Viable or quitter Eggs

[KickingChicken]

Hi-
I bought 8 fertilized eggs and placed 6 under a broody hen and two in the incubator on April 29. I thought it might be fun to watch the progress in the incubator. I have hatched quail before, but this is my first chicken hatch. I am wondering if the eggs I have are viable. I have tried to get pictures but have not been successful. I actually am having a difficult time candling the brown eggs. I have had the best luck using a strong flashlight while holding the egg.

Both of the eggs look the same. There is a distinct air sac at the end of the egg. The eggs have a dark mass on half the egg (longwise) that I cant see through and the other half of the egg is transparent. I do see veins but not a lot of them in the transparent side of the egg. There is no movement at all in the egg. I watch videos of other people candling 9 day old eggs and I can see the embryo moving around, that is not the case in my eggs. Also, when I rotate the egg nothing moves. When I rotate the eggs in the incubator the embryo is staying on the same side of the egg. I don't know if it should be moving or not. I will try to get pictures tonight. I am wondering if there is another way to candle the brown eggs for better vision.

Any advice or comments would be much appreciated!

Lisa

 

[ScissorChick]

Welcome to BackyardChickens KickingChicken!

It's very hard to see movement in the egg if everything is dark.

I'd give them a while longer and see if anything happens, as your eggs were
defiantly growing. I really think they are fine.

As for candling dark eggs, try

a brighter flashlight.

~ Scissor

 

[Azriel]

TSC has some great flashlights for candleing, they are very small LED, only about 3" long, I can even see in my very dark and blue eggs. Sometimes you really have to watch for a while to see movement.

 

[KickingChicken]

Things are just not going very well for me. I have never seen any movement in the eggs in the incubator.

Then this afternoon i went out to check on my broody hen. The eggs had rolled out of the nest and she could only collect two up to sit on, so four of them were out in the 80F degree weather. I don't know how long they were out there for. I put them all back into the nest farther back so they cant roll out again. I guess I should have known they could roll out where they were. I went out tonight and candled them. Two of them were not fertilized and the other 4 look just like the ones in the incubator, with no movement.