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Hatching Your Own Chicks

Long Descriptions Bulletin #2072

Growth of a Normal Egg Air Cell

Drawing shows the outline of an egg with its small end down. Three dotted lines are marked across the top of the egg to show the air cell size, which gets progressively larger, at 7, 14, and 18 days of incubation.

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Candling an egg

Drawing shows cutaway of box containing 60-watt bulb mounted inside with its cord exiting the box through a hole at bottom left. A 1-inch opening with beveled edges is cut into opposite side of box on the same level with bulb so that light is emitted. An egg is held at this opening outside the box at a 45-degree angle. The height of the candler is such that when the person holding the egg is standing or sitting, the egg is held with forearm arm at right angles to body. As the egg is held and twirled, the line of sight should be 14 inches from egg to eye, so that the person is looking down on the egg at a 45-degree angle, rather than into the light.

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