don't want exploding eggs, can't see in some - advice please!

[Phoenixxx]

I'm hatching with an incubator for the first time ever. I've been reading that bad eggs can explode! How can I avoid this and are there things I can do to keep any mess to a minimum?

The incubator is a hovobator circulated air model. No auto turner, the eggs are laid out on the wire mesh.

I'm on day 11. I candled with a flashlight on day 9. Some eggs definitely had stuff happening, some I wasn't sure about and the rest I just couldn't see through the shells to know anything.

I don't want to accidentally throw out any good eggs but what to do about the ones I can't see through?

Thanks!

One more question: how soon should I be concerned about exploding eggs? Is it closer to hatch time or will some start to go now?

 

[Ridgerunner]

What causes an egg to explode or more likely seep a foul liquid is that bacteria gets inside. It doesn’t matter if the egg if fertile and developing or not. The egg material inside is a perfect food for bacteria to eat and grow, and incubation temperature is the perfect temperature for that also. If a chick is developing inside, it will kill the chick.

A hen will lay a batch of eggs over a two week period or longer, sometimes on the ground, then set on them for three weeks for them to hatch. A duck or turkey has to set even longer, and with a duck often not in a real clean place. It is really pretty rare when an egg goes bad. In spite of what you may read on here, it really doesn’t happen that often.

So what can you do to minimize the chances of it happening to you?

When a hen lays an egg, the last thing she does is put a coating on it called “bloom”. That bloom is not perfect, but it does a real good job of keeping bacteria out while allowing the porous egg shell to breathe. So don’t remove that protective coating. Don’t wash the eggs or scrape them with sandpaper, things like that. And don’t set dirty eggs. I’m not talking about eggs that are very lightly stained, but eggs with clumps of poop or mud on them. That can let bacteria in and remove the bloom if you wash or sandpaper it off. I’ve had the brown color come off when I wipe wet poop off an egg. That certainly took the bloom off.

Keep your hands clean when handling the eggs. Don’t handle the eggs when your hands are oily, greasy, or dirty. Keep your incubator clean. Sterilize it after each use. Try to keep bacteria away from your incubating eggs.

Since you are turning them by hand especially, sniff them. That egg shell is porous so the developing chick can breathe. If an egg goes bad, you will get that rotten egg smell. It should be real obvious.

It is possible that something like this can happen, but in reality most of us never go through this experience. Just because something is possible doesn’t mean it is guaranteed to happen. But if it does happen to you, it is not good.

Good luck with the hatch.

 

[Phoenixxx]

Thanks! Yes, I know about the bloom, none of the eggs I set were washed I also make sure my hands are clean and dry prior to turning.

 

[Demidog]

Hello Phoenixxx! I am also incubating my first hatch! I'm on day 6 and i think i can see veins on 2 possibly out of my 10 eggs, the rest I'm not sure and i need to get a brighter torch (my friend's bringing one round later tonight and we're going to have another look). I though i saw movement in egg 3 today, but I'm not able to see very well with my crappy torch. What day of incubation are your eggs on?

 

[Phoenixxx]

Hello Phoenixxx! I am also incubating my first hatch! I'm on day 6 and i think i can see veins on 2 possibly out of my 10 eggs, the rest I'm not sure and i need to get a brighter torch (my friend's bringing one round later tonight and we're going to have another look). I though i saw movement in egg 3 today, but I'm not able to see very well with my crappy torch. What day of incubation are your eggs on? 

I'm on day 11. May candle again tonight and put the "for sures" on one side and the "don't knows" on the other. I can't wait, I lost 7 to coyotes or foxes just a few days ago! I've got to find a better way of stapling the run wire!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know what your run looks like, but the way I attach the wire is to take a board maybe 3/4" thick, drill pilot holes in that, and fit it over the wire on a post or building with screws. If you put the screws through holes in the wire and snug that board down tight, it's not going anywhere. The pilot holes are to keep the board from splitting as well as make it easy to screw.

 

[Demidog]

Mine are due to hatch 5 days after yours then I just candled mine now again. My friend gave me a better light and i can see veins in all of them apart from 2 eggs which i can't tell because they are very mottled. I can't believe they're growing, i was sure my DIY improvised incubator wouldn't be good enough. I'm really excited now! I could see the eye in about half of them and i saw movement in 3 of them. Maybe they're not all alive but i can see definite veins in 8 / 10.
How many are you incubating and what can you see?


EDIT: I just candled them again and saw movement in 7 eggs, another 1 has veins but i couldn't see the embryo and the other two are too mottled to make anything out. So at least 7 are alive and kicking, I'm really pleased and my husband even said he's impressed! lol

 

[Phoenixxx]

I don't know what your run looks like, but the way I attach the wire is to take a board maybe 3/4" thick, drill pilot holes in that, and fit it over the wire on a post or building with screws. If you put the screws through holes in the wire and snug that board down tight, it's not going anywhere. The pilot holes are to keep the board from splitting as well as make it easy to screw.

Yes, I was thinking to do precisely the same! I never did build the runs to predator-proof-ness, never had a problem until just these past couple months.

 

[Phoenixxx]

Mine are due to hatch 5 days after yours then I just candled mine now again. My friend gave me a better light and i can see veins in all of them apart from 2 eggs which i can't tell because they are very mottled. I can't believe they're growing, i was sure my DIY improvised incubator wouldn't be good enough. I'm really excited now! I could see the eye in about half of them and i saw movement in 3 of them. Maybe they're not all alive but i can see definite veins in 8 / 10. 

How many are you incubating and what can you see? 



EDIT: I just candled them again and saw movement in 7 eggs, another 1 has veins but i couldn't see the embryo and the other two are too mottled to make anything out. So at least 7 are alive and kicking, I'm really pleased and my husband even said he's impressed! lol  

I've got 23 going. 13 are for sure good, 3 I can't see in, one I can see through but inside is clear and the rest I see dark stuff but no blood vessels.

 

[Demidog]

I've got 23 going. 13 are for sure good, 3 I can't see in, one I can see through but inside is clear and the rest I see dark stuff but no blood vessels.

I just opened the 3 that i suspected we not alive, and i was right. The two porous ones plus another one. There was a clear difference between the ones that are alive and moving about a lot now, and they all have lots of veining, and these other 3 that weren't moving and had hardly any veining. One of them didn't develop at all and the other two started but died.


This one didn't develop. This was one of the porous ones.


This one you can see the embryo but it had died. This one was not porous and i could see inside it. I could see there was no movement and hardly any veins compared with the rest. It was just all dark on one side and clear on the other.




And this one was porous. I thought i could see movement one time, then i never saw it again. When i opened it it was dead. You can see the embryo there, this one was the most developed.