What is the purpose of candling hatching eggs?

1. Determine Fertility: Candling allows you to see the presence of a developing embryo inside the egg. A fertile egg will show signs of a blood ring or a dark, developing chick. This helps you identify fertile eggs and remove infertile ones, saving incubator space and resources.

2. Identify Dead Embryos: A candled egg can reveal if an embryo has died during development. A dead embryo might appear as a dark, solid mass, or the egg may have a bloody appearance. Removing these eggs prevents the spread of disease and contamination within the incubator.

3. Assess Embryonic Development: By candling eggs regularly, you can monitor the growth of the embryo. This allows you to identify any developmental issues or abnormalities early on.

4. Determine Hatching Date: The size and shape of the air cell in an egg can give an indication of the age of the embryo. This can help you estimate when the eggs will hatch.

5. Check for Defects: Candling can help you identify eggs with cracks, thin shells, or other defects that might prevent successful hatching.

6. Quality Control: Candling allows you to ensure that you're incubating healthy and fertile eggs. It's a vital step in the incubation process to maximize hatching success.

In summary, candling eggs is a crucial step in the incubation process for:

* Assessing fertility and removing infertile eggs.

* Identifying dead embryos and removing them.

* Monitoring embryonic development and identifying issues.

* Estimating hatching dates.

* Identifying egg defects.

* Maintaining quality control for successful hatching.