I put my abused eggs in the incubator this afternoon, I will not be taking them to hatch, only day 10 to see effect of trauma on development and early embryonic death. I will also be running a concurrent trial with eggs that have been stored for 2-3 weeks, adding 4 eggs every couple days from my batch that has been sitting at 68F for two weeks. I know eggs are supposed to significantly lose fertility after 10 days and these have been out 2 weeks, but how about after that, is there a continuing downward trend or no development at all? So in summation we’ll have eggs of varying age (no trauma) between 2-3 weeks of age, 4 control eggs (no trauma or age), and 3 groups of eggs with 1-3 days of trauma. None will go to hatch but probably day 10. I’ll start candling day 3 and open anything dead or questionable starting day 4.
Youd only need to take them to day 4 or so to see if they still start to grow. Unless you are someone with veterinary /veterinary science study and quals, Im not sure what benefit, knowledge wise, you would gain from incubating further than to tell if the egg is still able to start growing?
Ie if you take them to 10 days and of the ones that were growing and alive at, say 4 days, only 50% were still alive at 10 days, what evidence would you have to ensure you could attribute the embryonic death of the 50% that died, to the treatment the eggs had pre incubation? Vs all of the other reasons eggs dont hatch and chicks die in the egg? Including incubation issues?
If you take them beyond the time it takes to know if the embryo will grow at all, regardless of what results you get, what will you actually be able to prove or know for sure you have learnt about survival and early embryonic death? That for certain can only be attributed to the "abuse"of the eggs?
I get you are trying to learn something, maybe out of frustration from buying eggs to be shipped which were probably munted by handling during shipping, but I dont see how you can for certain, ever prove this even to yourself for sure, let alone to anyone else?
Maybe instead just don't buy shipped fertile eggs? Try to find some local?
Or research couriers who will actually give a f--k and handle the eggs properly?
Or otherwise if thats not an option where you are, maybe purchase live, older chicks/juvenile's and have them transported by a reputable pet transporter, one who will be accountable if live birds leave the origin and arrive dead.
So if you buy x number of birds you receive the same number of live healthy birds?
It might cost more at the onset, but is more humane than paying to buy eggs that grow embryos that die, or shipping day old hatchlings and hoping for the best in terms of warmth and their ability to retain their essential biological markers within normal ranges while contained in a small box with a little tray of gel stuff that for all you know has dried out or been tipped upside down and is no longer useful to the babies taped up in the box for however many days...
