Ew, ick. I opened an egg I thought was dead -- UPDATED 05/24/11

[Denninmi]

Today is day 29. One of the eggs I have left hasn't done anything visually for about 5-6 days now, now visible changes.

It is all messed up anyway. It has a pretty detached membrane -- the whole thing would just slosh all around in their, veins and all.

Since I believed it to be dead, I took it out and opened the top of the egg above the aire cell.

Well, something is alive in there. I can see a large yolk sac and some movement, but I really couldn't discern what end I was looking at, best guess maybe back or shoulders.

I can't imagine this would have lived even if I hadn't opened it up.

However, I put some tape over the hole and put it back in. I didn't puncture the inner membrane with the blood vessels, just the outer membrane.

Gross, and sad.

 

[Balbinka]

Yikes! Keep us updated on what happens!

If it is Day 29, they can hatch anytime now.

 

[Duckchick2011]

I did the exact same thing with an egg I thought was dead (someone had knocked into the bator and disloged the plug a bit, the heat was turned off for two or more days with the fan still going, the eggs were cold) I even candled it and my prognosis was DEAD, I cracked it open and almost cried when I saw the little thing shift in there. I ran and put tape on it but to my incredible dissappointment it died anyway, the guilt was incredible, but I had really believed it was dead...

Hopefully you will have better luck than I did....

 

[echix]

Wait a minute.... I was told when you candle and it's all sloshy and runny and there is just nothing but LIQUID in there that there is nothing in there that is right!

I had 4 eggs that I took out of nest today because they were SLOSHING like WATER and when candled there was nothing but just liquid sloshing around in there - nothing attached anywhere to the shell... just looked like a balloon filled with water and a flashlight going through it rolling around.

Tell me I'm right!! What did you see or hear that made you think the eggs were dead??

 

[pete55]

Hi

Echix - I think you were right with your dud eggs. When the fluid is freely moving and there are no visible active blood vessels this usually indicates embryonic death. If the embryonic death is later then the dark mass of the dead embryo also moves when the egg is rotated. A further indicator is the appearence of pale straw coloured fluid around the embryo as the blood vessels collapse.

Was the confusion from my earlier comments?

"Once the embryo dies then it rapidly decomposes and breaks down as do the vessels and membranes. The sloshing around is a pretty good indicator of embryonic death. However there no reason to suspect that the remaining 9 will not proceed to hatch if they appearred ok at day 27."

However although free moving fluid is an indicator of death it should not be taken as the only indicator and the egg candled to check for blood vessels and movement. Jarring of fertile eggs can cause detached air cells but the embryo may still be viable. However in this case although there may be free fluid in the air cell there will still be active blood vessels on candling. See this link for detached air cells;

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=501034

Hope that helps

Pete

 

[pete55]

Denninmi - dont give up hope as you've not broken the inner membrane and the embryo is safe beneath there. You've done the right thing to tape the hole you've made over the air cell. This will prevent excess moisture loss. If the egg's still viable then it can still proceed to internal pipping. Keep the tape in position and candle the egg carefully to check any futher progress.

Good Luck

Pete

 

[sonew123]

updates???? its been a few days already!

 

[CraigleMahhn]

What happened D:

 

[Denninmi]

Unfortunately, it didn't make it. It died Saturday night. Still had a lot of yolk unabsorbed.

I have two healthy girls from this experience.

I have one that I think is a male that hatched Saturday night also, seemed fine at the time, healthy and vigorous, and is going downhill. It won't eat or drink. I was trying to force feed it and give it electrolyte solution last night via syringe, and I got some down it but not a lot. I expect by the end of the day to find it either improving or dead, not sure which.

Finally, I have one last egg that was working on hatching this morning. Not sure how THAT is going to turn out, either.

It pipped externally about 36 hours ago, but hadn't made a lot of progress. Knocked a piece of eggshell off the pip area about the size of dime, maybe a little smaller.

And therein seems to lie part of the problem -- when that happens, the inner membrane seems to instantly shrink wrap around them. I've got the incubator set at 80%, water in the two compartments underneath, using moist warm cloths, shut the vent part way, and put some of the gel eyedrops on the membrane same as I did with the other two. It's all I can do, I'll see what happens by the time I get home. Someone is home to try to help, but not a very experienced person (plus she's 86 1/2).

Not too happy overall, because I really wanted both a male and a female, and it doesn't look like it's going to be.