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Offline Cindi

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Candling brown eggs????
« on: January 26, 2008, 11:41:37 am »
I read somewhere that brown eggs are hard to candle.  About 95% of my eggs are brown, some are a very light brown to a cream colour.  Is there a trick to candling brown eggs?  I understand it is important to candle them about 11 days into the incubation.  Thoughts?  Have an awesome day.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline randydrivesabus

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2008, 12:41:19 pm »
its been a while since i have but i don't remember any problem doing so. what kind of candler do you have?

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2008, 12:55:06 pm »
I've never candled them on any regular basis.  I just crack them in a cup if they are questionable.  I think they are difficult to candle on the occasions that I tried it (usually when incubating).  But I've always preferred them.
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2008, 12:32:28 am »
You can make a egg candler fairly easy.  I used a large soup can (about 2 inches in diameter and 6 inches tall) drilled a small hole in the bottom (you can punch it with a nail too) and set it over a porcelan light socket with a 75 watt bulb.  The can will get hot so watch it.
Put the egg over the hole, press it against the can, and the light will shine into the shell making it glow.  With a little practice you can tell from the cloudiness what's going on within the egg.  The white eggs are easier to candle as the pigment doesn't inhibit the light as much and it's easier to see what's going on inside the egg--much clearer than with brown eggs.  I might add that I've found Angi's Cucko Maran eggs nearly impossible to candle.
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Offline Angi_H

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2008, 02:57:04 am »
Ha hA Brian yes the Cuckoo Maran eggs are almost imposable to canled till they turn darker with an embryo. Then you can toss out the non viable ones. The lighter cream colored eggs are easy. LIke the Cornish eggs I sent Brian. But wait till I get black copper Maran eggs those eggs are almost black in color. Those are imposable  go to ebay or through one of the online poultry stores and order a cool lume candler. It will not get hot and you can not hurt the eggs trying to see. I rg up the LEd flashlight to be able to candle eggs. But the cuckoo eggs I have to wait till the day they get placed in the Turner and look for the lighter ones.  Brian How are them eggs doing anyway. How many more days to go. Hope all goes well this time. Did you get the MO in the mail? I have not gotten anything. Let me know if you did.

Angi

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #5 on: January 28, 2008, 05:55:29 pm »
I set them up for a Valentines day hatch.  I added 6 of my own for a 30 egg set.  We'll have to see what transpires.
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Offline Frantz

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #6 on: January 28, 2008, 08:48:07 pm »
Brown eggs are not to hard. I use a rechargeable spotlight and a card board box to candle all mine. I usually candle mine at 5 days after setting them. That will tell you if they are fertile or not. And then I candle at about 15 days, just to see how they are doing. My biggest lesson learned is don't lick your fingers when you are turning them!!! good luck. I have a set of pics that will show you what they should look like when you candle them each day. It was very educational for me. I will see if I can find it and post it for ya'll..
F
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Offline Frantz

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #7 on: January 28, 2008, 08:57:25 pm »
This is not the one I was thinking of, I will keep looking for that one, but this is a good start.
http://shilala.homestead.com/candling.html
Give that a try for starters
F
Ok, this is the other one I was looking for. Let me know what you think??
http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/Avian/pfs32.htm
Be sure to scroll down to the pics as well, that is what gave me the ideas of what to look for as I was candling.
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Offline Angi_H

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #8 on: January 29, 2008, 02:35:29 am »
Brown eggs are not to hard. I use a rechargeable spotlight and a card board box to candle all mine. I usually candle mine at 5 days after setting them. That will tell you if they are fertile or not. And then I candle at about 15 days, just to see how they are doing. My biggest lesson learned is don't lick your fingers when you are turning them!!! good luck. I have a set of pics that will show you what they should look like when you candle them each day. It was very educational for me. I will see if I can find it and post it for ya'll..
F

If you think brown eggs are not hard. Look up Cuckoo Maran and Black Copper Maran eggs and that is what Brian is trying to candle. My eggs are about a 6 -8 on the maran scale and the ones I am getting in April that are black copper maran eggs are about a 8-10 on the maran color scale. Which is almost black. On that scale a white egg is #1  light tinted brown is # 2-4 Marans start at #5-10


Angi

Offline Cindi

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #9 on: January 29, 2008, 09:39:34 am »
Frantz.  Those are excellent sites.  I have bookmarked both of them so I can do some studying.  Thank you for taking the time to do this.  I am curious.  I remember you speaking about licking your fingers when you turned the eggs, what happened?  Have a wonderful and greatest of days, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Frantz

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #10 on: January 29, 2008, 10:27:00 am »
Cindi,
Because the eggs are breathing in the bator, when I was licking my fingers to turn them I was putting the bacteria from my mouth on the eggs and killing my little ones without knowing it. I was having terrific hatch rates for the first little while (about 90%). Just as I was starting to think that I was a natural my rates started going down dramaticly. What happen was as my egg count went up (about 100 eggs in the bator, adding 20 per week) I started licking my fingers to turn them. Made it easier. That is when the problem started. My last group in the fall I got only one chick out of the twenty that survived. So don't lick your fingers!! That is the moral to the story.
Just amazing how much is effected on a microscopic scale. Them mother hens do quite a job in the wild....
F
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #11 on: January 29, 2008, 11:00:48 am »
Frantz, wow!!!  Whooda thunk eh?  Did you brush your teeth that morning, hee, hee, just kidding.  Dry eggs are so slippery, I know what you are saying.  But, now I have learned a lesson from you for sure, that is a good thing.  This is going to be an exciting year with my incubator, I have it in the house now, getting ready to clean up and steralize to get ready for when I begin to incubate eggs.

I was reading on the internet about two species of chickens.  I have 2 Austrolorp hens and I love them, man are they nice, they look beautiful and they are so friendly.

Good things about the Australorp I liked to hear.  They are great for egg laying, can lay up to 250 per year.

I was also reading about the Buff Orpington, seems like their average for a year is about 160.  They are significantly less than the Australorp.

This I can't quite figure out because I get the impression from reading that the Australorp is the Australian version of the Buff.  I think that I really need to do more research into the difference  between these two breeds.  I am leaning towards the Australorp for the egg production thing. 

I contracted an individual in a neighbouring town through e-mail who raises Australorps.  I indicated that I would like to get some hatching eggs.  The individual e-mailed back for me to contact more towards the end of February, middle of March because the viability of fertile eggs was so much higher then.  So, I will be patient and wait.

I have the catalogue from Rochester Hatchery in Alberta, they also have the Australorp, along with 3 other heritage chicken breeds offering for sale.  So, I have many great thoughts to think about.  Have an awesome and great day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #12 on: January 29, 2008, 08:09:12 pm »
>Good things about the Australorp I liked to hear.  They are great for egg laying, can lay up to 250 per year.

An Australorp holds the record for the most eggs in a year.  Seems like it was over 400.  But they cheated with artificial days that were shorter.

The Australians bred them more for eggs.  The English seem to have bred them for looks and meat.  :)
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #13 on: January 30, 2008, 07:39:34 am »
Another good duel purpose chicken (meat & Eggs) is the Jersey Giant.  They grow a little slower but they run about 15 pounds for a full grown mature rooster.  I want to get some then cross them with Dark Cornish for a roasting chicken the size of a hen turkey.  The hybrid should also grow a bit faster.
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #14 on: January 30, 2008, 09:54:12 am »
Brian, I remember us talking about your Homestead Chicken you want to breed.  The Jersey Giant is one of them.  I was talking to my Sister about getting Jersey Giants and she said that was what she had got the first time that she had began raising chickens.  They all drowned, guess that she had some water in the area with them and they all went in and died.  Oh brother......think she really must have done something wrong with that one...she doesn't want to have chickens that big, wants to stick to smaller ones, so I don't think we will get any Jersey Giants here.  I truly think that I am stuck on the Australorps, the two that we have have taken my heart and when you pick them up, man oh man, do you know you have a heavy bird in your hands.  Beautiful.  I am still open to different breeds though, I think I would also like to get a few Dark Cornish, but have so many things to think about right now with what stock, I am getting overwhelmed.  Not hard for me to do that overwhelmy thing, but that is OK, that is me, hee, hee....chickens and turkeys on my brain.  Have a wonderful and beautiful day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Angi_H

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Re: Candling brown eggs????
« Reply #15 on: January 31, 2008, 03:21:39 am »
Brian wait till you see how big these cuckoo maran roosters get. They are huge. My one older rooster is about 13lbs.

Angi