Is this egg dead or alive? Day 22

[Pumpkin23]

Is this Egg dead or alive? It was laid on 6/19 when i thought i had a broody hen which she really wasn’t (I’m a first timer). On 6/27, then my orphinton got broody and sat on all 5 of them the whole time. 3 have hatched yesterday and one is pipping today. I’ve always been questionable about this green one as it is hard to candle and see since it’s so dark. There is a crack in it now that wasn’t there this morning. But I’m not sure if that’s pipping starting or an explosion starting?? Thoughts?

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I'm sorry but that appears to me to be an egg that quit a week or more earlier. If it were a viable chick at day 22, the only light area you will see should be the air cell in the big end of the egg. I don't see an air cell at all, unless it's hidden behind your thumb - but if so, then it's far too small for a chick about to hatch. If there IS an air cell there, and the chick has pipped into it, then holding the egg as you are would drown the chick.

You should never candle eggs or handle them at all after day 18. The chicks are moving into position inside the egg, and moving them can disturb that, as well as the critical temperature and humidity at this stage. Also, if they've internally pipped, they can drown.

Handle very carefully. If I were you, I'd wrap a rag or wad of paper towels around that egg before moving it out of the incubator. Again, I'm sorry.

 

[Pumpkin23]

I'm sorry but that appears to me to be an egg that quit a week or more earlier. If it were a viable chick at day 22, the only light area you will see should be the air cell in the big end of the egg. I don't see an air cell at all, unless it's hidden behind your thumb - but if so, then it's far too small for a chick about to hatch. If there IS an air cell there, and the chick has pipped into it, then holding the egg as you are would drown the chick.

You should never candle eggs or handle them at all after day 18. The chicks are moving into position inside the egg, and moving them can disturb that, as well as the critical temperature and humidity at this stage. Also, if they've internally pipped, they can drown.

Handle very carefully. If I were you, I'd wrap a rag or wad of paper towels around that egg before moving it out of the incubator. Again, I'm sorry.

Thank you for your input! I’ve had suspicions since day 14 of this green egg was a quitter or not. It’s so hard to see so i decided to wait. There is no air cell, just open lighting under the speckled part of the green egg. I only candled this particular egg because I’m scared of it exploding. It was developing cracking that isn’t outward like pipping which made me think exploding egg. I’m so undecided and that’s why i candled at this age of the egg. Googling mentions doing a water floating test, but it does have a crack, so i don’t dare do that. So that’s why i decided to ask this question on this forum. To see what more experienced egg hatchers insights are. Don’t be sorry, i feel pretty lucky that I have 3 hatched, and one pipping out of five eggs. I agree with you and I feel you confirmed my suspicion, i do feel that this egg was quitter a while ago. Thanks again!!

 

[SmiYa0126]

Thank you for your input! I’ve had suspicions since day 14 of this green egg was a quitter or not. It’s so hard to see so i decided to wait. There is no air cell, just open lighting under the speckled part of the green egg. I only candled this particular egg because I’m scared of it exploding. It was developing cracking that isn’t outward like pipping which made me think exploding egg. I’m so undecided and that’s why i candled at this age of the egg. Googling mentions doing a water floating test, but it does have a crack, so i don’t dare do that. So that’s why i decided to ask this question on this forum. To see what more experienced egg hatchers insights are. Don’t be sorry, i feel pretty lucky that I have 3 hatched, and one pipping out of five eggs. I agree with you and I feel you confirmed my suspicion, i do feel that this egg was quitter a while ago. Thanks again!!

I had an olive egger egg that looked like that and it hatched. I would wait.

 

[BelovedBirds]

View attachment 3192854
Is this Egg dead or alive? It was laid on 6/19 when i thought i had a broody hen which she really wasn’t (I’m a first timer). On 6/27, then my orphinton got broody and sat on all 5 of them the whole time. 3 have hatched yesterday and one is pipping today. I’ve always been questionable about this green one as it is hard to candle and see since it’s so dark. There is a crack in it now that wasn’t there this morning. But I’m not sure if that’s pipping starting or an explosion starting?? Thoughts?

it is too dark to tell, can you see movement? I would leave it alone and wait.

 

[BelovedBirds]

I'm sorry but that appears to me to be an egg that quit a week or more earlier. If it were a viable chick at day 22, the only light area you will see should be the air cell in the big end of the egg. I don't see an air cell at all, unless it's hidden behind your thumb - but if so, then it's far too small for a chick about to hatch. If there IS an air cell there, and the chick has pipped into it, then holding the egg as you are would drown the chick.

You should never candle eggs or handle them at all after day 18. The chicks are moving into position inside the egg, and moving them can disturb that, as well as the critical temperature and humidity at this stage. Also, if they've internally pipped, they can drown.

Handle very carefully. If I were you, I'd wrap a rag or wad of paper towels around that egg before moving it out of the incubator. Again, I'm sorry.

Actually, it is fine to candle and handle the eggs during lockdown if issues are suspected. But it should be very careful.
I believe there is an air cell, but that the shell is simply quite thick. For an egg to incubate this long, quitter, fertile or not, it would have an air cell.

 

[Pumpkin23]

Thanks for all your replies! Really appreciate!! It’s nice to hear advice from others that have experienced this before. My eggs were under a broody hen and not an incubator. I’d need to do more research to do an incubator. The crack i mention in my previous post this morning has some leakage and smelled awful. So a friend told me that doesn’t know anything about candling said the bad smell is a for sure sign of a bad egg. I candled it again in a darker room and looks like a quitter. I pretty sure. There has been absolutely no sign of the slightest movement. Even at 14 days, i maybe thought i seen something but i was staring at it so long, i also think my eyes were playing tricks on me.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

So a friend told me that doesn’t know anything about candling said the bad smell is a for sure sign of a bad egg.

absolutely correct. it's getting ready to blow.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Thanks for all your replies! Really appreciate!! It’s nice to hear advice from others that have experienced this before. My eggs were under a broody hen and not an incubator. I’d need to do more research to do an incubator. The crack i mention in my previous post this morning has some leakage and smelled awful. So a friend told me that doesn’t know anything about candling said the bad smell is a for sure sign of a bad egg. I candled it again in a darker room and looks like a quitter. I pretty sure. There has been absolutely no sign of the slightest movement. Even at 14 days, i maybe thought i seen something but i was staring at it so long, i also think my eyes were playing tricks on me.

the air cell is pretty huge, but yes, if there is smell, always remove the egg!!
It looks like it quit a little while ago. Perhaps day 13 give or take.

Sorry this one didnt work out!
For future reference, when a chick pips, the crack in the shell looks almost like a star, or triangle. Straight lines and inward dents are likely to be damage/a rotten egg starting to explode.

 

[Pumpkin23]

the air cell is pretty huge, but yes, if there is smell, always remove the egg!!
It looks like it quit a little while ago. Perhaps day 13 give or take.

Sorry this one didnt work out!
For future reference, when a chick pips, the crack in the shell looks almost like a star, or triangle. Straight lines and inward dents are likely to be damage/a rotten egg starting to explode.

That’s what i noticed too with the other hatching eggs and the crack that was developing on the green egg made me very concerned that it didn’t look like the other pippers and was scared of an exploding egg that I’ve heard about. I’ve been certain about the other eggs but this one at 14 weeks was just hoping it was a lazy embryo. Total learning experience and loving the tips from everyone!! Thank you!! Very appreciated!