Button quail egg cracked and is still alive!

ThetaSigma

Chirping
8 Years
May 24, 2014
38
2
77
Seattle, WA
It's day 19 for my button eggs, and I was doing the float test. The last egg I accidentally dropped while it was wet, it was slippery and they are just sooo tiny, and it cracked a tiny bit (in the air cell though! lucky).

I made a small viewing window, and I saw movement. I immediately upped the humidity and put a damp and warm piece of paper towel over the hole. I saw the membrane and it still had one very visible blood vein, but was otherwise relatively pale grey. It also has a yellowish line (perhaps a fold), but I don't know what that is. (I have nothing to compare to though). I was VERY careful to not break the inner membrane, as it had not internally pipped at all, but had moved during the float test. The chick didn't seem shrink wrapped and moved easily when I tapped the egg, checking for life.

Does anyone have any suggestions?'

My bator temp has been lower than it should have been for the entire time. It's been at 98, and due to the new thermostat, I hadn't noticed. Humidity was at 50% during day 1-13, and has been at an avg of 65-75% since then.

I candled all of the eggs first and two had shadows in the air cell. I did not float those ones. The others with clear air cells floated and moved plenty, and I hope they are still okay. I increased the temp this morning and perhaps that will speed their development, should I leave it as it is or put it back at the 98?

I am worried about keeping the paper towel on the broken egg moist. I will be home all day, so I suppose I'll be checking frequently. Could the cracked egg hatch earlier because of the air convection?
 
You did the right thing by placing the wet paper towel over it, but you can leave the hole uncovered now. Just keep an eye on the humidity and keep the temperature constant. At this late stage I'd leave it at 98*F. Upping it won't make a difference now. Good luck and fingers crossed you'll have some baby quail soon!
 
I took a quick look and the chick had pipped. It pipped right into a blood vein though, and drowned or died of blood loss. I took it out and opened it up. Definitely dead. What bad luck. His mouth had a vein in it, and blood was pooled under the membrane when I took a peek the first time earlier that day. I think if if have helped at that point, it would have survived (by help I mean free the beak so it could breath, and stop the bleeding).
 

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