Rotten egg smell with fully developed chick inside.

[Cheesay]

Hi all. I found a nest of eggs that the chickens have been hiding from me. I collected the eggs and broke a few of them open just to see how old they were. One had a fully developed chick inside, but it smelled like rotten eggs when cracked open. The chick was dead. Is this a normal smell for developing chicks or is this smell associated with a chick that had already died and been dead? I currently have a broody hen that I could stick the remaining eggs under, but if they are no good for hatching, then I'll just pitch them.

 

[Kiki]

Smell = NO GOOD.
Can you candle them to check for life?

 

[Cheesay]

I just candled them. I've never done it before and just looked up how to do it. I candled a freshly laid egg first so I knew what that looked like. Most of the eggs in the clutch were solid...light wouldn't pass through anywhere. A few had a little air pocket where light went through with the rest of the egg solid. I couldn't see any movement or veins. I then took an egg from my broody hen, who has been on them for a few weeks. That egg had a little air pocket where light went through, but the rest was solid...no veins or movement. Not sure if that was a good egg to compare it too. I really have no idea what I'm doing though.

 

[Kiki]

candling chicken eggs

Do you know ABOUT how long she has been sitting on them?

 

[Cheesay]

Nobody was sitting on the clutch of eggs I found.

The broody hen has been sitting at least 2 weeks on hers. Probably a little more than 2 weeks. I keep thinking babies should be hatching soon, but she hasn't been the best as she'll forget where she's been sitting after getting up and sometimes sit in an empty box, so I'm not sure if her clutch are the best comparison.

 

[pennyJo1960]

She may have left the nest too long got cold died from it