When should I candle the eggs?

[Ridgerunner]

Eggs rot and stink because bacteria gets inside. It doesn’t matter if the egg is fertile or not, developing or not.

When the hen lays an egg the last thing she puts on it is a layer called bloom. This is what makes them look wet when she lays it. This bloom helps keep bacteria out. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty good. A hen can lay a clutch of eggs one a day for over two weeks then set on those eggs for three more weeks and bacteria hardly ever gets inside. If you set dirty eggs (really lots of poop on them) or wash or scrape that bloom off then it’s a lot easier for bacteria to get inside.

If you are worried about them getting bacteria inside, sniff them. If they are going rotten they will have that rotten egg smell. You should easily be able to tell that just sniffing them.

 

[ChickenRisa]

I was reading that if the egg goes rotten it can explode from gas build up and get goo on the other eggs, preventing them from "breathing" and possibly kill the chicks! That's a little scary, and grossly, to think about! Makes sense about the bloom though, must by why I read in a chicken care book not to wash the eggs after collecting them. I still wash them if they get poop on them though.