All the talk about eggsploding eggs, and I realized I had never actually smelled that smell, though plenty of people have described it as the worst thing they’ve ever smelled.
Today I went to check on birds and noticed one of my duck’s eggs was beside her instead of under her. I picked it up to put it back under, thinking she had just lost it while turning them, and got a faint whiff of a somewhat unpleasant odor. So I decided to candle it before returning it to her – just in case. To my surprise, while candling, I couldn’t find the air cell. I tried and tried, turning it this way and that, but no. It was completely dark though, definitely not a “clear”.
To be on the safe side, I placed it in a grocery sack, tied a knot in the top, and then – outside – tapped it very, very lightly against a corner, to try to break a small hole in the air cell end so I could figure out what was going on. The grocery sack was one of my most brilliant ideas today. The egg eggsploded like it was under pressure and even through the plastic, and with the contents contained, the smell was, well, every bit as bad as y’all have said.
I guess I am curious though – does anyone know why this happened? Is this a chick that started to develop, died and rotted? Or was this never a developing egg? For reference, this was a Muscovy egg on day 28 – about a week to go.
In turkey news, I am feeling rather disconsolate. Today is hatch day for my first four RP's, and they were under a broody hen who also had 3 chicken eggs. The chicks hatched yesterday but the broody was still sitting tight on her nest, growling when I went near. Nevertheless, I checked back often, eager for my first glimpse of a poult. On my last check, the broody was off the nest. I checked it and the four turkey eggs were still there. The first three I picked up weren't even pipped, but the fourth was. I peeled back a little shell nest to the pip, enough to be able to press on the membrane - no response. So I peeled back and little more and little more and then suddenly there was blood and then I detected a slight movement. Realizing it was still alive after all, I raced back to the house, trying to figure out what to do with it. Both my Rcoms are full so I took a small towel and placed it over the top of one set of eggs, put the 4 RP eggs on the towel, turned off the turner and upped the humidity. The other eggs in there are muscovies on day 13 and I figure the increased humidity and lack of turning for a day will affect them less than the other incubator that is full of turkey eggs on day 2. If anyone thinks I'm wrong about that, don't be shy about saying so - I don't really want to lose any of them.
Anyway, the poult is still breathing so I'm just completely hands off right now and letting nature take its course. I don't expect it to make it after losing all that blood but I have to give it a chance. At least I know its nothing I did wrong (during incubation) since the broody was the one incubating it. I'm a little dismayed none of the others have even pipped though.
Today I went to check on birds and noticed one of my duck’s eggs was beside her instead of under her. I picked it up to put it back under, thinking she had just lost it while turning them, and got a faint whiff of a somewhat unpleasant odor. So I decided to candle it before returning it to her – just in case. To my surprise, while candling, I couldn’t find the air cell. I tried and tried, turning it this way and that, but no. It was completely dark though, definitely not a “clear”.
To be on the safe side, I placed it in a grocery sack, tied a knot in the top, and then – outside – tapped it very, very lightly against a corner, to try to break a small hole in the air cell end so I could figure out what was going on. The grocery sack was one of my most brilliant ideas today. The egg eggsploded like it was under pressure and even through the plastic, and with the contents contained, the smell was, well, every bit as bad as y’all have said.
I guess I am curious though – does anyone know why this happened? Is this a chick that started to develop, died and rotted? Or was this never a developing egg? For reference, this was a Muscovy egg on day 28 – about a week to go.
In turkey news, I am feeling rather disconsolate. Today is hatch day for my first four RP's, and they were under a broody hen who also had 3 chicken eggs. The chicks hatched yesterday but the broody was still sitting tight on her nest, growling when I went near. Nevertheless, I checked back often, eager for my first glimpse of a poult. On my last check, the broody was off the nest. I checked it and the four turkey eggs were still there. The first three I picked up weren't even pipped, but the fourth was. I peeled back a little shell nest to the pip, enough to be able to press on the membrane - no response. So I peeled back and little more and little more and then suddenly there was blood and then I detected a slight movement. Realizing it was still alive after all, I raced back to the house, trying to figure out what to do with it. Both my Rcoms are full so I took a small towel and placed it over the top of one set of eggs, put the 4 RP eggs on the towel, turned off the turner and upped the humidity. The other eggs in there are muscovies on day 13 and I figure the increased humidity and lack of turning for a day will affect them less than the other incubator that is full of turkey eggs on day 2. If anyone thinks I'm wrong about that, don't be shy about saying so - I don't really want to lose any of them.
Anyway, the poult is still breathing so I'm just completely hands off right now and letting nature take its course. I don't expect it to make it after losing all that blood but I have to give it a chance. At least I know its nothing I did wrong (during incubation) since the broody was the one incubating it. I'm a little dismayed none of the others have even pipped though.
