Seeking Advice/ Help with Candling

[oopsididitahen]

I happened across what seemed to be a disturbed nest at my school 5 days ago and found an unbroken egg. It was warm to the touch (as it's about 95 degrees here with 90% humidity). The chicks in the broken eggs still looked shiny and wet so I suspect the disturbance occurred fewer than 24hours before I came across the nest. I took home the unbroken one to see if I can hatch it (cause what else are veterinary students besides bleeding hearts?). It's been incubating at 101 degrees or near since then. I have been taught how to candle and what to look for. However, in this egg I can not see a single thing. No light shines through but I can sense a solid mass in the interior. The light I was using was strong enough to shine through an unfertilized store-bought egg of a similar color and apparent shell thickness. My questions are:
1) Why would the interior be so dark no light seems to come through?
2) Did I come across the egg too late to save it?
3) When I do a flotation test, it bobs at the surface at a 45 degree angle for 10 seconds before shifting to a vertical position with narrow end down. What does this mean? Did the yolk detach?

Thank you!

 

[WalnutHill]

All those signs sound like it's ready to hatch. Don't do any more testing, drop your temp by 1 degree to 100F, place some moist sponges around the incubator to raise humidity, and enjoy the show. You should see action within 3 or 4 days.

You didn't say how well developed the chicks in the broken eggs were. Feathers? How much yolk still unabsorbed?

 

[oopsididitahen]

Great! Thank you for the advice. I didn't poke around too much in the disturbed nest but from what I could see they did not have feathers and had head/ eyes markedly disproportionate to the rest of the body. Best guess from images I could find would be about day 10-11. Are there any other words of advice you may have for me? This is the first time I've ever done something with eggs beside eat or paint them. And my incubator was something I rigged up from a rice cooker, tupperware, paper towels for insulation, and rectal thermometer.

Do I need to make any changes there?

 

[WalnutHill]

You did say around your school, so I have to ask...what kind of egg is it? Chicken, duck, starling...after hatch care will vary, but the full dark shell in any egg means just about done.

Sounds like you've done fine with your incubator, but you will want to add humidity to assist the hatch. Sponges are the easiest way. Wet them with warm water and place in the "incubator". One may be enough, and it shouldn't touch the egg.

 

[oopsididitahen]

It's defintely a chicken egg.

 

[sam786]

ohhhh godddd
according to my experience it may hatch within a day
anyways keep your fingers crossed .....

 

[Dawns Funy Farm]

when you candled was there an air cell at the bigger end of the egg and how big was it, if it was a solid dark egg it could be rotten and could explode. was there any peeping when you lighty tap on shell with finger?

 

[sam786]

if you bigger air cell
then you will be having chances of hatching

 

[oopsididitahen]

That's my main concern. I couldn't see an air sac. There was a moment last night I thought I sensed movement when I was trying to candle it, but I am not sure it was my imagination.

 

[RubyNala97]

When you shine the light into the egg, shine it down from the fat end. What helped me my first time was to find the air cell on the store bought egg you were practicing with. It should be much smaller in the store bought but will give you an idea of where you need to look. I'll post a pic. Do you see where all the light is shining into this egg, where it looks bright? That is where the air cell is. Any movement will be right below the air cell. Anything under that will be to dark to see.

Edited to add, this egg was only around 7-9 days old, yours is further along and that is why it's so dark inside.