crazy question...can you incubate an egg out of it's shell?

[momofchicks]

The science fair at my son's school was today and this one project had pictures of all 21 days of a growing chick. So did that kid open a new egg every single day or can you incubate an egg out of it's shell? Because trust me, if you can I will try it, it is soooo amazing!!! Thanks

 

[willowcol]

I don't think so but there are picture like that on the internet. where the opened 1 a day.

 

[momofchicks]

thanks, but I may have to try it my self anyway.

 

[enola]

The egg HAS to be incubated in the shell. The heat in the incubator will dehydrate the egg very quickly without the shell.

And remember, all those chicks that the kid cracked out of the shell to take pictures of died . . . .

Looking at the pictures of developing chicks on the inter net is not nearly as gross as watching them die after you crack them out of the egg.

 

[MichiganWoods]

I think the photograph everyone is mentioning (at least I hope! This is the one that I remember!) shows a developing egg that has been cracked into a small, clear glass cup. The cup was then covered with a small piece of saran wrap, which was kept in place by a rubber band. I wondered too if that would work. They did it for some classroom experiment. My only question would be, how would you turn it? When you turn an egg, the insides turn with it. When you tilt a dish, the contents just slide. So my best guess is that it can be done, but it most likely wouldn't hatch a perfect baby. You'd also have to "pip" the saran wrap on Day 21.

 

[shawnkfl]

it's been done, sure. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1783564

 

[Goose and Fig]

I would think that an embryo in a glass jar with plastic wrap would drown. The egg shells are porous- and part of a living thing. Plus the veining would be destroyed. Doesn't sound like a happy ending to that experiment.