- Jun 15, 2008
- 4,654
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If your flashlight is slightly bigger than your egg just close your hand around the top of it letting your finger cover the gap and the egg rest between your thumb and first finger. It works well enough and you can move the egg around and look at all angles where with a piece of cardboard I either risked it rolling away or couldn't see around the sides. Only down from the top.
Wait until day 7-10 to assume anything. You won't see much now and it's doubtful you'll see any bacteria forming yet. I've found the eggs have to develop for a few days before they can start to grow noticeable bacteria and then it seems to take until day 5-7 to actually see it. At less than that any bad eggs will just remain clear and possibly start to smell but you won't see anything. My worst smelling egg looked just like a store bought egg when candled. Nothing bad in it but nothing good. By the 7-10day mark you should see something.
I usually get impatient, candle at 7 days, mark the clear or possibly bad ones, and then candle again at 10days and throw them if they still are clear or look worse. Then I might make it to day 14 before I get impatient and candle again. Day 14-17 of this hatch I candled every day watching for movement. It won't harm the eggs so long as you don't handle them rough or drop them but you really don't see much difference from one day to the next. It's pointless except to relieve some impatience by seeing them alive and moving in their eggs.
Wait until day 7-10 to assume anything. You won't see much now and it's doubtful you'll see any bacteria forming yet. I've found the eggs have to develop for a few days before they can start to grow noticeable bacteria and then it seems to take until day 5-7 to actually see it. At less than that any bad eggs will just remain clear and possibly start to smell but you won't see anything. My worst smelling egg looked just like a store bought egg when candled. Nothing bad in it but nothing good. By the 7-10day mark you should see something.
I usually get impatient, candle at 7 days, mark the clear or possibly bad ones, and then candle again at 10days and throw them if they still are clear or look worse. Then I might make it to day 14 before I get impatient and candle again. Day 14-17 of this hatch I candled every day watching for movement. It won't harm the eggs so long as you don't handle them rough or drop them but you really don't see much difference from one day to the next. It's pointless except to relieve some impatience by seeing them alive and moving in their eggs.
