Exploding eggs

[Reawsphant01]

Hi there,

I have a large ova-easy brinsea incubator and i hatch chicks weekly to sell. Alot of the time I get exploding eggs and I am unsure of why that happens, is it to do with the humidity or the temperature or many the pressure or something? Can someone please explain the science behind it.

 

[Coops Dad]

I've never heard of an egg that exploded for any reason other than that it was rotten. Do these exploded eggs smell bad?

 

[LaFleche]

Hi there,

I have a large ova-easy brinsea incubator and i hatch chicks weekly to sell. Alot of the time I get exploding eggs and I am unsure of why that happens, is it to do with the humidity or the temperature or many the pressure or something? Can someone please explain the science behind it.

This indicates that you are not candling the eggs during the incubation process.

Fertile eggs that die off, will develop bacteria which increase rapidly due to the warm environment and causing the egg to explode if not taken out of the incubator and discarded in time.

To prevent this, you should control each egg by candling them at least three times during the incubation. Mostly done on day 7, 14 and 18.

 

[Reawsphant01]

I've never heard of an egg that exploded for any reason other than that it was rotten. Do these exploded eggs smell bad?

Really bad

 

[Coops Dad]

Really bad

Yea they're rotten. The second reply had your solution as you move forward- candle the eggs and discard any infertile ones and any that cease development.

I had one burst. It will never happen again. I considered selling the house and moving rather than deal with the smell- it lingers, ghostlike, long after the scent of cleaning supplies dissipates.

 

[Mosey2003]

It's not pressure from atmospheric conditions, it's bacteria. When you have unfertilized eggs or embryos that die early, those eggs are breeding grounds for bacteria, especially if you're setting dirty eggs. As the bacteria multiply (and an incubator is the perfect temperature and humidity for this to occur) they produce gas. The more gas they produce, the more pressure is within the eggshell, until eventually...boom.

Many people have strong opinions about the bloom on eggs, but personally, I ALWAYS sanitize my hatching eggs. I try not to set very dirty ones, but if I feel I need them I will let them run under hot tap water until the dirt comes off (not scrubbing). I use a mixture of 50% water and original gold Listerine (mouthwash) and use it sprayed on eggs. Just make sure you let them dry before you load them in. Oftentimes I will spray them daily as I collect, and then spray them all again a few hours before I'm ready to put them in the incubator.

I've never had an egg rot if it had been sanitized, even the clears if I left them in all 18 days.

If you do not believe in getting hatching eggs wet what no matter what, you're going to need to start candling more often. Day 7 and 10 especially, and pull the clears and quitters.

 

[JaeG]

Infertile eggs are only at risk of exploding if the bloom was compromised at the time of laying, ie it was laid somewhere damp/wet so the bloom couldn't dry over the whole surface of the egg leaving a path for bacteria to enter the egg from the environment. I have left plenty of infertile eggs in for the whole of incubation and never had a problem with them but that's from my own eggs and I'd never incubate the odd egg I find outside the coops (someone laid one in a puddle the other day!). I've even cracked them open on day 21 and they don't smell at all and the yolk is only just starting to degrade a little:



Eggs that begin to develop but die are definitely at risk of becoming stink bombs and the bacteria contained within can contaminate your live eggs. Candling gives you the ability to remove any that have stopped developing before they get to the point of popping.