Egg candlling in daylight in aviary - methods?

[Finchy]

Hi

Does anyone have a preferred method for egg candling in a daylight situation in an outdoor aviary please? I need to remove and replace a lot of well-used wicker nests, but don't want to remove the ones containing viable eggs. So I need to roll the eggs out carefully and then candle them, but how would you expect that to go in full daylight? Do you have any tips for doing this successfully please?

Thanks

[Danny]

Get one of the little fibreoptic lights or LED's on a flexible stem (mechanics use them so they are probably all over ebay or Supercheap Auto) and candle them in the nest if possible without having to pull them out. If you must roll them out then the light from these is usually bright enough in a cupped hand

[Tiaris]

Could go by their warmth without moving them.

[E Orix]

Can I ask why you are doing clean up work in the middle of the breeding season.
I only do work in my aviaries during the breeding season when I have no other option.
The less stress by me the better.

[Craig52]

Get one of the little fibreoptic lights or LED's on a flexible stem (mechanics use them so they are probably all over ebay or Supercheap Auto) and candle them in the nest if possible without having to pull them out. If you must roll them out then the light from these is usually bright enough in a cupped hand

As Danny said,easy if only looking in cane nests. Craig

[desertbirds]

Can I ask why you are doing clean up work in the middle of the breeding season.
I only do work in my aviaries during the breeding season when I have no other option.
The less stress by me the better.

With the temps some parts have had over the last month or so, this is not much of a breeding season. Its more like the the" hit and miss season" and many nestings will fail or be half hearted.Depending on the weather, what species are being kept and the location i wouldnt mind betting most eggs are duds unles they are zebbies. Without candling the eggs , if you look in the wicker nest and see eggs of odd colour, as in half clear half solid, they`re dead. If they are a super rare species then candling would be an option but with the temps most people have experienced there wouldn`t be a lot of harm in getting rid of this round and waiting till temps and storms subside a bit.If youre in an area that still might have some scorching days then its an up hill battle for the chicks that hatch and some exta stress on the parents.

Its been a very warm summer for a fair portion of the country and reckon theres better breeding to be had in a month or so.
The flexible stem lights look a bit like snakes , i tried it and i dont reckon i would again. Just my opinion.

[Finchy]

Thanks everyone. I really liked the flexible light idea and found a very cool one on eBay...which I am going to buy anyway, just for me!...but in the meantime I found that the little LED light on a miniature microscope I have does the trick very well. Also the temperature difference was pretty reliable.

Out of 19 nests I found 2 with a total of 5 viable eggs (+ 60 non-viable ones!!), and a single baby. So three active nests and a whole heap of mess that really just had to be dealt with before the birds get going properly. They now have lovely freshly sterilised nests to go back in tomorrow. I keep mostly Gouldians and the girls are not ready yet because it's been a weird start to the season weather-wise. I think they will pick up speed in February.

[Netsurfer]

Is there a need for candling finch eggs, certainly not, you can tell just by looking at them which one's good which is not. Any that looks clear after the third day is just that or infertile. If the color looks "dirty white" or 2 shades then the embryo died, if it's "clean" pure white all over then it's fertile and still alive. Anyhow, whatever doesn't hatch after 14 to 16 days it's dead you can chuck it out! In cavity breeders like grass finches and waxbills it is best not to touch even after some of the eggs hatch. However, even by looking in the cavity nests using one of those flexible dentist's mirror with the light on it you should be able to tell if they are fertile or not.

[TomDeGraaff]

Finchy, is it the one that drapes around your neck? I just bought one of those!

[Finchy]

Yes! They call it a 'Huglight' - one wide beam, one narrow, with adjustable brightness. Have you received yours yet? Like it?

Looks like an irresistible little 'Finchy must have it gadget' to me. Thank you China .