Lazy Gardener
Super Self-Sufficient
How dark are the shells? I find that it's practically impossible to see through a blue or green shelled egg. Dark brown is also difficult. Interestingly enough, the blue duck eggs are almost as easy to candle as a white egg! Try changing your flashlight batteries Also, be sure you are in a completely dark room. Can't even have light coming in under the door. And, give your eyes time to adjust to the dark! If you can't see with that, try taking a table lamp, and constructing a candler. I make a cardboard tube to fit over the bulb and the socket. I wrap that with tin foil, so it occludes ALL light, and only allow a 1/2 - 1" opening at the top. With this candler, I can see through even the most difficult eggs, at least enough to detect the slightest bit of movement to confirm life. How certain are you of the accuracy of your thermostat and thermometer? I calibrate against a good medical grade thermometer. My favorites are 2 old fashioned mercury bulb rectal thermometers. But digital medical thermometers are guaranteed to +/- .1*F.I've got 2 Grey Dorking cockerel chicks in my order, along with 6 Grey Dorking pullet chicks, 4 Welsummer pullet chicks, and 4 Black Australorp pullet chicks. Then I have 1 last rooster standing from my old flock (Cogburn), and about 12 older girls- a mix of Americauna and Speckled Sussex that are all about 4 years old now. (I'm getting an average of 3-5 eggs a day from them now). I've lost a few to predators, and a couple just ... died, for no reason I could see.
We had our broody hen in the secondary coop which was built for ducks originally. It's smaller and low ceilings so no roosting in there. We didn't block the door so she could get out and eat and drink. Interestingly, when she left the building, one of the Leghorn pullets always stood at the doorway, as if she was guarding the nest for her, but she never went inside.
It's been 9 days since we put the eggs in the incubator. We candled them last night, and although I could see the yolk as a darker mass, I couldn't see any veins or anything like that... so I think they aren't growing.
eta: My DH pointed out that our flashlight is only 300 lumens, so maybe it isn't bright enough to see what's going on?