Official BYC Poll: Do You Candle Your Eggs? If So, How Often?

[Shabby Chic-Hens]

I don’t always, but I’ve started again since I’m doing a hatch”along” with my theatre group (I’m the only one hatching, they just root for eggs and see cool candling pics ). Usually whenever I remember to, days in the teens (day 13-15)

 

[MountainWoman73]

I love seeing them develop. I candle on day 5 or 6, and then again day 10-12 ish, and then again on day 17-18. If I suspect one is dead I take note of how it looks and check that one again in two days. And of course any time we have friends over with kids we have to candle a few so they get to see.

We also use the ChickQuest calendar from Ohio State University. It's a page-a-day PDF that you can print and laminate. It's my daughter's job to turn over the page every morning. Each day has pictures of embryos at that many days development. It's useful as a count-down, but also super helpful in determining what days the quitters died.

 

[BlueO]

I probably candle way too much! Especially if it’s an egg I’m excited about!

 

[007Sean]

Don't have chickens anymore but I candle my pheasant and quail eggs around day 7 or 8, then again,  maybe, around day 14 by then you can tell if it's a 'dud' or 'alive'. After the hatch date, I'll wait about two days ....'por se las moscas' then I crack them open and have a 'look see'....see if I can determine why they 'dis'.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Day 7 to remove any "lava lamps", as I call those unfertilized ones

Oh I love that description for that phenomenon.

 

[my spoiled chickens]

Day 9 then after almost all of them hatch to see if I misjudged

 

[talkinboutchickens]

I candle at day 6, day 12 (I think), and day 17, right before lockdown.

 

[BackyardinWales]

Candled on day 3 (first time) and day 4, seeing big difference, now can't tell so will wait for them to hatch.

 

[The Birb King]

Whenever I feel like it

 

[AnimalCrazed]

I used to only candle on day 7 and 18 in my old Styrofoam incubator because it wasn't easy for it to recover heat and humidity.

Now in my Brinsea I can candle as many times as I want because it regains so much better. Typically 7,14 & 18.