6 Best Incubator Egg Candlers For Viability Checks That Boost Hatch Rates
Boost hatch rates by checking egg viability. Our guide reviews the 6 best incubator egg candlers, essential tools for monitoring embryo development.
Staring at an incubator full of eggs feels like a mix of hope and guesswork. You follow all the rules for temperature and humidity, but you’re still flying blind for three weeks. Candling is how you turn on the lights, transforming a mysterious process into one you can actively manage for better results.
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Why Candling Is Crucial for a Successful Hatch
Candling eggs isn’t just for satisfying your curiosity. It’s a critical management tool that directly impacts your hatch rate. By identifying non-viable eggs early, you can remove them from the incubator, preventing them from potentially rotting and releasing bacteria that can contaminate the entire batch. A single "stinker" can ruin a whole hatch.
This process also helps you manage your resources. Incubator space is valuable, especially if you’re running multiple hatches. Removing infertile eggs or early quitters frees up room and ensures the viable embryos get consistent heat and airflow. It also gives you valuable feedback on your flock’s fertility, helping you troubleshoot issues with your rooster or breeding pairs long before the hatch is due.
Think of it as quality control. You wouldn’t let bad apples spoil the bunch, and the same principle applies here. Regular candling at key checkpoints turns you from a passive observer into an active participant in the success of your hatch. It’s a simple skill that pays huge dividends.
Brinsea OvaScope for Viewing Dark Egg Shells
If you’re hatching dark-shelled eggs like Marans, Welsummers, or even some olive eggers, a standard flashlight just won’t cut it. The Brinsea OvaScope is purpose-built for this challenge. Its design completely encloses the egg, blocking all ambient light so the candler’s beam is focused entirely on penetrating that dark shell.
The device also magnifies the view, making it easier to spot the faint veins and subtle development in those early days. It’s a specialized tool, and its price reflects that. You don’t need this for white Leghorn eggs, but for dark-egg enthusiasts, it’s the difference between seeing clearly and just guessing.
The OvaScope is an investment in certainty. It connects directly to a power source, so you don’t worry about fading batteries dimming the light midway through a check. For anyone serious about hatching eggs with challenging shells, this tool eliminates the biggest variable and lets you see what’s really going on inside.
Titan High Intensity Candler for All-Around Use
The Titan High Intensity Candler is the workhorse of egg candlers. It’s incredibly bright, which gives it the power to punch through a wide variety of shell colors, from pale blue Ameraucana eggs to light brown Wyandotte eggs. This versatility makes it a fantastic all-around choice for the hobby farmer with a mixed flock.
Its power comes from a high-intensity LED bulb that generates a lot of light without generating a lot of heat, which is crucial for embryo safety. The unit is typically robust and built to last, making it a reliable tool you’ll have for many seasons. If you can only buy one candler and you want it to handle almost anything you throw at it, this is a strong contender.
The only real tradeoff is that its intense beam can sometimes be too bright for very thin, white shells in the first few days of development. However, you can easily manage this by not pressing the egg directly against the light source. For its power and flexibility, it’s one of the best long-term investments you can make for your hatching setup.
Magicfly Bright LED: A Solid Starter Candler
Not everyone needs a high-powered, expensive candler right out of the gate. The Magicfly Bright LED candler is a perfect example of a budget-friendly tool that gets the job done for most beginners. It’s simple, battery-powered, and provides enough light to clearly see development in white or light-colored eggs.
This is the tool you get when you’re just starting with chickens like Leghorns, Easter Eggers, or other breeds with light-tinted shells. It will clearly show you the spiderweb of veins at day 7 and the growing embryo later on. Its small size and simple operation make it unintimidating and easy to use.
The limitation is obvious: it will struggle with dark brown or thick-shelled eggs. Don’t expect to see much inside a Marans egg with this one. But for the price, that’s a perfectly acceptable tradeoff. It’s a fantastic entry-level candler that helps you learn the skill without a significant financial commitment.
Kebi Candler Tester for Quick Viability Checks
Sometimes, you just need a quick, no-fuss answer. The Kebi Candler Tester is built for speed and simplicity. It’s a compact, often pen-sized light that you can carry in your pocket and use for a fast check on an egg’s status.
This isn’t a tool for detailed observation or admiring the embryo’s movement. It’s a go/no-go gauge. You hold it to the egg, and its focused beam tells you if there’s development or not. It’s perfect for sorting through a large batch of eggs quickly to pull out the obvious "clears" without a big production.
Because of its focused, intense beam, it’s surprisingly effective on a range of shell colors for its size. Its main advantage is convenience. You can grab it, check a few questionable eggs, and put it away without having to set up a dedicated candling station in a dark room.
Incu-Bright Candler: A Reliable, Cool-Light Tool
One of the biggest fears for new hatchers is accidentally cooking the embryo with a hot light. The Incu-Bright Candler is designed specifically to eliminate that risk. It uses a cool-running, high-efficiency LED that provides excellent illumination without transferring dangerous heat to the eggshell.
This candler is incredibly easy to use. It comes with a flexible rubber ring that creates a perfect seal around the egg, blocking out ambient light and focusing the beam for a clear view. This design makes it a very reliable and forgiving tool, especially for those who are still getting the hang of the candling process.
The Incu-Bright provides a great balance of brightness, safety, and ease of use. It’s powerful enough for most common chicken eggshells without being so intense that it washes out the details on thinner shells. It’s a solid, dependable choice that prioritizes the safety of the embryo above all else.
HovaBator Cool Light for Delicate Embryo Viewing
The HovaBator Cool Light is often sold alongside their popular incubators, and it’s designed with the same philosophy: gentle and effective. This candler is not the brightest on the market, and that’s by design. Its softer light is ideal for viewing very early-stage embryos without the risk of causing stress or damage.
This tool is particularly good for delicate eggs, like those from quail or bantams, where the embryos are smaller and potentially more sensitive. The light is sufficient to reveal the first signs of veining and development in light-to-medium colored shells without overwhelming the view.
While it may not be the best choice for very dark Marans eggs, it’s an excellent, safe option for the majority of backyard flocks. If you’re concerned about being too aggressive with a high-intensity light, the HovaBator candler offers peace of mind. It’s a gentle and effective tool for monitoring those crucial first days of development.
What to Look for When Candling: Days 7, 14, 18
Candling isn’t a one-time event; it’s a series of checkpoints. Each stage tells you something different about the health of your hatch. Knowing what to look for—and when—is the key.
Day 7 is the first major viability check. By now, a healthy embryo will look like a small, dark spot with a distinct network of blood vessels spreading out like a spiderweb. If you see this, the egg is developing. If the egg is completely clear and yellow inside, it’s infertile (a "yolker"). If you see a distinct red ring or smear of blood with no clear embryo, it’s a "blood ring," meaning the embryo died very early. Remove all clears and blood rings.
Day 14 is the check for continued growth. The embryo is now much larger and will look like a dark mass filling a good portion of the egg. The air sac at the large end of the egg will be noticeably bigger. If you hold the egg still, you can often see movement, which is the best sign of a healthy, active chick. Any eggs that showed development on day 7 but now look cloudy or have a detached, sloshing blood ring have died and should be removed.
Day 18 is the final check before lockdown. The chick now fills almost the entire egg, except for the large air sac. The inside will appear almost completely dark. This is your last chance to remove any eggs that may have quit late in development. After this check, you should stop turning the eggs and increase humidity, leaving them undisturbed until they hatch.
Ultimately, the best candler is the one you’ll actually use. It’s a skill that builds confidence with every hatch, turning you from a hopeful spectator into a knowledgeable flock manager. Start with a tool that fits your flock and your budget, and you’ll see your hatch rates climb.
