We are beginning to sell our eggs, and so far the response is good. We would like to make sure, however, that the eggs we sell are free of blood spots, and are looking in catalogs at the various egg candlers for sale. So far we have mostly brown with a few white eggs. We are hoping for some green eggs. Have any of you had experience with these devices? What should we be looking for? Is there a model or brand that works particularly well? Do you need a green filter over the lamp? Do different colored eggs require a different type of candler?

Th

-- Lauren (LaurBenAus@AOL.com), March 22, 2002

Answers

Click Here. Then Click 'Blood Spots'

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), March 22, 2002.

But Rogo, that doesn't answer Lauren's question. Most of us don't care about blood spots but the occasional customer does and if they turn them off they don't buy eggs. I'm interested in a candler that will work well with brown eggs myself.

.......Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@atlantic.net), March 22, 2002.

After looking at rogo's link and the fact that it states that blood spots occur in 1% of eggs, seem that wanting perfection ie no blood spot eggs, with brown eggs, is going to prove to be expensive (time wise and equipment wise), probable need some sort of commercial type egg candler, if it can be done with anything close to 100% accuracy and again with brown eggs, this may not be possible, may be why white eggs are sold more.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), March 22, 2002.

For prevention of blood spots, giving them lots of greens will help. Have not had the problem for years.

Do recall, though, when we'd been given some sex-link hens from a friend, seems they all had them! We stick with white leghorns.

-- HV (veggie@ourplace.com), March 22, 2002.

I have much success with a homemade candler. I don't remember that the color of the egg made any difference if the light was bright enough. Make a wooden box with a lamp inside, like the box is the lamp shade. Make it so that it just barely covers the light bulb and electric - where you screw the light bulb in? Drill a small hole, maybe a 1/4 inch, in the top of the box. Put as large a watt bulb as you can without setting the box on fire. Turn it on and set the egg over the hole. With all the lights out, the inside of the egg shows up just fine. I,m not good at explaining. Hope this helps.

-- Robin in East Texas (Southpawrobin1@aol.com), March 22, 2002.

I use a small maglite flashlight; it shows me the blue and brown eggs just fine; doesn't get hot; I can candle the eggs in the bator to check them without having to pick them up.

-- Deidre Edder (edderland@yahoo.com), April 14, 2002.

Check out this candler from Cutler Pheasant Supply. It's a bit pricey, but will candle brown eggs great:

http://www.dashlink.com/~rockingt/wwwboard/messages/3686.html

Hope this helps, Pete

-- Pete Theer (Pete@poultryhelp.com), April 28, 2002.