My broody little turken (10 ounces) is sitting on 4 eggs. How do I candle and when and what am I lookin for? Thanks!
WOW! You have the best kind of incubator! I wish I had a broody! You should candle on day 7 and 14. I was very nervous the first time I candled, which was last month. I had looked at all the pictures of this site on candling but wasn't sure if I would see what I was suppose to see if they were fertile. Well I knew right away when I candled. It is hard not to miss those veins (they look like spiders and are moving). I would use a very bright flashlight and a dark room. Can't wait to see how your turken does! ETA because if forgot......I pretty much just sat my egg on top of the flashlight and then used the hand that was holding it to block some of the light from the back. Congrats!
When I candled mine for the first time , it was on day 3..didn't see much, but day 4 there were very easy to see veins! I used a flash light and my hand. I cupped my hand around the end of the flashlight, and held the egg up to my hand, it worked great! It was my first time too!! Let us know what you see in there!!!
a friend of mine who's a wildlife rehabber & raises chickens showed me a trick that works better than cupping your free hand around the flashlight. Cover the flashlight lens with aluminum foil, then poke a SMALL hole in the center of the foil. The light will be concentrated, so when you set the egg on top of the hole in the foil, it lights up the inside very clearly (this worked great when I was checking cockatiel eggs, and works on just about any kind except maybe the really dark Marans or something like that). If you're using a REALLY strong light like a spotlight, be careful not to leave the egg there very long; they do produce quite a bit of heat.
