confused looking at the results of candled eggs. I start to second guess myself. (these are extra dark Cuckoo Maran eggs too - hard to candle)
2) If I "just say no to candling" from the beginning, I'll be less anxious all the way around. Less likely to look too often.

***3) BUT!! Does candling prevent possible stinky explosions?

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

STINKY EXPLOSIONS???? Is this possible???

 

[byrandom]

I don't candle any more. I have had a better hatch rate since I stopped hovering. Does it have anything to do with not candling, etc?

But I'm not going to tempt it! LOL

 

[Roosteroops]

I don't know - do stinky explosions happen? If you don't candle and therefore don't find a non-fertile or blood ring and so they stay in for the 21 days - will either of those "bad eggs" explode?

 

[Solace]

I had an egg crack and leak in the incubator, but I think the ones that explode are old eggs to begin with. I know I've cracked open eggs that went the full 21 days and they weren't rotten. Just my opinion though.

 

[gabrielle1976]

I think if you dont want to candle its fine Id just give my bator a sniff every 4 or 5 days or a week and not worry about it from what I have read you can certainly smell them befor the explode.

 

[bearfeet3]

No you don't have to. It's probablly a good thing if you don't. There are so many mistakes to be made when candling. The mother hen is the best incubator in the world and you don't see her holding up a flashlight up to her eggs.

 

[happyhensny]

Great, My daughter and I are working on incubating for the 1st time. We tried candling at 7 days but, we have alot of blue, green and dark brown eggs. Did not see much in those. We'll try to leave them alone and just see what happens.

 

[Crunchie]

Quote:

I like your style! o/t, you just reminded me I need to pm you about Polish eggs....

OP, don't candle if you don't want to. I don't candle my Marans eggs. I'm too cheap to buy a candler that is powerful enough to see anything worth seeing, so why bother? I could candle to track development of the air cell, but then I start to fall into the above-mentioned "hovering" category. So I just let 'em go. Thing is, you're never gonna know what you really got in those eggs 'till day 21.

I do like to candle my Polish eggs, which I can easily see into w/my homemade flashlight-in-a-box candler (oh so classy)

I do toss clears in these eggs, because I can clearly see through the shell and I know for certain I'm tossing eggs that really didn't develop. But mainly I candle 'cause it's awfully interesting to see what is going on inside the eggs.

In short, I'm a fan of the less fuss method. I get better results that way. What I do about temp and humidity (or don't do) would shock and horrify most hatch-a-holics....

 

[chicklady63]

I once had an egg explode at around day 12-14 days - I did not smell any odor at all before it happened, or see any seepage, but when it did it was the worst smell (and mess) inside my incubator and home I have even experienced. I will always candle at the 7 and 14 day mark after that dreadful experience. The mother hen gets off her nest and feeds, etc., so I think that perhaps a cooling off time is natural and perhaps beneficial even. I know it especially is with geese. A rotten egg blowing up in your incubator is a terrible thing. Just my opinion.