Hatching Eggs with Meat Spots

[CluckNDoodle]

The more I hatch chicks, the more curious I get about the tiny details. So I'm really curious, has anyone knowingly incubated or successfully hatched an egg with a meat spot? I'm curious how a meat spot actually affects viability or if it even does.

I always candle my hatching eggs prior to setting them in the incubator but when I candled this egg I didn't see the meat spot. As a matter of fact, I didn't see the meat spot on day 3 when I candled the eggs for viability either. I put a question mark on the egg and placed it back in the incubator to check later. So today, day 5, I removed my question mark eggs from the incubator to check again and I saw the little black dot. It clearly wasn't developing so I decided to crack it open and investigate. Low and behold, there was a meat spot that for whatever reason I couldn't see initially. I either overlooked it entirely or it somehow darkened in color while being in the warm incubator. What I find I'm more intrigued by is that (while hard to see in the image) it's clearly fertilized but didn't start to develop. Is this even related to the meat spot or am I just overthinking it? lol, Mostly I just want to know if anyone has candled, clearly seen a meat spot, and incubated anyway...and if so, what happened in your hatch?

 

[sourland]

Great question. Hopefully someone will have the answer.

 

[jolenesdad]

interesting.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Mostly I just want to know if anyone has candled, clearly seen a meat spot, and incubated anyway

I don't candle before setting, but for informational purposes... I did have a major decrease in hatch rates.. specifically in my Marans... who I sold off specifically due to too many meat spots in the eggs for me to be comfortable giving them away even for eating for free. The two did correlate in my opinion, despite no proof.

Those that don't have too much development get scrambled or boiled and fed back to the animals.

Ehhh, I've euthanized/culled enough chicks... probably not worth the experiment to me... I'd just avoid when possible.

But then again... I love a good investigation!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I don't candle before setting, but for informational purposes... I did have a major decrease in hatch rates.. specifically in my Marans... who I sold off specifically due to too many meat spots in the eggs for me to be comfortable giving them away even for eating for free. The two did correlate in my opinion, despite no proof.

Those that don't have too much development get scrambled or boiled and fed back to the animals.

Ehhh, I've euthanized/culled enough chicks... probably not worth the experiment to me... I'd just avoid when possible.

But then again... I love a good investigation!

Thank you for your input! Your experience makes me lean even more towards the likelihood that the meat spot actually affects the embryos ability to develop...but I so wish I knew why, lol, I mean, it's basically a piece of oviduct tissue, gross , but I wonder why that would change anything...hormones?

I don't really want to test the theory out either...but I want to know! lol

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Copy and paste from a hatchalong "I've never had one with a meat spot develop. Like at all. Don't know the "why" behind it but they seem to do exactly what you experienced. A whole lot of nothing."

While doing some reading I found a very interesting article from the 40's. It's discussed meat spots in great depth. Lots of good information but how it applies here is they can be created by high temperature in an egg with a burst blood vessel. So it could very well be the OP didn't see anything at candling. Especially a small dark spot like the one pictures.

I also learned a ton of new information about PH in hatching eggs. I'll link that reference as well. So cool!

This is the article. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.883.8915&rep=rep1&type=pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiH-urjnLjnAhWVLs0KHQlZB4YQFjARegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw2BQxILr0siJiPVgB2eLCUZ


https://poultryperformanceplus.com/information-database/general/149-ph-of-eggs

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Copy and paste from a hatchalong "I've never had one with a meat spot develop. Like at all. Don't know the "why" behind it but they seem to do exactly what you experienced. A whole lot of nothing."

While doing some reading I found a very interesting article from the 40's. It's discussed meat spots in great depth. Lots of good information but how it applies here is they can be created by high temperature in an egg with a burst blood vessel. So it could very well be the OP didn't see anything at candling. Especially a small dark spot like the one pictures.

I also learned a ton of new information about PH in hatching eggs. I'll link that reference as well. So cool!

This is the article. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.883.8915&rep=rep1&type=pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiH-urjnLjnAhWVLs0KHQlZB4YQFjARegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw2BQxILr0siJiPVgB2eLCUZ


https://poultryperformanceplus.com/information-database/general/149-ph-of-eggs

Thank you for adding your experience! I came across that article and read through it too, very interesting read.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have set eggs with meat spots before, while the other eggs develop the meat spot egg tricks me into thinking it is developing, at least until day 5 or so, before I realize it is a meat spot. Meat spot eggs although they can be eaten, farmers of old used candling to eliminate meat spot eggs for selling and hatching. I am sure they have hatched out before though. I currently have a meat spot egg, I am going to set eggs next week, I will put it in with those to see what happens.