How to Candle Turkey Eggs

Determining if your turkey̵7;s eggs are fertile can be a fun project for both kids and adults. Knowing if the eggs are indeed growing chicks can allow you to leave the fertile eggs to the parents and collect the non-fertile eggs for eating. You don̵7;t need fancy equipment, just a dark room and a bright flashlight. Candle turkey eggs quickly so the eggs can be returned to the parents or incubator quickly.

Things You'll Need

  • Turkey egg
  • Flashlight
  • Dark room
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Instructions

    • 1

      Take the turkey egg and a flashlight into a dark room. The room should have as little light as possible coming into it.

    • 2

      Hold the egg in one hand. Shine the flashlight up from the bottom of the egg while holding the light close to (almost touching) the egg. This will produce a shadow of what is inside the egg.

    • 3

      Rotate the egg as needed to get a better view. But do not hold the egg up to the hot light for more than a minute or two; you don̵7;t want to cook the egg.

    • 4

      Take a close look at the shadow. Viable eggs will reveal a shadowy outline of the developing chick. At first it will look like a dark spot with veins radiating out. If it has been a week or two since the hen laid the egg, you may see the chick move.