I have just written a comment on this one then also have had 2 emails with a similar question so i will add to the blog. - I have collected hatching eggs but they have got cold overnight to 2-3 degrees, are they any good? Well to be honest no, your fertile eggs are badly damaged. Saying that if you have space in the incubator put them in as there is a small chance they will hatch. Please ensure you candle the hatching eggs at day 7 or day 10 and remove the non developing fertile eggs and throw them away to avoid bacteria damaging the developing eggs.

To be honest it is what I would consider a very important part of incubating eggs, if you own an incubator then you should really have an egg candler. The reasons for this is one of enjoyment so you can actually watch the little chick developing inside the egg and I must be honest with you, this experience is not one easily forgotten. I am afraid the other reason is a serious one and that is to remove infertile eggs from the incubator, if you do not remove non-fertile eggs then the risk of bacteria growth in your incubator is very high and if this is able to get in fertile eggs through the pores then it may make the chicks too unwell to hatch or even kill them during incubation.

Ideally candling at 10 days for a novice should tell if eggs are fertile or not.

It is also very important to get the correct candler, our own Standard candler and is perfect for white, cream or light brown eggs.

If you wish to do Duck Eggs, Goose eggs or very dark chicken eggs then I must recommend the High Intensity Candler as this will allow you to see inside the eggs where as this Standard Candler would not allow that on thicker or very dark eggs.

Using a candler is very easy, you place the ‘fat’ end of the egg to the light end of the unit, press the button and hey presto you can see inside the egg and what is happening.

Please remember Standard Candler for light egg colours and High Intensity Canlderfor Thick Shelled or Dark coloured eggs. If you have exotic eggs to candle this candler is not recommended and you should consider the Brinsea Cool Lume Candler.

Your eggs have arrived and your incubator has been ready for a day do you put the eggs in straight away? NO when your eggs arrive please DO NOT put them in the incubator straight away this will lead to a dreadful hatching. When your fertile eggs arrive open them so they can breath and leave them to settle for 12-24 hours. They should be left at room temp about 10-18 degrees. NOT in the fridge on a radiator or in direct sunlight. After 12-24 hours place in the incubator and you have done your best to store your posted hatching eggs. Happy hatching

To clean eggs if heavily soiled I recommend using a fine sand paper and gently rub off the excess dirt. PLEASE clean your hatching eggs carefully not excessivly shaking as this will lead to early deaths in the shell. If you wish to wash eggs please ensure the water you wash them in is slightly warmer than the fertile egg NOT HOT/BOILING Water. If the hatching egg is imersed in warmer water than the fertile egg temp it will close the pores and no bacteria will get into the hatching egg. If the water is colder than the egg you want to incubate it will draw the surface bacteria through the pores and will more than likley lead to poor hatches. I also recommend adding our incubator / egg disinfectant at a rate of 1-200 which will kill off most bacteria on the eggs and allow for much better hatching results.