We borrowed a homemade egg candler. It’s a simple thing, just a wooden box, with a light bulb socket inside, and in the top of the box, a small hole, through which the light shines. Place the egg on the top, turn on the light, and see what you can see.
The reason we candled the eggs, is because the person we got the eggs from was not sure if her new cockerel was.. well… doing his job. Unfortunately, the eggs looked clear. However some were mottled and some dark, so we had slipped them back under the hen. Until last night (better to candle in the dark), as the familiar smell of gone off egg was coming from the broody house.
One last candle, then gingerly cracked open the eggs. Sadly all blanks, and some pretty stinky! – so the hen was lifted off the nest today. Poor girl, she just wants to raise another brood, and this is the second failed attempt, although her first brood of the year produced our three lovely pullets (we hope they are girls anyway). Maybe down to the cockerel, and maybe down to getting eggs by post.. our first hatch were hand delivered. Some say they get damaged in the post.
As it goes she seemed to accept the lost immediately, and went straight back to normal hen behaviour, and her droopy comb was looking normal again by this evening. She has made herself known to the new comers, though not unkindly, and had a lovely big dust bath.
Oh well, hopefully she will come back into lay before winter sets in.
