Eggs saved for hatching are very perishable and their viability is greatly affected by the quality of storage conditions. If properly stored, the number of hatching failures can be kept to a minimum. It is recommended that most eggs be stored no longer than 1 week. Storing eggs longer will produce a greater incidence of hatching failures.

The maximum storage period for chickens is about 3 weeks. Some turkey eggs will survive for 4 weeks, but quail will have difficulty developing from eggs stored longer than 2 weeks.

Hatching eggs should be collected soon after lay and maintained at 50-65^o F. The eggs must not warm to above 65^o F. unless they are being prepared for immediate incubation. Relative humidity in the storage facility should be maintained at 70 percent and daily egg turning or repositioning is recommended to prevent the yolk from sticking to the inside surface of the shell.

Eggs are candled to determine the condition of the air cell, yolk, and white. Candling detects bloody whites, blood spots, or meat spots, and enables observation of germ development. Candling is done in a darkened room with the egg held before a light. The light penetrates the egg and makes it possible to observe the inside of the egg.

The candler should be set on a box or table at a convenient height (about 38 to 44 inches from the floor), so the light will not shine directly into the eyes of the operator. In candling, the egg is held in a slanting position with the large end against the hole in the candler. The egg is grasped by the small end and, while held between the thumb and tips of the first two fingers, is turned quickly to the right or left. This moves the contents of the egg and throws the yolk nearer the shell. Because of the color of their shells, brown eggs are more difficult to candle than white eggs.

To do a reasonable job, an extensive knowledge of candling is not necessary, particularly if the eggs are all relatively fresh. One should be able to distinguish a fresh egg from a stale egg and detect such abnormalities as bloody whites, blood spots, meat spots, and cracked shells. In a fresh egg, the air space is plainly visible and moves freely. The white is thin and clear. In a stale egg, the air space is plainly visible and moves freely. The white is thin.

Most newly laid eggs are good quality. Eggs not over two or three days old, if held under good conditions, will meet the specifications for Grade A. The only eggs to be removed by candling are those with bloody whites, blood or meat spots, and cracked shells.

Candling Incubated Eggs

Incubated eggs are candled to determine whether they are fertile and, if fertile, to check the growth and development of the embryo. White eggs should be tested for fertility on the third day. Brown shelled eggs on the fifth or sixth day because it is difficult to see the embryo clearly before this time.

Now with the OvaScope you can watch the live embryo develop inside the egg. This innovative aid to egg candling improves the clarity and visibility of the egg and its contents by completely blocking out ambient light, slightly magnifying the image of the egg and allowing the viewer to rotate the egg smoothly as it is observed.

The OvaScope can be fitted with a webcam and is ideal for demonstration purposes or classroom use.

 

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In fertile eggs you will see a small spot (the embryo) with a web of blood vessels radiating from it.
A fertile egg at day 5 of incubation

Conversely, infertile eggs will be clear

and eggs which have died will show a dark ring.

Later on in incubation, eggs which have died will show a dark mass with ill defined detail and no healthy blood vessels radiating.

By day 18 the embryo will take up most of the egg (apart from the air sac) and it will be hard to make out detail even with a good quality candler but you should be able to see movement.

It will take a little practice to become a confident candler. Do not discard any eggs if you are not sure. Have another look at them later comparing them to your good eggs to help you decide.

Pascale@Brinsea.com
www.Brinsea.com
1-888-667-7009 or 321-267-7009
Fax. 321-267-6090



Brinsea Review Article For Hatching
Marans Eggs.

COMMON INCUBATION PROBLEMS:  CAUSES AND REMEDIES

R. A. Ernst, F.A. Bradley, M.E. Delany, U.K. Abbott and R.M. Craig
Animal Science Department, University of California, Davis, CA 95616

Observation:   Excessive infertility for species
PROBLEM	CAUSES	REMEDIES
True infertility [Definition]
	Poor insemination technique	Inseminate more frequently at proper depth with good semen
	Hens not inseminated, wrong male to female ratio	Inseminate hens; replace males; use more males
	Preferential mating in pen matings	Mate hen with different male
	Male sterility	Change males
	Males not mating	Check for disease, nutrition problems, foot problems and social dominance of females
	Males too old	Use young males; reinforce natural with artificial insemination if old, valuable males must be used
Observation:  Over 3% dead 1st 3 days of incubation
PROBLEMS	CAUSES	REMEDIES
Pre-oviposital death [Definition]	Inbred strains	Avoid excessive inbreeding; use young males
	Parthenogenesis in turkeys	Do not use as breeders, toms and/or hens showing high incidence of parthenogenesis
Fertile, no development (FND) [Definition]	Eggs stored at too low temperature	Store hatching eggs properly (550F to 680F) see PFS No. 22
	Eggs stored too long	Store chicken, pheasant, duck, goose and quail eggs no longer than one week; turkey and partridge eggs no longer than two weeks
	Eggs washed at too high temperatures	Dry clean eggs; eliminate dirties; lower temperatures of wash water slightly; produce clean eggs
Positive development (PD) [Definition]	Poor collection schedule during hot or cold weather	When temperature in house or nest box exceeds 80� F, collect eggs several times during the day
Blastoderm without embryo (BWE) [Definition]	Improper storage temperature	Store eggs properly (55� F to 68� F) see PFS No. 22
Cystic embryos [Definition]	Eggs stored too long	Store chicken, pheasant, duck, goose and quail eggs no longer than one week; turkey and partridge eggs no longer than two weeks
	Rough handling or shipping procedures	Careful handling from time eggs are gathered until chicks or poults are hatched
	Diseased flock (e.g. mycoplasmas, Newcastle disease)	Inspect flock for general and specific health conditions
	Aged or abnormal spermatozoa	Check insemination technique; use young males
	Eggs from inbred flock	Some losses are unavoidable with inbreeding; change males and/or introduce new genetic stock
	Improper egg storage temperature or pre-incubation temperature	Do not allow eggs to pre-incubate; use correct setter temperature (99.5� F); check egg storage temperature
	Eggs from hens housed above 5,000 feet	Avoid high altitude
Observation:  Over .5% Dead day 4 to transfer
PROBLEMS	CAUSES	REMEDIES
Many dead embryos	Improper temperature	Check thermometer for accuracy
	Unknown power failure	If power fails open machine until power is restored
	Improper turning	Turn eggs three or more times each day
	Eggs from inbred stocks	Avoid excessive inbreeding
	Poor ventilation of hatchery or incubator	Provide proper air exchange
	Disease or infected eggs	Use eggs from disease-free flocks; Do not wash eggs in cold water
Observation:  Over 8% dead after transfer
PROBLEMS	CAUSES	REMEDIES
Embryos dying before pipping	Low temperature incubating conditions; humidity too high.	Maintain 99.5� F dry-bulb, 86� F wet-bulb temperature in fan ventilated setter
	Infected eggs	Do not wash eggs in cold water; set only nest clean eggs
	Poor nutrition of breeder flock	Check breeder diet; nearly all known vitamins and minerals, if absent or in short supply, can cause late mortality and poor chick quality
	Certain genetic lethals	Use vigorous strains
Embryos weak and fail to  pip or pip weakly	Vitamin E deficiency	Use fresh feed or supplement Vitamin E in water
Many pips stuck to shell	Hatcher humidity too low	Maintain 90� F wet-bulb temperature after pipping begins
	Excessive residual albumen caused by high humidity and/or low temperature incubation	Check thermometers and thermostats; monitor temperature and humidity
Chicks pipped and dead	Disease	Use disease free stock
	Overheating in hatcher; low hatcher humidity	Check hatcher temperature and humidity
	Nutritional deficiency	Feed balanced diet
Malpositions [Definition]	Eggs set small-end up	Position eggs properly in trays (large end up or horizontal)
Chicks hatch too early, are thin and noisy	Temperature too high during incubation period	Check thermometer; 1� F in excess of 99.5� F will cause approximately 24-hour earlier hatch
Chicks hatch late, are soft and lethargic	Temperature too low and humidity too high during incubation period	Check thermometer; 1� F below 99.5� F will cause late hatch
	Old eggs	Set only fresh eggs; allow extra time for hatch by setting old eggs early
Sudden losses at any time	Improper fumigation	Do not fumigate between 24 and 96 hours of incubation.
	Mercury spilled in incubator or hatcher	Check for broken thermometer or thermostat; clean up all spilled mercury immediately
	Power or equipment failure or overheating	Check incubator temperature at least twice daily; refer to owners manual for proper maintenance procedure