Uh oh... may have picked up a pipping egg? I don't know!

[jophoto]

I have eggs in the bator but I have a broody silkie who decided to sit on her eggs while I was gone for a few days at the end of March. She has been on these eggs for a while but other hens will get in and lay their eggs on her eggs, and she will sit on them all. I don't want chicks from the other hens right now, so occasionally, I need to grab the other eggs out from under her.

Today, I decided while she went out to eat/drink, I would candle her pile. Out of about seven eggs she has there. One was cracked, so I quick set it off to the side. 5 were either early development or not fertile, couldn't tell as it was too bright in there, but one of them is a fully formed chick, moving around a little, taking up most of the space in the egg. I went to take the cracked one out, and decided to candle it really quick and discovered, it also had a full formed chick, but I was too started to check for movement, and quick set it back down in the nest, and went to go get momma.. who promptly came back in and sat back down on her nest.

I don't know if it was pipping or not, but because I handled it, do you think I ruined it? ack! I'd love to go have a "redo" and check for movement, but like I said, I was so startled, I just put it back!

BTW - my guess it would have been day 14, but she could have had them under the pine shavings as she had been broody for longer than that.

 

[Ms.FuzzyButts]

No, handling the eggs won't hurt them.

 

[abanjaf]

You handling the egg wouldn't have caused it to be ruined. I hope the crack you saw was the chick working on zipping, if not it may have been caused by mama. Only time will tell if the chick makes it (unless of course you decide to take it from her and put it in the incubator).