Attempt at hatching without a shell!

[britesidefarm]

Well today, I thought it’d be fun to try and hatch out a chick without a shell

I put a yolk in a plastic cup, with some clings paper over it. (I put small safety holes in the top). Hopefully we’ll be able to watch it develop, and have some fun on the way!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Best way to learn is by doing. Full steam ahead, Cap'n! Keep the pictures coming!

 

[MGG]

@MGG did this by opening the shell and was quite sterile... bacteria was a big problem. They made it to day 18, correct me if I’m wrong MGG.

I was only trying to get you help with someone who has past experience with this

They made it to day 19.
@DancingDucks it is heartbreaking when they get that close, and don't make it. Especially when you've seen that perfect little beating heart everyday. And then, right at the end, bacteria ruins it all. I had the same perspective as you, "just a fun experiment, no harm in trying, maybe it will work, etc." but after seeing my 4 little babies die, no, never again. God designed an amazing shell for them, specially designed to supply calcium, oxygen, protection against bacteria, protection against physical damage, and much more.
Before opening the eggs, I wiped them with rubbing alcohol, then I coated the membrane with triple antibiotic ointment, covered them with saran wrap, made special little tp tube holders for them, so I could turn them multiple times a day, and hoped for the best. One died on day 12 or so, from a weird goopy bacteria on the membrane. The other 3 made it to day 19, and despite my best efforts to help them live, all 3 died. This can only be done in a super sterile lab. It can't work for backyard breeders such as us. I really wanted it to, but it's just not possible. I tried to stay as sterile as humanly possible, and it still wasn't enough. You can read my thread, which I'll link in the morning. JaeG found some very interesting info. It's a long thread, but you'll see why it just can't work. I would suggest, spare yourself the heartache and quit now, before it starts to develop. It's a hard choice to make, and it's your decision, but I just wouldn't do it.

 

[FortCluck]

It’s just an experiment....sorry if you don’t like it

@MGG did this by opening the shell and was quite sterile... bacteria was a big problem. They made it to day 18, correct me if I’m wrong MGG.

I was only trying to get you help with someone who has past experience with this

 

[JaeG]

Even in a sanitary laboratory setting (which we cannot replicate in our homes) the hatch rate of this sort of experiment is low. It is most often attempted as a means of observing tissue growth, not with the intention of producing live chicks. It is not a viable option for breeding or producing birds for the food industry, but has a place in the research of things like “transgenic chickens, embryo manipulations, tissue engineering, and basic studies in regenerative medicine.”

This page outlines the method used for shell less incubation and is well worth reading: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jpsa/51/3/51_0130043/_pdf

This is probably the most important passage and reveals why it's not a viable experiment outside of a laboratory:
The results revealed that using the culture vessel described in the present study, the highest hatchability was achieved with 55-56 h of egg preincubation, addition of 250-300 mg calcium lactate, addition of 2.5-3 ml sterilized distilled water, aeration of pure oxygen at approximately 500 ml/h from day 17 of culture (Stage 43-44). The hatchability of embryos cultured under these conditions was 57.1% (8 out of 14) when taking the number of surviving embryos at day 17 as 100%.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Hmm. This might be hard without the turning involved and with the yolk untethered.

 

[britesidefarm]

@MGG please explain why this won’t work...

It’s just an experiment....sorry if you don’t like it

 

[SueT]

I don't know if this video is truly one egg's development, but it looks like the chick made it from day one to hatching

 

[britesidefarm]

Hmm. This might be hard without the turning involved and with the yolk untethered.

I figured out a way to turn them, by sticking a toothpick underneath one side, and switching sides a few times a day

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Seems easier to have the cup tilted and turn it clockwise every few hours.

Also I've seen half shell hatches bit not this. I was actually expecting a membrane egg when I read the title