Exploding Eggs!

[chickenz500]

Hello, I am new to hatching eggs, and so is my hen. I had three eggs that exploded today.

I have heard of this happening and I was wondering why this is happening. I was also wondering if there was any way to prevent this too. Please help!

 

[katelk]

It means the eggs were never fertilized. They became rotten and the build-up of gasses and bacteria made it explode. It is important to remove them immediately and make sure the nest and other eggs are still clean. This can be prevented by candling the eggs to ensure that they are viable around 3-4 days into incubation. However, I do not usually candle mine when I am using a broody hen because it stresses her out. I have had plenty of exploding eggs and still end up with excellent hatches. No worries

 

[chickenz500]

Thanks! I am left with only 2 eggs left. I am hoping I get 2 chicks but you never know. I have cleaned the nest, but I still smells awful! Thank you though!

 

[katelk]

Good luck with the last 2 eggs! If you don't mind me asking, how many hens do you have per rooster? I have 2 roosters and 10 hens and get a pretty reliable 90% hatch rate, meaning 9 out of 10 eggs hatch including ones that were not fertilized to begin with. This is the only setup I have ever had and am just wondering about how other ratios of boys to girls turn out

 

[chickenz500]

I have two roosters and 17 hens. The roosters are younger though so they might not be very reliable. My hens are also a little territorial and don't nessecarily let the Roos do their job.

 

[katelk]

Oh my! Hehe they are probably just newbies at wooing the ladies
Probably with so many girls and inexperienced boys it may take a bit to get consistently fertilized eggs. I usually put around 10 eggs under one broody hen though, so putting more in the nest may increase your chances of hatching. Good luck!

 

[chickenz500]

Thank you! Yes my Roos could be a lot more sucessful than they are now.