Audio By Carbonatix
For most people, egg production seems simple: chickens lay, we collect, and cartons show up neatly stacked at the grocery store. But behind the scenes, there are strict rules about how eggs can be sold.
As homesteading grows in popularity, more people are starting to see what commercial egg producers have done for decades. And one South Carolina farmer recently pulled back the curtain on a particularly eerie sight: the so-called “ring of death.”
Homesteader Shows What The ‘Ring Of Death’ Looks Like In An Egg
TikTok creator Abigail Bennett (@abigailbennett26) shared a video of her candling an egg, showing what happens when development doesn’t go as planned. Her clip has been watched more than 219,900 times.
“This is also known as the ring of death,” she explains while angling the egg under a bright light. “If you’re ever candling an egg and you see a red ring like that, that is an indication that the embryo died within the first few days of incubation.”
She adds that eggs showing this ring are “no longer viable.” Viewers could see a faint red circle inside the shell—something casual egg buyers would never normally come across.
What Does It Mean To Candle An Egg?
According to the University of Illinois’ College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences, candling helps determine the condition of an egg’s air cell, yolk, and white. Farmers can use it to detect blood spots or meat spots and more importantly, to track whether an embryo has started developing.
Traditionally, candling was done by holding an egg to a small hole over a light in a dark room. Farmers would tilt and rotate the shell, watching how the yolk shifted and checking for anything unusual.
Today, most large-scale producers use conveyor belts that roll eggs past powerful lights, allowing inspectors—or in some cases, machines—to scan hundreds per minute.
The process can flag imperfections immediately. In fact, to become a certified egg producer in the United States, you must usually prove that you have proper candling facilities in place.
That’s why consumers don’t need to worry about candling their store-bought eggs at home, as the inspection already happens long before cartons hit shelves.
Commenters Share Their Thoughts
In the comments under Bennett’s video, viewers admitted the sight gave them second thoughts about cracking open their own cartons.
“So I have to candle my eggs now. Thankfully we don’t have a rooster but still,” one person said.
“I just eat all my eggs…,” another admitted.
Others offered alternative tips: “Just do a flat test on farm eggs. Submerge them in water. The bad ones float. It’s that simple.”
“New fear unlocked after reading the comments,” wrote another. “Thanks, now I’ll be checking every egg with a flashlight before eating it.”
As unsettling as the “ring of death” looks, it’s something most buyers will never encounter, thanks to the layers of inspection built into egg production.
BroBible has reached out to Abigail via TikTok direct messages.