Ready to have a great hatch? Let’s check your eggs before putting them in the incubator. This important step will help compensate for the effects of shipping & handling.
What are we looking for?
- Rolling air cells
- Detached, jiggly or disturbed air cells.
- Hairline cracks
What do we need to accomplish this?
- A light source (LED flashlight, smartphone flashlight mode, dedicated candling light)
- A dark room
- Optional: modeling clay, play dough, sticky tack or similar.
You can try using the flashlight feature on your phone. If you would like a better method use a bright flashlight and use some modeling clay or similar to create a ring around the end of your flashlight as shown below. You’re looking to isolate the light so it shines into the egg and not your eyes. So mold the clay to the shape of the egg, but leave a hole for the light to shine through:
Good Air Cell:
Shown below is the exact photo twice. The one on the right highlights the air cell ring you are looking for. It should be fixed in place near the top of the large end of the egg. It may be off center but it will not shift when the egg is rocked or turned.
Rolling Air Cell:
Watch the video below to see what a rolling air cell looks like. This egg was tilted from side to side with the light on the side to watch for any movement in the air cell. The red arrows point out where you can best see the movement of this egg’s air cell.
Detached, jiggly or disturbed air cell:
A completely detached air cell will roll like the above video to any point no matter which way you turn the egg.
A ‘jiggly’ or disturbed air cell may stay in place but only change shape slightly when turning.
Hairline Cracks:
These will shown up easily with candling and look similar to the photo below:
