Baking soda in a bator?

[GBov]

Have set a test batch of eggs and they are in lock down but last night UGH, a very NASTY smell started wiffing from the bator. I checked each egg but see no broken ones so put a cup of baking soda to soak up the smell.

Is that an OK thing to do? I have almost no hope of anything hatching from these eggs as they are just checking if I have a stealth rooster in my girls but wouldnt want to kill any little chickies if they are in there.

I use it all over the house for different things but this is the first bator use. It did the trick though, no smell from the bator this morning

 

[ranchhand]

I'd be looking for the source of the smell- have you candled any of the eggs to see if they're viable? By lockdown you would surely know. Sounds to me like you have a bad egg and if you leave it it may well explode, contaminating the entire group. Hate to break lockdown, but it this case I sure would!

 

[JJMR794]

Ranchhand Makes A Very Good Point. While I Wouldnt Worry About Exploding Eggs (quail Eggs Rarely Explode) I Would Worry About Hunting Out The Rotten 1, As That Ugly Odor Is Sulfur Dioxide, A Byproduct Of Decomposition. Its An Asphyxiant And In A Small Closed Space Like An Incubator Will Suffocate Other Embryos. As Far As Baking Soda In The Incubator?? I Dunno About That 1, Its An A Base And When A Base Reacts With An Acid They Give Off High Amounts Of Hydrogen Gas Which Can Do The Same Thing As The Sulfur Dioxide, So It May Not Be A Good Idea Either--- Not Sure About It, Never Heard Of Anyone Trying It???

 

[GBov]

I have tried to candle the eggs but my girls have started laying dark blotched khaki colored eggs and I just cant see through them! And I did pick up EVERY egg and look it over but no cracks I could see....................

It seems silly to be worrying about what is most likely a dud batch of eggs but cant help it

eggs in a bator are just such little treasure boxes.

Any tips for candling dark eggs? Am pretty good with chicken eggs but these just look black when I try.

 

[Stellar]

I always remove a stinky egg. If you remove a stinky egg, the smell usuall goes away a little. But I do not suggest putting Baking soda in the hatcher. The hatcher is meant for water and the eggs to hatch and then you can clean it out.

 

[JJMR794]

Quote:
FLOAT TEST THEM--- ITS COVERED IN THE STICKY AT THE TOP OF THE SECTION

 

[GBov]

Quote:
FLOAT TEST THEM--- ITS COVERED IN THE STICKY AT THE TOP OF THE SECTION

Hadnt thought of that!

I have tried taking out each egg and smelling it but no luck, still cant find the stinker.

 

[GBov]

Well POOP!

Dont have a thermometer

 

[joe125]

Baking soda's PH is on the base side, but it is a carbonate salts. Contact with acid, neutralizes the acid, and releases CO2 gas, not hydrogen gas. Neither of which you want building up in your bator! It's main element is salt, so contact with metals (Especially ferrous metals) can increase oxidation of those metals. It's smell fighting abilities comes from it's single very reactive carbon element.
So much for the chem. stuff!

If you don't have a rotten egg in there, then it is my best guess that it's just a funky bator. This is why I suggest a dual bator hatcher setup.

What to do now? Nothing....see what happens.

 

[kingmt]

It will pull humidity out of the air.