OMG, I think it's working!!

[ebonykawai]

I am SO holding off until Wed. to candle, but I couldn't resist taking one little guy out and I SAW SOMETHING THAT LOOKED LIKE THIS!!!

This is NOT my pic, but I found it during a Google search and it pretty much looked like what I saw. Mine are brown eggs and I couldn't see many veins (because my flashlight is crap; I'm waiting on a Surefire that will arrive Tues).

It's working, right???? This is my first time incubating eggs, I have the 1588, and 18 fertile eggs, and technically I know what's supposed to happen but I can't quite believe it! I can't wait till my Surefire gets here!!!

 

[LoneCowboy]

Yep, it's working.

When you get your surefire, wrap some fabric around the top of it, not a lot, just a little piece so it sticks over out past the light by about 1/4" tape it in place. You'll find that it will help block the light getting past the egg and you'll see lots more. Works great for me.

 

[ebonykawai]

Quote:
Thanks, I'll do that! It's REALLY hard for me to see anything. It's like the eggs are so dark, nothing like my white store bought eggs. Are brown eggs more difficult to candle? I'm in a pitch black closet using a mini mag flashlight, my hand wrappped around it in a fist and the egg on the other side of my fist. I can definitely see dark blobs (I looked at another egg after the first one), the air sac (which is not as defined as in the white eggs I've practiced with), and in the one I saw a dark thick short 'line' like in the pic I posted. But I didn't see anything except the blob in the second egg. They have been in the incubator for about 76 hours.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Edited because I can't count.

 

[LoneCowboy]

Yes, brown eggs are much more difficult to candle. You'll see a big difference with the surefire. I think mine is 110 lumens, and the small mag lights are only 15 lumens. But the material around the top, will help you so you don't have to use your hand. Also, it makes it really easy to candle without removing them from the bator.

Now, don't do what I did. I think on my first batch of eggs I candled so often cuz I was excited, that I think I might have killed them. They don't like all the jiggliing around. Try to stick to the 7, 14, and 18 day schedule. I on the other hand, can't do that, so I'm on the 6, 13, and day 17 schedule.

I wait until nighttime when the room with the bator is totally dark, and I turn off the lights and candle. DH wonders what's happened to me. Then I record what I see on a paper. I number the eggs. If any are bad on day 7 I still leave them in until day 14 then on day 14 (or 13 in my case

) I pull them then.

Do you have the turner for you bator?

 

[ebonykawai]

No, I've been turning them by hand. I don't mind it, I know you said earlier that it gets cumbersome but I only have 18 and so far it's been fine. It takes me maybe 1 minute, and the temp and humidity don't move that much and the incubator gets back up in less than 5 minutes. This is the first time I've tried to candle, I've only looked at the two and I'm going to give up and wait until Wed. night. I think I probably won't see anything much until then anyway, and I can't wait to get the Surefire. I had no idea it was THAT many more lumens! Very cool! I've been hands off with the eggs except to turn them. I probably won't know what I'm seeing with candling, anyway.

 

[LinckHillPoultry]

looks like there's a spider in there lol.

 

[ebonykawai]

They are Black Widow chickens, LOL.

 

[living2ride]

Quote:
I candle almost every day - sometimes twice. It's the only thing that gets me through the waiting and waiting and waiting... And I've had great luck with my hatches so far. Now whether they actually appreciate it or not, I can't tell you. They've never complained though.

 

[ebonykawai]

Does anyone have a picture of a brown egg being candled at 4-5 days?? Because I'm getting frustrated and all I see is a blob. When I hold it pointed side down and the light at the top, I see a small air sac (light colored), then for about half of the rest of the egg, it's all dark, and then light at the bottom. Granted, I don't have my Surefire yet and am using a minimag, but does anyone see more than this in RIR eggs? Because I'm just not seeing anything!!

 

[MissPrissy]

I haven't ever been able to see much of anything at 4 or 5 days. 7 - 10 days is when I candle. If you are seeing a blob it must be the yolk. By 7 days you'll be able to see the spiderweb of veins.