Veining in Dead(?) Egg

[hollandhens24]

This egg is on day 25. I cannot see movement, but veins are still visible. Is it safe to assume this one is dead?

 

[Tookie]

I assume this isn't a chicken egg? What is it?
If there's still veins I would think its still alive...

 

[Pearlescent]

If it’s a chicken egg, it’s definitely dead. (would be hatched by now.) if it’s something else, I’d give it longer. Just because you don’t see movement doesn’t mean it’s dead.

 

[hollandhens24]

I assume this isn't a chicken egg? What is it?
If there's still veins I would think its still alive...

This is indeed a chicken egg. I would expect a fuller, darker egg at this stage, the veins have just kept me from throwing it out.

 

[Anon112]

This is indeed a chicken egg. I would expect a fuller, darker egg at this stage, the veins have just kept me from throwing it out.

EDIT: Keep waiting!

 

[SnackMeat]

I would need a better photo but no, it might not be dead.

I would be curious if your other eggs hatched right at day 21, and if you were moving eggs around to make sure no one was in a cooler spot.

I would also wonder if this egg was larger than the others. Larger can mean it needs more time. I have made this mistake before.

I would use your phone flashlight, or another flashlight and candle the egg upright. I think (and I don't know to what extent this is true) that a fetus can move more easily upward rather than when having their whole body squished downward on the membrane.


There was an interesting anecdote where someone had some eggs that didn't hatch (I don't know if the whole hatch or only some) so they gave the eggs to their friend who wanted to put them in their incubator. And they wound up hatching around day 31-32, which is admittedly insane.

But if you see veins, and it doesn't smell, I would keep going. And then worst case, crack the air bubble open to look for movement and do a post mortem to figure out what was looking like veins.

 

[SnackMeat]

That being said, looking closer it looks like it is dead but need a better photo.

 

[Anon112]

There was an interesting anecdote where someone had some eggs that didn't hatch (I don't know if the whole hatch or only some) so they gave the eggs to their friend who wanted to put them in their incubator. And they wound up hatching around day 31-32, which is admittedly insane.

Whoa! I had three eggs that I took away from a broody on day 27 (yes, my mistake, it's a long story).

Heard a peep and put them in an incubator just in case, and two of them hatched (on days 28 and 29 respectively).

 

[SnackMeat]

Yeah, eggs can be pretty amazing what they can survive and counting on what the average egg does and tossing the rest is kind of a shame. But, I can also see how chicks that take such a long time to incubate have higher chances of having something wrong with them. But we always have to be ready to cull anyway, hard as it is.

Always learning with incubating. Incubators (and some brooders) also do not make that easy.

I can see how a dilettante hen or duck could spend more time off the next and keep the fetus trucking along at a slower rate, or an incubator being cooler than what it says it is.

 

[Anon112]

Yeah, eggs can be pretty amazing what they can survive and counting on what the average egg does and tossing the rest is kind of a shame. But, I can also see how chicks that take such a long time to incubate have higher chances of having something wrong with them. But we always have to be ready to cull anyway, hard as it is.

Always learning with incubating. Incubators (and some brooders) also do not make that easy.

I can see how a dilettante hen or duck could spend more time off the next and keep the fetus trucking along at a slower rate, or an incubator being cooler than what it says it is.

I had two successful broody hatches this year (both at the same time!), but the one thing I really regret is not having an incubator ready to toss in the eggs once the broody got off of her nest. I don't think they were all viable, but afterward it was clear that at least two of them had really well-developed chicks inside.

After I took the eggs out and then realized they were still alive, the two of them hatched and I had that third egg in there for like another 10 days, lol.