# Fertility Testing - Not candling!



## NuttyNu (Aug 20, 2009)

I wil admit some failure. This year i have been trying to learn how to candle eggs. I have failed! I cannot tell the difference, I had two clutches, they all looked the same and 3 eggs from 1 clutch hatched and none of the other eggs!
To candle, i used a pentourch whcih worked well as a light so don't think that ws the problem!

Is there another way to try to test if they are fertile?
Also, I have noticed that a lot of my unfertile eggs have almost a small ring about 3/4 up the egg and from that ring to the eng is a slightly different white. Thsi was also observed on my fertile eggs whcih never made it to full term (Thisk hen left them in cold weather).

I loko forward to your methods!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Are you looking at the egg in a dark room? It would be hard to see the difference in a well-lit room, much easier in darkness.



> I have noticed that a lot of my unfertile eggs have almost a small ring about 3/4 up the egg and from that ring to the eng is a slightly different white.


Eggs normally have an air pocket at the more rounded end so this might be what you are seeing.

Also, the embryo starts growing near the bottom of the egg and gradually fills it up until it reaches the air pocket. If these were fertile eggs that died partway through development, you may be seeing the limit that the embryo reached.


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## NuttyNu (Aug 20, 2009)

Teilfan:
I breed as a colony in my aviary and I therefore worry that should i take eggs away to put ina really dark room (which there isn't normaly at the time fo day i go down to them!) that they will not always sit on them because they thing they are different. I did howeve, cup them in my hnds so that there was little light soming in and held them close to my eye so i could block all light into them as i know this can become a problem. I think my main problem is trying to identify all the "different parts" which i am seeing as many of them just look all the same! I ahve tried looking at pictures but still failed!

That would make a lot of sence about what you are saying with the air pockets in the eggs and i would believe this is what i am probably seeing. Thanks for clearing it up


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Pictures are confusing but it's really a lot simpler than that. The portion of the egg that's filled with embryo will be dark and opaque because the light can't shine through the baby. All other parts of the egg will have a reddish or yellowish glow. I've never been able to see the veins, heartbeat, etc that some people can see, but I can tell the dark part from the glowing part.


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## NuttyNu (Aug 20, 2009)

OK, So when you would thnk is the best time to see the dark/opaque appearance when candling? I may give this another go with my two current eggs and see how i get on! all i know is that they are over a week old but as i was thinking it was too cold for them to want to breed (They didn't breed well this summer and had no surviving chicks!) so was not expecitng to have eggs in late October! - That'll teach me to slack in checking them!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

If they have been sitting on the eggs for about 5 days you should be able to see something. I have better luck when it's darker out so maybe you should wait until almost dusk and then check them to see if you can make out the babies better...


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## NuttyNu (Aug 20, 2009)

Thanks for all your help!.
I went dow this Am and candled them. There are only 2 in this clutch but it is their first and thye are about 18/20months old for the hen and about 18months for the cock. This is what i saw:
Both eggs looked very similar. It was mainly a "thin yellow" colour whcih was transluent but there was a thick orange colour patch. Circular in shape about the size of the widest diameter of the egg.
Eggs are at least 1 week old maybe coming up to 2 weeks now!
from this description can anybody tell me fertile/infertile?

I must admit though, Despite all her hissing, Mospy (hen) lt me take them from underneath her and put them back without attcking me. I was quite impressed by this.

Roxy Culver I went down in the dawn of this morning when, as you say, it was a bit darker and easier to see. I worry doing down in dusk that she will not go back and sit overnight but in the day I believe she would be more likely to go back. (Even though i this instance she never left the box or her sitting positino whilst i did this!). Thanks for this really good tip


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If there wasn't a dark opaque section then the eggs are probably infertile - there's been enough time for the embryo to get big enough to see. The thick orange patch may have been the yolk. Don't give up though because it's possible that the eggs really are fertile and we just describe our observations in different ways. If you check again in a few days you'll be able to see whether anything has changed.


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## NuttyNu (Aug 20, 2009)

I think you might b right Teilfan from your descriptions. it si their first clutch and they are not that old. Also with the weather coming into November now, it is probably a good thing here in the UK. Bit worried about snow and chicks at the same time. Will still check the box. Have been caught out a coupe fo times before not thinking they were fertile, then hearing chicks about a week after the last check on the box! Was a nice surprise then (Especially when she had no male for about 6-8 weeks prior to laying!) Remarkable , tough and fighting things birds are to get through all they do.


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