Egg Candling and Breakout Analysis

Abstract

Candling hatching eggs during incubation and breakout examination of the clear eggs or dead embryos are useful tools for hatchery managers to use in maintaining quality assurance and analyzing poor hatches. Other tools include monitoring the temperature of the egg storage room, incubator temperature, incubator humidity, shell quality, chick quality, hatching percentage, bacterial counts in air or on hatchery sur- faces, and egg moisture loss during incubation. This publication illustrates various conditions that may be seen in eggs during candling and describes how to identify infertile eggs and early dead embryos during breakout. It is best used in conjunction with Common Incubation Problems: Causes and Remedies (ANR Publication 8127) and the video Hatching Egg Breakout (ANR Video V86-W) (see “For More Information” at the end of this publication). This publication also contains a glossary of technical terms.