Are they dead!?!

[Casandra]

ok i have quail eggs and the first one laid should hatch on thanksgiving but when i candled them some are completely dark inside except for the air bubble at the rounded end. where as others have a dark shape in them that when you turn them they sink to the bottom other than that they are clear. can someone please tell me if they are dead. they have been in the incubators for about a week and a half and have not started to stink. please someone help me! i dont know if it matters but 2/3 are cournix and the others are a&m quail. thank you:/

 

[chicmom]

Hello, when you look into a quail egg (candle I mean), and you see that it's a dark mass in there with the air cell. That can be good news! But if you see a very black mass, and the mass sinks to the bottom, or as you move the egg, it just sinks, lifelessly, then that can mean a dead embryo.

It's very tricky. A good egg will have healthy blood cells forming and at a certain point, you won't be able to see much.....

If you see a distinct red ring, then that's a blood ring and the embryo died very early on.

As you look at the eggs, if you're unsure, just leave them incubate. Maybe check in another three or four days for progress....

I'm sure you can google "Quail egg incubation pics" or "Quail egg candling pics" and then you can see pictures that will help you determine a viable embryo, or a dead one.

Good luck to you,
Sharon

 

[Casandra]

Thank you so much for answering I will definatly be looking them up!