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Story: Poultry industry

Candling

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Candling

Candling is when a light is shone behind eggs, allowing an operator to check for cracks and see if they are fertile. Fertility checks need to be made five to seven days after the egg has been laid. If an egg is fertile, a pattern of fine red veins will be observed.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: AANR 6329 60 A1511

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Vanessa Wintle and Stacey Lepper, Poultry industry – Egg farming and production, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/17302/candling (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Vanessa Wintle and Stacey Lepper, published 1 March 2009.