Water candling is a method for detecting life in an unhatched egg at the end of incubation. It involves using warm water ~ 100 degrees F and checking for any pips or cracks. To candle eggs, set up a candler in a dark room close to the incubator and keep the egg in the incubator for 5-10 minutes.
When candling chicken, ensure to have a battery-powered OvaScope and hold the egg at a slight angle to the light. Wash the egg with warm water, 90 degrees, as cold water on a warm egg causes the egg’s contents to contract, pulling the outside contents in. It is recommended not to candle a single egg more than two or three times, once before placing the egg into the incubator, at seven days to check for development, and at 18 days to ensure only the egg is cured.
Water candling is a great method for eggs that are uncertain about their health. Fill a glass halfway with warm water and place the egg in a dark room with a flashlight under it. You will see a chick in the egg, full term at 22-23 days. Carefully place the eggs in the canning jar, pointy side down, and ensure they are free from cracks or hairline.
📹 How to Water Candle an Egg
Are you wondering when to toss those unhatched eggs in your incubator? Worried you might accidentally throw out a good chick?
📹 How to Water-Candle Dark Eggs like Marans and Olive Eggers on Your Suburban Farm
How do you check to see if your dark Marans or Olive Egger eggs are developing? I’ll teach you how to use water to “candle” your …
Just had a hen get off her nest; she figured nine chicks were enough, but there were five more eggs in there. All cool to the touch by the time I intervened. I candled them (hadn’t had a chance to before now) and 3 were clear and 2 were dark with an air pocket. So I floated each of one at a time in body-temp water and — with the water nice and still— the two moved! Those two eggs are now in my waist pack under a fleece vest keeping warm. When the hen settles for the night in the dark I’ll put them under her again. I’ve hatched chicks this way twice before, when the hen got off the nest. However “hatching” a dead egg has no appeal!! Good to know these are alive!
Very cool! Thanks for the article. This is my first time incubating eggs and I’ve got all Marans and easter eggers in there. Today is the 8th day and when I candled them, I was surprised that it was so hard to see what’s going on in there. All the YouTube articles I watched, apparently, were candling plain white eggs. I definitely saw defined air bubbles in 21 out of 22 eggs and I’m pretty sure I saw movement in them too. But I plan to try this method when I get to day 17 or 18 (when I turn off the egg turner). Thanks again for the info!
Just did this with my day 20 old Marans eggs. Out of the 6, all of them floated perfectly. HOWEVER, 5 of the 6 sloshed when given a gentle shake- either not fertile or quitters as confirmed when opened. Only one floated and didn’t slosh, so I’m hoping, although it showed no signs of movement, but I didn’t watch it long. The next three days will tell.
Thanks fellah you have the best float test article Ive seen yet. I raise quail not chickens but was curious about the float test method because candling quail egss can be difficult at times. GOD sure makes some awesome creatures and allows us to enjoy them and I PRAISE JESUS for them. Again good article take care and look up JESUS is coming soon.
I am on day 18 with my copper Maran eggs. There are two that I have that are in question. I did the water candling with these two eggs. They both floated, up past the water line, but there appears to be no movement. I am wondering if I should just pull these two eggs from the incubator. What do you think?
Sir, is there no one no service that hand carries these eggs ? A service that delivers them by vehicle instead of shipping via postal service? What about extremely delicate postal service?with heavy cushioning like an antibacterial polyester fluff the kind you find inside a pillow? With air holes and possibly a sheet of hot hands or battery charged warmer? Are they not worth the effort? Because every living thing that does not create a victim deserves this kind of care! If i was living anywhere near a farm or homestead requesting a shipment i would surely take the time to hand deliver these precious eggs I am gobsmacked that in this day and age of technology and modernization the claims of such who boast a better new and improved design idea or goal that such an ancient practice of introducing and cross breeding different breeds and species of birds an improved more efficient method of safe transport surely have evolved? They can send a robotic Roaming sample gathering photo taking high tech machine to Mars but no one on this big blue marble has solved the conundrum how do you get the egg across the road! Hey maybe the answer is..leave it in the chicken and ship the chicken across the road when its close to laying that egg! Lol
It was day 23, I did the water test on all the ones that didn’t hatch, 13 eggs. One I questioned but had given up hope. It did wobble in the water but I thought it was because it was off center. Much to my sadness, it was alive. I am a firm believer now that this works. I don’t know why this one still hadn’t hatched 8 hrs after the others. It was a Black copper maran. I feel terrible but now I know. 😩