This is my first time incubating. I wasn't supposed to candle again until Tuesday but there was something just kind of off about the smell near the incubator.
First, my incubator is set up in the bathroom because it's the least drafty room in the house. So its not uncommon to smell a little badly in there. It had been a day or two though and I figured I had better check the eggs again. I opened the bator and it was absolutely coming from there.
I removed all the eggs I knew weren't developing. Still smelled. So I sat down and picked up each egg individually and smelled them.
The one that smells odd is a day 12- red LF cochin. I have two of them. The shells are dark so it's tough to see, the lighter shelled one I can clearly see movement and increasing size, this one has been much harder to see. I can't tell movement but it seems to be getting larger. No doubt that there is (or was) a chick in there.
These came from a group of 7 shipped ebay eggs. I really really wanted cochins and its not easy to find them. I cried when all but two didn't develop so I'm really reluctant to risk possibly discarding a good chick.
Is there any other reason an egg would smell? Its not a super offensive smell either. It's just an odd smell, like burnt hair or something.
For now I've moved it to the farthest end of the incubator and moved my least favorite eggs nearest to it. I also have a hatching incubator set up because I have staggered eggs in this one so I could move it to the other incubator and wait it out. Or should I just throw it as far back into the woods as I can and let the raccoons have it? What would you do?
First, my incubator is set up in the bathroom because it's the least drafty room in the house. So its not uncommon to smell a little badly in there. It had been a day or two though and I figured I had better check the eggs again. I opened the bator and it was absolutely coming from there.
I removed all the eggs I knew weren't developing. Still smelled. So I sat down and picked up each egg individually and smelled them.
The one that smells odd is a day 12- red LF cochin. I have two of them. The shells are dark so it's tough to see, the lighter shelled one I can clearly see movement and increasing size, this one has been much harder to see. I can't tell movement but it seems to be getting larger. No doubt that there is (or was) a chick in there.
These came from a group of 7 shipped ebay eggs. I really really wanted cochins and its not easy to find them. I cried when all but two didn't develop so I'm really reluctant to risk possibly discarding a good chick.
Is there any other reason an egg would smell? Its not a super offensive smell either. It's just an odd smell, like burnt hair or something.
For now I've moved it to the farthest end of the incubator and moved my least favorite eggs nearest to it. I also have a hatching incubator set up because I have staggered eggs in this one so I could move it to the other incubator and wait it out. Or should I just throw it as far back into the woods as I can and let the raccoons have it? What would you do?
