CANDLING PICS: Progression Through

Incubation

Thanks to ZooMummzy, I am doing a test run of my little plywood bator and her little rooster! And
I'll be sharing pics! These images are all taken using a point and shoot Canon Powershot
710IS, and the light from an eagle tac set on high output. Photos are in real colors unless
otherwise noted.

Click thumbnails for larger image!

The incubator:

It's got a clear top for hatch day viewing and two lightbulbs covered in foil because I was too
cheap to buy ceramic heat lamps. The reason behind two bulbs is in case one light bulb burns
out the incubator won't go cold. It has a salvaged computer fan and uses a salvaged GQF
thermostat. There are about 8 layers of spar urethane coating the little beast so it's water tight.
Started making it when I was about 13, so if I were to do it again, it would be much larger and
have space planned for a fan/thermostat. Temperature is measured with a Fluke digital
multimeter with thermometer attachment, and humidity is measured via wet/dry bulb
methodology.

0 hrs Note that with a bight enough light you can see though brown and green eggs easily. Shell
thickness and egg size will impact image quality, so note these are bantam eggs.

This is a great example of a porous egg, not ideal for hatching.

28hrs Not much to see though the egg at this point. If you were to open the egg and look at it
under a dissection microscope, you'd see that the head/neural fold has formed, and up to 4 pairs
of somites. (Somites are mesodermal cells which migrate and give rise to tissues such as
muscle, bone, and cartilage. Note the number on the egg, it serves as tracking and to know
which side is "up" as I am hand turning 3x a day.

52 hrs If you look closely, you can see the start of the blood island in the middle of the egg. The
heart is actively beating by this time and has started to turn; the heart starts out as a tube during
development.

May be easier to see after photoshop, it's that darker ring on top of the yolk shadow

76 hrs At this point, limb buds have not only formed but are enlarging and the eye is beginning to
become pigmented.
Some photo editing and you can really see the veins!

Schematic

100 hrs The limbs are now starting to look like limbs and the embryo starts to look like what a
common person would say is an embryo.

Enhanced to see veins

Day5 On this day, the beak has just become viable and the chick's limb buds are no longer buds
and instead will have identifiable digits! The black dot is the eye.
Edited to enhance veins

A day 3 or so quitter

Profile view and you can see the veins in my finger too.

Day6 It gets harder to take clear vein pics, as there is enough vascularization that it gets a bit
washed out.

Enhanced image.
Embryo Movement Clip

Day 7 If you were to open them up, you'd see little specks where future feathers would emerge!

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11
Video

Day 12

Day 13 If you opened them up, you'd see claws forming!

Day 14 It's so dark there is pretty much nothing really to see! Just a bit of space left
Day 15

Video

Day 16 You can see toes in the second one!

Toes video

Day 17

Day 18 Lock down!!!! Since there is plenty of space in the bator, I made little paper cups to put
each egg in. Hopefully this will catch the majority of the hatch junk left over from popping out so
clean up is a bit easier.

HATCH DAY Note, there is no plan to open the bator for the next 48 hours. The top is clear so all
the action can be seen without compromising the hatch!
Pips
First to hatch: About 14 hours after the first pip at 4am. Note the clean hatch and absence of any
blood in the shell. It was ready!

Hatch Video

Second to hatch: About 17 hours after the pip at 4am. Could have piped any time between 11pm
and 4 am though. Another clean hatch.

Note the first vid is part of the zipping. The pip to zip can literally be hours to days, but usually,
once it starts to zip and sets out to get out, the shifting and cracking process is about 20-30
mintues.
Zipping

This one gets to the point more.

Hatching

30 hours after the first pip, the hatch is now complete! This is about my average time to
hatch. I've had some take even longer so there really is no rushing the little guys.
There were 7 fertile eggs that made it to day 3. All 7 hatched on their own without opening the
bator between day 18 though post hatch and fluff.

Post hatch shell interior. Note that all the vessels are gone and it's just pink. Not a single drop of
blood. The little blob in the bottom is the chick wastes from development; think of it as embryo
poo.

And now the best part! The chicks!!!

The chicks have learned how to drink from a hamster water bottle.
For more discussion on this page see the thread:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261876

Incubating & Hatching Eggs Forum Section

General Hints

First things first - eggs should hatch in 21 days, though some may hatch a day or 2 early and
some a day or 2 late, after the incubation period began. A "day" is counted as a full 24 hours, so
Day 1 would be the first 24 after setting the egg, Day 2 the next 24 hours etc. If you set eggs on
a Monday, it's usually a safe bet that they will hatch on a Monday, 3 weeks later.

Select clean, even shaped, undamaged eggs for incubating. If possible, do not store them too
long pre-incubation. Ideally eggs should be set within a week after being laid and after 10 days
the hatchability of the eggs drops significantly.

**A note on shipped eggs: Shipped eggs should be allowed to rest and for 24 hours prior to
setting, to allow the contents of the eggs to settle. Place shipped eggs upright, with the fat end of
the egg up, in an egg carton, or something similar. Shipped eggs often have loose or damaged
air cells. For more info and tips on managing these see here.

Before putting your eggs into an incubator, plug it in and make sure the temperature is steady. In
a forced air incubator (with a fan) the temperature should be 99-99.5*F. In a still air incubator the
temperature should be slightly higher, 101-102*F measured at the top of the eggs. I use a
thermometer and a hygrometer (which measures humidity) in my incubator. Hygrometers can be
purchased quite cheaply at a cigar shop, Radio Shack and I believe even Walmart. You want 45-
50% humidity for day 1-18, then 65% for the last few days.

Use a non-toxic marker and mark eggs with an X on one side and an O on the other, so when
you are turning them you can make sure they all got turned. More about turning later...

Incubators

There are many makes and models of incubators for sale and they vary greatly in price, quality
and user-friendliness. It's recommended that you read our incubator reviews and get some
opinions before you choose one!

Here are two examples:

Fertility and Candling

Natural fertility is rarely 100% - it may vary from 55% to 95% with season, condition and type of
birds. You might be safe to expect that 50% to 75% of the fertile eggs will hatch, though 90%-
100% hatches can and does happen. With shipped eggs the hatch rate is approximately 50%
overall. Fertility of eggs cannot be determined before incubating them. After 5-7 days, white-
shelled eggs can be candled to see if embryos have developed. If there is no sign of
development by day 10, discard any "clears". See here for egg candling pics

The Air Bubble in the Egg

Soon after an egg is laid, a small air bubble forms in the large end under the shell. A membrane
separating the mass of the egg and the air bubble moves back and forth to relieve stress and
pressure on the embryo resulting from changes in temperature. The drier the outside air is, the
more fluid is depleted and the faster the bubble grows. Correct humidity in the incubator insures
that the bubble does not grow too big, depleting essential fluids, or deny the chick enough air by
remaining too small.

The importance of correct humidity is more apparent at the end of incubation. The normal
condition is that the air cell has enlarged to the point where the chick can reach his beak through
the membrane wall, allowing it to breathe, before it pips through the shell, after which it will "zip"
around the shell. If humidity has been excessive, the chick may pip internally into the air cell and
drown in excess fluid. On the other hand, if humidity has been too low, the air cell will be
oversized and the chick may be "shrink wrapped" in the inner membrane and unable to hatch.

Positioning of Eggs

An incubating egg could set in a normal position as it would on a flat surface; that is with the
large end slightly higher than the point, or upright in egg cartons/turners, with the fat end of the
egg always up. An egg that persistently has the small end elevated may cause the embryo to be
misoriented with the head toward the small end. In the misoriented position, the chick is likely to
drown on pipping. Therefore, it is quite important that in general, the large end of eggs should be
slightly higher than the small ends; or as they would lie naturally on a flat surface.

Turning

Turning is essential during the first 14 days of incubation and should be continued until 3 days
prior to the eggs expected hatch day. If hand turning, always turn the eggs an uneven number of
times a day, so the eggs do not spent two nights in a row in the same position. If not turned to a
fresh position frequently during the early stages, the developing embryo touches the shell
membrane and sticks to it causing abnormal growth. Turning the egg aids these movements
within the egg, and mimics what a mother hen would do naturally.

What to do With Hatched Chickens

After the chick hatched allow it to dry off and fluff up in the incubator before removing it to a
brooder. Newly hatched chicks can survive for up to 3 days on the yolk they absorb during the
hatching process, but once you put them in the brooder make sure there is at least water
available and offer them food after a day or 2.

Feeding Baby Chicks

Feed and water must be available at all times from the time they are out of the incubator. Do not
dole out a measured daily ration. Do not let feed or water run out! Chicks need to be fed a chick
starter. Medicated chick starter can be fed to help prevent Coccidiosis. Please note: chicks fed a
medicated starter may still get coccidiosis. The medicine in the feed only help prevent it.

Prevent Drowning

Water receptacles are a problem with baby birds during their first week. Chicks are clumsy and
can easily fall into water dishes and drown. A common device to prevent drowning is to use a
shallow water cup with marbles set in the water over the entire drinking area. The chicks will
drink in the spaces between the marbles.

Continue to part II: "The First 60 Days" or visit our homemade incubators section then ask
questions about hatching eggs.

Hatching Eggs
E-mail

Obtaining Hatching eggs.

Most eggs you get in stores are not fertile and cannot be hatched. Fertile eggs must be obtained from hatcheries,
poultry farms or people who have chickens for their hobby having roosters in their flocks.

For disease prevention and health reasons, its best to get all the eggs from one source.

Most producers set as many eggs as their breeders produce. If incubator space is the limiting factor, it is more
profitable to select the better quality eggs for incubating.
 A few tips to follow when selecting hatching eggs are:

Select eggs from breeders that are well developed, mature and healthy; compatible with their mates and produce
a high percentage of fertile eggs; (3) are not disturbed much during the mating season; fed a complete breeder
diet;
Avoid excessively large or small eggs. Large eggs hatch poorly and small eggs produce small chicks.
Avoid eggs with cracked or thin shells. These eggs have difficulty retaining moisture needed for proper chick
development. Penetration of disease organisms increase in cracked eggs.
Do not incubate eggs that are excessively misshapen.
Keep only clean eggs for hatching. Do not wash dirty eggs or wipe eggs clean with a damp cloth. This removes
the egg's protective coating and exposes it to entry of disease organisms. The washing and rubbing action also
serves to force disease organisms through the pores of the shell.

Setting eggs
E-mail
Temperature may not be set to the correct temperature from factory. Check against thermometer
supplied.

Allow 2 hours to stabilize the temperature before setting eggs. Ensure that the bulb is adjusted just
clear of the top of the eggs.
Fine adjustments can be made the control to increase or decrease the temperature.

Temperature
E-mail

The Thermometer will always be sitting on the wire floor of the incubator. In a still air incubator, the closer you get
to the top of the incubator, the higher the actual temperature.

We have worked out scientifically the proper thermometer reading for different size eggs, when on their side on
the floor and when they are in the automatic turner. When setting eggs of different sizes, you will have to use an
average half way between temperature in the chart below.
Recommended temperatures: Incubation period
Hens 39.2C 102.5F 21 days
Pheasant 39.5C 103F 24 days
Quail 39.2C 102.5F 17 days
Ducks 39C 102F 28 days
Geese 39C 102F 28-32 days

Moisture
Moisture in an incubator prevents excessive drying out of the natural moisture in the egg. It is impossible to give
any set rule for supplying moisture. If the incubator is operated in a damp cellar or in a room with considerable
natural moisture, then it may not be necessary to supply artificial moisture. If operating in a dry climate or in dry
room, moisture will be needed. The important thing to watch is the air space in the egg. When testing eggs for
fertility, note the size of the air space. If the air space is too large, provide moisture.

Moisture in the incubator is controlled by putting water in the small inner trough of the bottom. The small trough
by itself will increase the humidity to take care of most climates. If you live in an extremely dry climate you may
need moisture in the larger outer trough instead of the small trough. During time of hatching, you need higher
humidity that is usually provided from moisture of hatched chicks drying off. Check and fill water trough twice a
week.

Important: In the winter time, three days before time to hatch, put water in both troughs of bottom to compensate
for extra dryness of air.

Special Notice: Spray duck and goose eggs thoroughly with water twice each week, and spray at least three
times a week during the last ten days.

Ventilation
E-mail

Plastic Vent Plugs

The front vent plug (just below label) is used to regulate humidity and the back vent plug (by electric cord) is used
when there is excessive humidity, as follows:

When incubator is over 75 percent of capacity, remove the front vent plug one week before hatch date. The day
that chicks start to hatch, remove the back vent plug. If incubator is over 90 percent of capacity and contains
large chicks, it may be necessary to prop one side of the incubator top up about 1/8 inch to get chicks dry. Leave
side propped up just long enough for most of moisture to clear on windows, but no longer than one hour at a
time.

When incubator is from 25 to 75 percent of capacity, remove the front vent plug the day chicks start to hatch.

When there is moisture condensed on the windows, remove front vent plug.

Be sure to replace vent plugs before next setting of eggs.

If vent plug should be lost, close the vent hole with scotch tape.
Chicks may be removed 24 hours after they start to hatch. Extremely wet chicks should be left in incubator to dry.

Plan to remove chicks once a day, as every time incubator is opened, warm moist air escapes. Avoid chilling of
wet chicks.

Some chicks may be late in hatching, so you can leave remaining unhatched eggs up to two days longer.

Turning eggs
E-mail

Manual Egg Turning

Place eggs on their side with small end pointed slightly down. Do not overcrowd the eggs.

The eggs should be turned three times a day. Turning the eggs is best done by removing about a dozen from the
center and rolling the rest of them toward the center. Place the palms of your hands on the eggs and roll them
around until you are sure all have been turned, and then put the eggs taken from the center around the outer
edge. Use care in turning eggs to avoid shocks or jars that may rupture the blood vessels of the germ. Do not
leave eggs standing on end. Keep them flat, pushing the pointed ends down a little with the hand. With a soft
lead pencil, put a small "X" on one side of egg and "O" on the other side so you can be sure of turning the eggs.

Automatic Egg Turning

Place turner on bottom of incubator with the motor side to the back of the incubator (rim of bottom with notches is
the back). Slide turner as close as possible to the front rim of bottom of incubator. Be sure the turner sits flat on
the wire floor.

Use a serrated kitchen knife to cut out the notch in the corner by the motor. This will permit the electric cord from
the motor to exit from the incubator.

Run the electric cord through the notch and press to the bottom of the notch.
(Do not set goose eggs in turner)

Note: This Turner runs very slowly--only one revolution in 4 hours.

Candeling
E-mail

What is Candling?

Candling is a way of checking the fertility of an egg and the development of the embryo, with the use of a light
source in a darkened room. In a darkened room, carefully hold the egg up to the light to observe the contents of
the egg.

Candling Results
The embryo is located at the large end of the egg, where blood vessels will be present under the surface if the
egg is fertile. The embryo appears as a dark spot which becomes larger as the incubation period continues.

Fertile egg
The egg will appear to have a black spot which as the embryo grows and incubation continues will grow larger
until light will only pass through the air cell end of the egg.
Infertile egg
Eggs appear clear.
Dead embryo
If the egg was fertile but the embryo has died then you will see a blood ring around the yolk or possibly a dark
spot dried to the inside of the shell depending on when the embryo stopped growing.
Note that dark or brown shelled eggs are more difficult to candle than white or pale shelled eggs.

When To Candle

Candling can be done at any time, although day 8 onwards is usually when the embryo is more easily identified.

Day 3 of incubation (usually pale shelled eggs).

Day 5/6 of incubation (usually dark shelled eggs).
Between day 8 - 12 of incubation (embryo more easily identified).
3 days prior to hatching.

How to candle
E-mail

To candle, darken the room. Eggs can be out of the incubator (or away from a broody hen) for up to 20-30
minutes before starting to cool down inside, so don't rush. You can GENTLY roll the egg on the candler to get the
best view.
Out of the 14 eggs in this batch, we removed nine by day 14 that were obviously not developing. There is a
chance that a non-developing egg will explode in the 'bator, and that is messy and STINKY. It hasn't happened to
me yet, though.

I wouldn't candle after day 16 or 17. The eggs are mostly chick (black mass) and air sac by then anyway, and
they should be left alone for the last few days before hatching (no turning from day 18-hatch).

Pics from day 8 candling

Store-bought non-fertile egg for Undefined, hard to tell if there's a Spots like this may indicate bacterial
comparison chick developing contamination

This one had a faint ring, which is a sign of

Nice air sac developing, a good sign Nothing going on here!
bacterial growth

This looks undefined, but ended up

Well-formed baby inside! Another good one
hatching out fine

good one same one, slightly different angle good one

 same one, slightly different angle

Chicks hatch
E-mail

Stop egg turning 2 or 3 days before hatch is due. Remove the rods.
When first egg pips, raise humidity to maximum this can be done by adding warm water to both pans
Keep the incubator lid on and dont interfere! Humidity will rise rapidly when chicks emerge and condensation
may form.
When most eggs have hatched (12 to 48 hours) remove hatchlings to a brooder to dry out.
Do not open the incubator unles it's extremely necessary

Chickens hatching
E-mail

Chickens hatching
Hatching Checklist
E-mail

Pre-Hatch Check List--Equipment

When you receive your incubator:

Wash it thoroughly with a damp cloth using a diluted bleach solution;

then let dry.

Set it up away from drafts, direct sunlight, and traffic path.

Regulate the temperature between 99 degrees - 103 degrees F for two

to seven days before you begin incubation of fertile eggs. Maintain
room temperature between 70 degrees and 75 degrees F.

Make sure you have a reliable and accurate thermometer.

Be sure the thermometer is placed at egg level.

 Fill water rings in bottom of incubator with distilled water and keep full.

Incubation Check List

Wash your hands thoroughly before setting eggs in the incubator.Wash

your hands after setting eggs in the incubator.

Be sure the incubator water channels are full of water. Refill with water
that is at room temperature.

Mark an "x" on one side and an "o" on the other side of each egg with a
pencil.

Best day of week to set your fertile eggs is on a Tuesday or

Wednesday.

Regulate temperature between 99 degrees F. and 103 degrees F.,

most preferably at 100.5 degrees F., if using a still air incubator.

Turn your fertile eggs three times a day beginning on day two until the
18th day of incubation.

Wash your hands thourougly before and after handling the eggs. Keep
records on turning the eggs.

Candle eggs on day 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and after 21. Do not candle
after day 18 until you are sure that hatching is complete.

At the End of Day 18

Place a thin layer of cheese cloth over the wire rack, then place the
eggs on the cheese cloth.

Add wet sponges to bottom channels to increase moisture, and if your

incubator has vent plugs, remove them as appropriate.

When chicks hatch, lower incubator temperature to 95 degrees F. Do

not remove chicks from incubator until they are dry and fluffy.

When Hatching Begins -- Day 21

Set up a brooder box.

Get out feeder and waterer.

Place wood shavings or other suitable class="smaller" litter in the

bottom of the brooder box.

Regulate the temperature around 95 degrees F.

Provide water and feed for chicks after they are placed in the brooder
 box. Place marbles or rocks in the waterer to keep chicks from
drowning.

Return hatched chicks to the Extension Office or take them to the farm
at the agreed upon time.

After Hatch

Clean your incubator with a diluted bleach solution.

Allow to dry.

Wash and dry feeder and waterer.

Put incubator and other equipment away for next year.

Return evaluation.

Fertilizing
E-mail

The rooster and hens you select have to be from good quality; even if you just have chickens for some eggs its
important that the parents are very fit. They have to look good; nice feathers, good tail, good cam and more. This
is because:

- There is a big change that aberrances of the parent chickens will by inheritance to the baby chickens
- If the parents are not fit this can result in issues like large amount of non fertile eggs, dead embryos, weak
chickens and more.

If you breed for shows I advise to use 2 roosters with 2 or 4 hens. Large amount of hens will only lead to large
amount of chickens which are not up to the standard you require.

Last thing we want to mentions is inbreed; this is (if you use it well) no problem. Be sure the elderly chickens are
in good condition; well proportioned and healthy. Only then inbreed is no problem even if you use the
brother/sister concept.
Other thing you can do is get new chickens but the issue with that is that you have a big change of creating new
problems in your stock; not only in the properties of the chick but also think about deceases.
Egg quality
E-mail

For every breed of chickens there is a guideline for the weight of the egg. Eggs lower than the minimum and
larger than the maximum must not be uses as an breeding egg. Also look at the shape of the eggs; round eggs
where its difficult to find the blunt side (where the air room should be) often give issues while hatching. Other
issues like lime bulbs, rings and non symmetric eggs will product chickens which are not healthy and are a threat
to the stock you have.

Do not use eggs with brushes, dents or holes. True the candling process its possible to see if the air room is in
the right place in the dump part of the egg. Eggs with an air room in another location than the dump part of the
egg should not be used as breeding eggs. This also counts for airrooms which move around in the egg.

Handling Eggs
E-mail

For disease prevention and health reasons, its best to get all the eggs from one source. If you get your eggs
locally but cannot get the number you want in one day, the eggs can be held for up to 7 - 10 days before they are
set in the incubator. Longer storage periods are possible but require further measures to keep the eggs viable.

Until they are incubated, hatching eggs should be stored carefully at approximently 70 Fahrenheit. If you need
more time to collect the number of eggs you need, start putting three- to seven-day-old eggs in a cooler (60F)
room.

It is important to clean eggs gently by scrubbing the dirt of with a knife. Do not use water or cleaning products
because you will take off the natural protective coating.

If the eggs are stored over three days, rotate them once a day. Mail order eggs should be set as soon as they
arrive.
Select only the best eggs for incubation, and discard any which have thin shells or fine hairline cracks.

Eggs must be turned while collecting as wel as in the incubator to prevent the embryo from sticking to the shell. If
your incubator is not equipped with the optional mechanical turner, mark each egg with an X on one side and an
O on the opposite side. When the eggs are turned, all the Xs or all the Os should be face-up at the same time.
 Collect eggs at least three times daily. When daily high temperatures exceed 85 degrees F. increase egg
collection to five times daily. Collect two or three times in the morning and one or two times in the afternoon.
Slightly soiled eggs can be used for hatching purposes without causing hatching problems, but dirty eggs should
not be saved. Do not wash dirty eggs.
Store eggs in a cool-humid storage area. Ideal storage conditions include a 55 degree F. temperature and 75%
relative humidity. Store the eggs with the small end pointed downward.
Alter egg position periodically if not incubating within 4-6 days. Turn the eggs to a new position once daily until
placing in the incubator.
Hatchability holds reasonably well up to seven days, but declines rapidly afterward. Therefore, do not store eggs
more than 7 days before incubating. After 3 weeks of storage, hatchability drops to almost zero. Plan ahead and
have a regular hatching schedule to avoid storage problems and reduced hatches.
Allow cool eggs to warm slowly to room temperature before placing in the incubator. Abrupt warming from 55
degrees to 100 degrees causes moisture condensation on the egg shell that leads to disease and reduced
hatches.

Incubators
E-mail

1. Ensure a steady room temperature day and night around 70F. Use an electric heater with a thermostat if
necessary.

2. Keep out of direct sunlight. Beware of rapid temperature rise due to sunlight. Ensure that the incubator is on a
level surface.

3. Check that available electrical supply matches the machine.