How to Tell If Chickens in Eggs Are Still Alive

When you hatch chickens, the eggs need monitored to determine if they have fertilized. Candling the chicken eggs involves shining a light through them to inspect the contents inside. The eggs are generally candled after four days of incubation. The eggs then can continually be candled to monitor the growth of the young chickens up until it is about time for them to hatch. Inspecting the eggs allows you to remove any dead ones from the incubator, so you can focus on raising the live chickens.

Things You'll Need

  • Modeling clay
  • Paper plate
  • 6 inch LED Flashlight
  • Pint-sized plastic milk carton
  • Scissors
  • Black construction paper
  • Tape
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place a ball of modeling clay onto the center of a paper plate.

    • 2

      Insert the base of a flashlight into the center of the modeling clay. The modeling clay will keep the flashlight in an upright position. Use more modeling clay if the flashlight does not stay straight.

    • 3

      Cut the base off a pint-sized plastic milk carton and then wrap it with black construction paper. Tape the construction paper in place. Cover the bottle with the construction paper completely so that all the light shines toward the top.

    • 4

      Turn the flashlight to the on position. Place the milk bottle over the flashlight. Wrap more clay around the top of the milk bottle to seal the gaps between the top of the milk bottle and the construction paper. The clay will also help to create a base for the egg.

    • 5

      Place the wide end of the egg onto the opening over the beam of light. Turn all the lights off in the room so that you can inspect the egg carefully. Handle the eggs carefully to prevent damaging them.

    • 6

      Inspect the egg to look for small veins that will protrude from a dark center in the eggs. Eggs that do not have any veins will appear clear. An egg that appears to have small blood spots indicates that the embryo died.

    • 7

      Inspect the chicken eggs carefully to monitor the growth. Live chickens will show some type of movement in the eggs and they will appear as black silhouettes. Care for the chicken eggs properly and wait for them to hatch. The chickens will hatch within 21 days, and they can sometimes take up to 35 days to hatch.

    • 8

      Discard eggs that have not fertilized properly. Discard any eggs that have a foul odor because the chicken inside has died.