Methods for checking Emu eggs Pre-Hatch (please post methods)

[emu6200]

I use the tap test only, and it's been the best, most proven method yet. Yes it take a hatch or two to figure out what you are listening for...but a few days before hatch date, when you tap on the egg..it no longer sounds like a "dull thud", but rather a crisp, "tink tink" kind of sound like you are tapping on good china, or porcelain. I know immediately if an egg is "alive" or not by this method.

Dan

Hi

I have an emu egg and its 38 days old. It has not been making any noises or moving but when I tap on the egg, it sounds like a tink tink. It sounds like if the egg was hollow inside. Sounds similar to tapping on glass but a higher pitch sound. The egg used to smell like rotten eggs but I changed the water for the humidity and I mixed it with hydrogen peroxide and it doesn't smell anymore. I also did the cool down test and I let it get to room temperature but only one side feels a tiny bit warmer, almost nothing. What does this mean?

Thank You!

 

[Roch]

Hi, I have 3 eggs that are just about to hatch, 2 of them start to move at day 35, 1 isn't moving at all and I'm pretty sure it's either infertile or scrambled. Did you weight your eggs regularly? My 2 that are moving lost weight equally every week and the other one didn't lose that much weight, and it sound like porcelin since day 15 I believe. the best way to determine if something is developping inside is the weight test to me. Good luck on your hatch.

 

[Erka97]

The weight test is not for telling if anything is developing, it is only for determining if you have the correct humidity. Egg shells are porous, and as the egg incubates, water is lost. That is how you get the weight loss we see with emus and other eggs. Eggs will lose moisture whether or not anything is developing in there [although outright rotting might cause changes], and so they will all lose weight.
I myself have had several eggs that lost the right amount of weight, just like the eggs that hatched, just to open them up and find that nothing was in there at all -just scrambled egg goop.
Besides watching for wiggling, I find temperature testing to be the most reliable way to see if anything is developing. I correctly predicted that both of my "good" eggs this year would survive and hatch with this method a full week before I saw any wiggling, and I knew an egg last year was a dud because it always felt colder -soon enough it also started sloshing when moved, another sign that the egg is bad. My warmer egg that time, too, hatched.
The only things that I would rely on when stopping incubation on an egg would be smell and sloshing, both of which are pretty sure signs of bad eggs.

 

[Roch]

Didn't mean weight is THE only way to tell if something is developing inside, but if it's not losing weight at all, you can be sure that there's nothing alive inside...

 

[Erka97]

That or your humidity is REALLY off; I've even heard of eggs gaining weight, although that might be equipment error instead.

 

[Finnie]

So sorry, just thought that this forum was for exchanging ideas, didn't realize I was chatting with the god of incubation..... don't worry I won't post any others thread. Have a nice day!

I think that was uncalled for. It sounded like a fairly constructive "exchanging of ideas" to me. Was very unexpected to come to such a response from you.

 

[Oly bird]

I have two emu eggs left in my incubator. One is way past its hatch date, the other is moving around and hopefully will hatch soon. Is there a way to preserve the egg that didn’t hatch without damage. Wanted to keep the egg in tact without a rotten smell.

 

[yesbirdgo]

Hi

I have an emu egg and its 38 days old. It has not been making any noises or moving but when I tap on the egg, it sounds like a tink tink. It sounds like if the egg was hollow inside. Sounds similar to tapping on glass but a higher pitch sound. The egg used to smell like rotten eggs but I changed the water for the humidity and I mixed it with hydrogen peroxide and it doesn't smell anymore. I also did the cool down test and I let it get to room temperature but only one side feels a tiny bit warmer, almost nothing. What does this mean?

Thank You!

hi if its sounding like glass the embryo died and you didnt notice and still kept incubating it till eventually it makes that sound and its about to explod, throw it away