- Oct 2, 2011
- 10
- 0
- 75
Just have to share this experience!
I lost my cockerel last year so this year I thought I'd buy some hatching eggs and keep a hen and roo and sell the rest. I went and picked up my eggs - 4 silver sussex and 4 light sussex and when I arrived home I saw one had got cracked on the journey
I thought I should probably chuck it but in the back of my mind I remembered reading something about putting nail polish or candle wax on them if you crack them late into incubation whilst candling or something so I thought I'd give it a go!
I first went and found some clear nail varnish, painted it on, then read it was actually clear stuff that helps your nails grow - decided that was not so good, wiped it off. Melted some candle wax, dripped it onto the cracks - thought 'oops, surely putting hot wax straight on will cook that bit of egg?!' shrugged and thought 'never going to work but nothing to lose!' and put the messy, blobby egg under the hen. This is the first brood i've left completely to nature and not candled or interfered and today the eggs are hatching and the badly repaired egg was the third to hatch, and the chick looks perfect! Nature is unbelievable!
Have posted a photo of just how bad the damage to the egg was, and the beautiful chick that still managed to grow in it!
also, I've never had silver sussex before - would I be right in thinking males have black faces and females have yellow faces? Not sure if its just a coincidence in these two?!
I lost my cockerel last year so this year I thought I'd buy some hatching eggs and keep a hen and roo and sell the rest. I went and picked up my eggs - 4 silver sussex and 4 light sussex and when I arrived home I saw one had got cracked on the journey
I thought I should probably chuck it but in the back of my mind I remembered reading something about putting nail polish or candle wax on them if you crack them late into incubation whilst candling or something so I thought I'd give it a go!I first went and found some clear nail varnish, painted it on, then read it was actually clear stuff that helps your nails grow - decided that was not so good, wiped it off. Melted some candle wax, dripped it onto the cracks - thought 'oops, surely putting hot wax straight on will cook that bit of egg?!' shrugged and thought 'never going to work but nothing to lose!' and put the messy, blobby egg under the hen. This is the first brood i've left completely to nature and not candled or interfered and today the eggs are hatching and the badly repaired egg was the third to hatch, and the chick looks perfect! Nature is unbelievable!
Have posted a photo of just how bad the damage to the egg was, and the beautiful chick that still managed to grow in it!
also, I've never had silver sussex before - would I be right in thinking males have black faces and females have yellow faces? Not sure if its just a coincidence in these two?!
