Mahonri's 3rd Annual, BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[NotAFarm]

Is a candler required equipment? I don't have one.
Plus our eggs are fairly thick shelled and brown- will one even work on those?

Quote:

I agree with featherz here. If you just get a real high lumens LED flashlight (like over 100 lumens) it will work. The "mag-light" size works pretty good. It is not necessary to candle, but it does help to get the ones that are not going to hatch out before you go into lockdown. You definitely don't have to have an "actual" candler. I have a spotlight that I put the rubber bottom of a plumber's helper on to "focus" the light on the egg. That is my candler.

What featherz and dsqard said! I used dsqard's plumber's helper hint and I can see into most eggs enough to tell if something is going on. I'll go take a pic of my "candler". coz74 built a really nice box candler and posted a pic earlier in the thread....maybe he'll post it again if he has it handy.

 

[dsqard]

Just remember to get an LED one. They do not heat up like the "old style" flashlight. I have brown and green eggs and the spotlight I use can see into them. I think it would be challenged on a Marans egg, but it works for mine.

 

[Mahonri]

I bought an LED Lenser at Home Depot. $50. Not cheap but I can candle most Marans.

 

[Arielle]

Is a candler required equipment? I don't have one.
Plus our eggs are fairly thick shelled and brown- will one even work on those?

Candling is a must. I use a flashlight, one hanging around the house, it's an LED. Monitoring the air cell development is key to adjusting the humidity so the air cell is the right size on the right day. I keep this pic handy while candling ( I hatch turkeys and chickens) I can't see thru the marans eggs for development BUT I can see the air cell.


Diagrams of air cells, duck and chicken:

http://www.poultryconnection.com/quackers/aircell.html

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:

Candling is a must. I use a flashlight, one hanging around the house, it's an LED. Monitoring the air cell development is key to adjusting the humidity so the air cell is the right size on the right day. I keep this pic handy while candling ( I hatch turkeys and chickens) I can't see thru the marans eggs for development BUT I can see the air cell.


Diagrams of air cells, duck and chicken:

http://www.poultryconnection.com/quackers/aircell.html

Are you OCD?

Shooooooot, I never adjust the humidity according to air cell size. Heck, they hatch or they don't. I just set 'em and forget 'em. Luck of the Irish, I guess, cuz I usually have pretty decent hatches.

 

[NotAFarm]

Okay, here is my "low tech" candler.....works great on my white Icelandic eggs, good on light brown eggs, okay on medium brown eggs and some green eggs....enough to tell aircell size or lack of development on olive, blue or really dark brown eggs that are at day 18 and ready for lock down. I have another LED that I use that doesn't have the plunger added to it.

 

[Arielle]

THis is going to be quite a day--22 posts in 1 hour!

 

[BHep]

Top of the Morning to you all !!!

 

[NotAFarm]

THis is going to be quite a day--22 posts in 1 hour!

That is because this is THE DAY!!

 

[kathyinmo]

Today is THE day ! ! !

I think we should all post in green today.