Question re candling eggs, dark inside...

[IggiMom]

I have been candling all my little eggs in their incubators, day 10. There were a few that candled clear. Mostly they looked good to me.

There were a few, however, that seemed to be just completely dark, except for the air cell. I couldn't tell if they were good because I couldn't see them at all.

What would cause this? It wasn't that the shell was any darker than the others, they were about the same.

If it were later in the incubation period, I would just think the egg was full of chick, but really, they are all at 10 days. All.

So what would make an egg look all dark like that?

Catherine

 

[Chipper]

Quote:
It sounds to me like a nice big embryo.

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

or a rotten egg

have you done the sniff test yet?

 

[IggiMom]

Oh! Well, goody!

This is one nice bunch of eggs, Heritage RIR's from Taterschickens.

One of the quitters is actually an egg of my own, that I just sort of tossed in there for the fun of it.

Catherine

 

[IggiMom]

Chickie'sMoma :

or a rotten egg

have you done the sniff test yet?

Yup. Didn't smell bad.

I lost my egg sniffing dog last October. My beloved Huckleberry could tell when an egg was bad LONG before I could and he was ALWAYS right.

He would come in here, and look at the incubator, and then look at me with this look like 'my gosh! Did you smell that"!

Then I would open up the lid and he would point at the right egg.

He was such a great dog, I will never get over his loss.

Anyway--I am not too BAD at smelling them, and I did not notice anything.

I marked them with a 'D' though (for Dark) and I will keep an eye on them. And a nose.

Catherine​

 

[Chipper]

Good luck with your hatch and I hope I am right.I've had 2 great hatches with Tatters RIR eggs.Nice lady,great eggs and very nice chicks.

 

[IggiMom]

Yes, it looks to me as if most of these eggs are good. Probably those dark ones are too, but I just wondered.

There are not very many.

Catherine

 

[silkiechicken]

Were the dark ones dark on day one? If so, even if the shell color is the same, the physical thickness of the shell can make it harder to see through.

 

[IggiMom]

You know, I am not sure, but that is a very good point. They look like looking through a Maran's egg, but they aren't. So maybe that is what it is.

I'll know something, because I did mark them. I am trying to get better at candling, so if I see anything unusual, I mark it.

Catherine