Home      Brinsea Candling


If you're new to incubation you may be wondering what is an egg candler and why you should be candling eggs.


What is an egg candler?

Candling is a method used to observe the growth and development of an embryo inside an egg which uses a bright light source behind the egg to show details through the shell. It is so called because the original sources of light used were candles.

Modern egg candlers or candling lamps are lights with a concentrated beam. LEDs are now preferred because they are very bright, very efficient and have an extremely long life - so no bulbs to replace and the convenience of compact, portable battery powered units which can be used right in the nest. They also put out a cool light rather than a lot of heat that might damage the embryos.

Why candling eggs?

Candling allows you to monitor many things including the egg fertility, embryo development and weight loss rate. By being able to identify and remove non-viable eggs (infertile or early death) you can also avoid the risk of a rotten egg exploding and contaminating your hatch with dangerous germs.

And candling does not harm your eggs. Just as the mother would naturally leave the nest for a short time each day, you can safely take your incubating eggs out of the incubator for the few times you will be candling them.

During incubation the air sac size should increase as moisture evaporates from the egg. Eggs need to loose about 13% of their original weight during incubation. If your humidity level is about right, the air sac should increase at different days of incubation according to the diagram shown here.

If the incubation humidity is too low (very dry conditions), the air sac will be larger than normal and the humidity in the incubator should be increased to reduce the rate of water loss. If the air space is smaller than normal then the opposite applies.

How to candle eggs and what to expect

Eggs may be candled after 5 days of incubation and every few days thereafter. For best results you should candle eggs in a darkened room or in dimly lit conditions. The candler should be held right against the shell at the larger end of the egg where the air sac is located. The egg can be rotated to observe blood vessel growth and embryo development.
OvaView & OvaScope egg candlers

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.
 
STANDARD - $29.99 - BUY NOW

Standard for pale, plain shells
(most species of hen, duck, goose, etc.)
 

HIGH INTENSITY - $39.99 - BUY NOW

High Intensity for darker and mottled eggs (quail, pheasant, etc.)

Higher light output from a higher spec LED. Supplied with both the normal flexible black ring plus a special smaller ring for smaller eggs. The larger power drain means that rechargeable batteries are needed.
 
 
 
OVASCOPE BATTERY POWERED EGG SCOPE -
$59.99 - BUY NOW

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.

 
For candling eggs and monitoring the development of embryos during incubation. Infertile eggs and dead embryos can be removed, the air space can be gauged and humidity adjusted accordingly.
Hand Held Candlers


 
HIGH INTENSITY - $54.99 - BUY NOW

For quail, pheasant (and other dark or mottled eggs), ratites




 

COOL LUME HIGH INTENSITY - $59.99 - BUY NOW

For parrots and raptors. A radically new egg candling lamp which focuses a high intensity light beam through a special solid acrylic cone lens to provide an extremely concentrated light with virtually no heat - eliminating the risk of thermal stress to embryos. Ideal for close inspection of very small exotic eggs
STANDARD - $44.99 - BUY NOW
For most species of duck, chicken, game, etc.



 

What to Expect

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.

For more information on candling and other incubation procedures log on to www.Brinsea.com and download our free incubation handbook.
 
Pascale@Brinsea.com
www.Brinsea.com
1-888-667-7009 or 321-267-7009
Fax. 321-267-6090


MOAC Members Reviews
Later MOAC will do a product reviews of the new OvaView and OvaScope.