Issue: I cannot tell if my Turkey Egg is dead; still growing, but we can't see veins clearly.

[Athenaeum]

Hi, like the posts title says, I have a turkey egg that I'm honestly experimenting with after discovering it to still be developing even after being in the fridge for a week. I don't know when it started to develop, nor am I sure of when it was laid.

I have a recent image from today that I'm hoping someone can help me figure out the growth stage of? Thank you!

 

[SnackMeat]

Do you have a flashlight or can you use a phone flashlight even? Incubator flashlights are barely good enough to tell air sac and maybe a tiny bit of shadow and veins. You need to bring out the big guns for candling when it comes to unusual situations.

 

[Debbie292d]

When it was laid doesn't matter. You could have 12 eggs all laid on different days and they will all hatch the same day or close.

As for refrigeration, in case anyone says otherwise, you stand a good chance of hatching it. I've done it twice with chicken eggs. Hatch rate decreases a bit though.

I agree a better flashlight will give you a better view of what's inside. You can pick up a small LED flashlight for just a few bucks.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

A stronger flashlight will help. I also find it harder to tell how far along they are when they are shortly into incubation so I wait a week to determine that (most of mine are through broody hens so I have to estimate). I've incubated ducks eggs from the grocery store and they developed just fine. Although mine was left out all night so it ended up not hatching since it was too cold for too long.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Fridge eggs develop well but have a higher rate of late embryonic death or being dead in shell, you can still hatch them but don’t be surprised at a 50% hatch rate. The recommendations for better light/pictures are good advice. Also, compare daily development with itself and hatch mates (if any), if it continues to fill and get darker, it is alive and developing, if it stops or half turns black and the rest is a sloshy liquid red, it is dead. If in doubt wait a few days and recheck.