Candling are the process of looking through a parrot egg shell using a high-intensity light. This allow for a person to see the development of an embryo inside of the parrot egg. Candling is used for providing visual information to a person that they are unable to obtain by looking at the outside of the parrot egg.
Candling allows for a person to use a light to observe the parrot egg to determine whether the parrot egg is fertile or if the parot egg is infertile. If the parrot egg appear clear and translucent when candled, the parrot egg is likely infertile. However, if a network of veins is visible inside of the egg when candled, the egg contains an embryo and is fertile.
Checking Parrot Eggs with a Light
By determining if a parrot egg is infertile through the candling process, a person can save resources for that egg, as it is known that those resources will not be used towards developing and caring for an embryo inside of the egg. Beyond determining the fertility of the parrot egg, the embryo within the egg can change the appearance of the egg when candled. As the embryo within the parrot egg grow, the appearance of the parrot egg will change from clear and translucent to a dark and opaque mass within the egg.
Another feature of the parrot egg that can be observed during the candling process is an air cell that form at the blunt end of the egg. This air cell is the first lung for the chick that will develop within the egg. The size of this air cell reveals information regarding the humidity of the incubator in which the egg is being held.
For example, if the air cell within the parrot egg is too large, this indicate that the humidity within the incubator is too low. Too low humidity levels may lead to the chick developing a shrinking wrap against the shell of the parrot egg. Conversely, if the air cell within the parrot egg is too small, this is indicative of too highly humidity within the incubator.
Too high of humidity levels may cause the chick to drown within the egg. Beyond incubation timelines for each species of bird, some species of birds require that there eggs be turned more frequent than other species. For instance, some species may require the eggs to be turned every few hours, while other species may not require the eggs to be turned at all.
It is important for those that intend to incubate parrot eggs to understand these different requirement for each species, as failing to follow these requirements could lead to the chick within the egg to become weaker than it should of been. When the hatching process nears its end, the parrot eggs should undergo a phase known as lockdown. During this phase, the eggs should not be turned, and the humidity level within the eggs should be increased.
Increasing the humidity levels allow for the membranes that contain the chick within the egg to remain supple. Turning the eggs during this phase may prevent the chick from being able to properly hatch, as the chick should move from the internal air cell to an external pip. An external pip is the crack that the chick makes in the shell of the parrot egg.
Many people make the mistake of attempting to assist the chick when they first observe the external pip that the chick made in its shell. However, it is not recommended to assist the chick in the hatching process when the first external pip is observed. The hatching process allow for the chick to strengthen its muscles and lungs.
If someone prematurely removes the shell of the parrot egg during the incubation period, the chick may become unable to absorb the yolk sac properly. Only intervene in the hatching process in the case that the membrane dried out and became trapped to the chick, otherwise, permit the chick to hatch on its own. After the chick has successfully hatched, the focus should shift from the incubator to the brooder for the newly-hatched chick.
A newborn chick require a steady temperature of 95 degrees, and must be fed frequently. At this point, the focus shift from observing the parrot eggs to hand-rearing the newly-hatched chick. Breeding parrots successfully requires an understanding of the data of the different stage of the parrot eggs, and successful breeding is achieved through proper monitoring of the humidity, temperature of the incubator, and the visual cue during the candling process.