What's the best way to candle when the eggs are outside?

[Smartie_Pants]

I need to bring them in to candle, because even when it gets dark at night it isn't dark enough for candleing. How can I bring them in without harming them? I don't want them to get to cold, that is my biggest concern. How long can they safely stay out from under the hen?

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! I just load them into egg cartons and bring them in and candle.

Good luck!

Lisa

 

[BeckyLa]

Me too. I just put them in my egg-gathering basket and bring them in. It won't hurt them to get cold for a short time. They will warm up again when you put them back under the hen. It won't effect the incubation.

 

[cluckychick]

Why do you need to candle? If they are under a broody hen I just leave them, I do not candle. The hen will tell you if there's a bad egg, she will usually kick it out of the nest box.

 

[Smartie_Pants]

That's how I thought about doing it. I certainly don't want to drop any! It shouldn't take that long to candle the six of them, so I think they'll be just fine.

 

[Smartie_Pants]

Quote:
This is really my first time hatching chicks, my experience is with ducks. There are several reasons why I'm candleing. One of the main ones is that I am making a photo album from the arrival of the eggs to hatch, and then on into adulthood. Veining is one of the first milestones.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

The hen will tell you if there's a bad egg, she will usually kick it out of the nest box.

That's not reliable. None of my girls have ever kicked a bad egg out.
In fact, I've had nasty rotten shipped eggs explode under broodies (some !@#$ sent me old eggs).
Just be careful. Everything in your path will reach out and try to trip you if you are carrying eggs.

Lisa​

 

[Smartie_Pants]

Well, I candled but I couldn't see anything. My flashlight wasn't strong enough to shine through the EE eggs and my powerful flashlight isn't charged up. One thing did worry me though. After I candled, I laid them on some towels out of the basket so I didn't forget which ones I had done. When I was finished, I picked them up to put them back in the basket and you could feel some of the yolks slosh around. They shouldn't be doing that should they?