Olive eggers

[Melnich]

Tips or tricks on candling olive eggers???
Also, momma hen is sitting on 12 bought fertilized eggs. 7 of the ones I can see through are fertile- 3 of them so far only have the yolk… at what day do you decide they are not viable? Today is day 5
So tips or tricks to candle an olive egger- and what day do I decide that an egg is not viable?

 

[Pigeony]

I sometimes use two lights to candle olive eggers when they're so dark- I place my egg on one candler normal-like and take another strong flashlight to shine through the other end.

I think that day 7 is a good day to determine viability- if there's no development whatsover by day 7, it's a dud.

 

[Melnich]

Tips or tricks on candling olive eggers???
Also, momma hen is sitting on 12 bought fertilized eggs. 7 of the ones I can see through are fertile- 3 of them so far only have the yolk… at what day do you decide they are not viable? Today is day 5
So tips or tricks to candle an olive egger- and what day do I decide that an egg is not viable?

I should add that 2 of the 12 are the olive eggs for a total of 12

 

[Hazel feather]

With olive eggs I use a I use a high intensity flash light and candle on day 10 . But usually if I know the eggs were fresh when I put them in the incubator, I don’t candle at all .

 

[Melnich]

With olive eggs I use a I use a high intensity flash light and candle on day 10 . But usually if I know the eggs were fresh when I put them in the incubator, I don’t candle at all .

They were fresh from the person I bought them from- they are laying under my broody hen- I don’t have any roosters so I got them from someone I know for her to hatch

 

[CabritaChicks]

I use a military or police/self defense torch on day 10 (cant remember the American name at the moment Edit: Flashlight). Extremely high intensity, you can purchase usually from outdoor or gun ranges. I know I have used mine for self defense- and doubles as a egg candler for olive eggs and chocolate marans

 

[Ridgerunner]

what day do I decide that an egg is not viable?

Since you are having some issues seeing inside you might want to be careful about tossing them. In my incubator I candle my eggs on day 7 but that is just for curiosity. I don't toss any until I candle them on day 18 and go into lockdown. Then I only toss those I know are absolutely clear and will not hatch. I am not worried about them exploding, I just want to reduce the number of eggs in the incubator to make it easier for me to follow them during hatch. I never candle eggs under a broody hen but there is nothing wrong with candling if you want to.

My concern with an egg is that it goes rotten. That means bacteria gets inside and multiplies. Those can contaminate the other eggs and cause them to not hatch. As long as the eggs are relatively clean rotten eggs are pretty rare. The way I check for rotting eggs is to sniff them. The rotten egg smell is really strong and the eggshell is porous. If an egg is rotten you can smell it. It is easy to tell which egg is rotten if one is.

An experienced candler with good equipment and candling white shelled eggs should be able to tell if an egg is viable after three days of incubation. The less experience you have, the poorer your equipment, and the darker the eggshell the less sure you may be. There are too many variables for me to be able to give you a specific date to toss them. I'd suggest as long as they are not going rotten you be cautious about tossing them but use the opportunity to gain experience candling.

Good luck!

 

[Melnich]

Since you are having some issues seeing inside you might want to be careful about tossing them. In my incubator I candle my eggs on day 7 but that is just for curiosity. I don't toss any until I candle them on day 18 and go into lockdown. Then I only toss those I know are absolutely clear and will not hatch. I am not worried about them exploding, I just want to reduce the number of eggs in the incubator to make it easier for me to follow them during hatch. I never candle eggs under a broody hen but there is nothing wrong with candling if you want to.

My concern with an egg is that it goes rotten. That means bacteria gets inside and multiplies. Those can contaminate the other eggs and cause them to not hatch. As long as the eggs are relatively clean rotten eggs are pretty rare. The way I check for rotting eggs is to sniff them. The rotten egg smell is really strong and the eggshell is porous. If an egg is rotten you can smell it. It is easy to tell which egg is rotten if one is.

An experienced candler with good equipment and candling white shelled eggs should be able to tell if an egg is viable after three days of incubation. The less experience you have, the poorer your equipment, and the darker the eggshell the less sure you may be. There are too many variables for me to be able to give you a specific date to toss them. I'd suggest as long as they are not going rotten you be cautious about tossing them but use the opportunity to gain experience candling.

Good luck!

This is so great! Thank you! you’re very knowledgeable

 

[PrettyBirdRocky]

Tips or tricks on candling olive eggers???
Also, momma hen is sitting on 12 bought fertilized eggs. 7 of the ones I can see through are fertile- 3 of them so far only have the yolk… at what day do you decide they are not viable? Today is day 5
So tips or tricks to candle an olive egger- and what day do I decide that an egg is not viable?

My tip for olive eggs? Let them cook the entire length. After reading so many people saying they tossed viable eggs, I just let them all go to end date. Even with candling frequently. Even ones that are lighter in color but can't quite tell what's going on.

Good luck!