Is this egg alive??

[EmuLady92]

Hey everyone!
So this year I started incubating emu eggs, 8 total. All seem to be doing well, except for one.
He’s on day 39 of incubation, and his weight loss is on track, by when I do the the tap test, it just sounds hollow. The other 2 that are on the same day as him sound completely different and I’ve seen slight movement in both of them.
Is there a way to tell if he’s dead? I don’t want to keep him in the incubator if it is!
Thanks for any help!

 

[N0rb3rt0L4ncz0s]

Hy!

The embrios are move in the egg days 32-33 or more.
The egg is wiggle, what you see!
And them position up the air cell and down other side!

 

[PirateGirl]

@Pyxis can you share some of your tests that helped you decide which of your eggs was/wasn't viable?

 

[Pyxis]

@Pyxis can you share some of your tests that helped you decide which of your eggs was/wasn't viable?

Sure!

The tilt test is pretty reliable. At about day 30 or so, if there is a chick in the egg, the weight of it will tilt the pointy end of the egg down and the air cell end will be up. Here's a comparison of an egg with a chick in it and an egg with no chick with the tilt angles shown:

Another test is the heat test - take the egg out of the incubator, let it cool for about five minutes, then put a hand on each end of it. If there is a chick, the chick will be keeping the pointy end warmer than the air cell end, so you will be able to feel a temperature difference between the two ends.

 

[drumstick diva]